Mix 10 Feed in order of pubDate. / Remove unnecessary elements. / Remove HTML tags in description. http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/pipe.info?_id=7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407 Sun, 27 May 2012 21:18:33 +0000 http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/ http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/05/27/employee-recognition-rules.htm Prioritize employee recognition to ensure a positive, productive organizational climate. Provide employee recognition to say "thank you" and to encourage more of the actions and thinking you believe will make ...Read Full Post 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_a9aed1b09cca9473ba979a83f53f1e9b Sun, 27 May 2012 14:30:03 +0000 http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/05/27/what-organizations-need.htm Trust is right up there with communication when I identify the most powerful opportunities organizations have to build relationships with their employees. Unlike communication, which an organization can always improve, ...Read Full Post 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_2144cff5e1c7727febe636cd47dac3ee Sun, 27 May 2012 09:00:18 +0000 http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/05/26/training-dragons-and-recognition.htm Hidden jewels about work best practices, thoughtful lessons we can learn from, are often found where you least expect to find them. Perhaps it helps that I am constantly on the lookout to catch organizations doing something great so I can share it with you, but I do stumble upon ideas frequently. So, I found employee recognition in the credits of a dragon movie....Read Full Post 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_5134001fff5239e19b962a102b249f43 Sat, 26 May 2012 14:30:33 +0000 http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/05/26/business-travel-and-your-image.htm Appearance at trade shows and when employees travel for business, representing the company, is covered by a dress code in most companies. Suits are de rigueur in business meetings and many companies supply polo shirts or cotton button downs with the company logo for people who work the sales booth at a show....Read Full Post 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_24e9dec7d702845d613b9935d3a7b40f Sat, 26 May 2012 09:00:09 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/JonIngham/~3/F3IvAU47-vU/making-meetings-more-exciting.html       There was some interesting research out a few weeks ago from Epson and CEBR suggesting that the average UK office worker wastes 2 hours and 39 minutes in meetings every week. £26 billion: the amount lost from UK economy through time wasted in meetings in 2011 2 hours 39 minutes: the number of hours workers feel are wasted in meetings during an average week 49 minutes: the number of wasted minutes in meetings not made up for later 10 hours or over: the amount of time one in five senior managers and directors say they spend in meetings per week 11 minutes: the average amount of time it takes for people’s attention to drift in a meeting.   Nothing too surprising about any of this, other than perhaps how low some of them are (people concentrate in meetings for 11 minutes at a stretch – really???). Anyway, I’ve got an article in Management Today providing some suggestions for dealing with this problem.  The last one’s my favourite! Dispense with chairs Get social Opting out Avoid technology blunders Water cooler culture Be bold with timings Get creative with locations Weapons of mass distraction Use professional facilitation Better biscuits   There’s a bit more detail on Management Today.   Picture credit: Crowne Plaza lays fresh grass carpets Technorati Tags: Epson,CEBR,meetings,Management Today,Crowne Plaza,grass,carpets   Consulting - Research - Speaking - Training - Writing Strategy - Talent - Engagement - Change and OD Contact me to create more value for your business jon [dot] ingham [at] strategic [dash] hcm [dot] com . 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_64c188af5c02c982a50cd23a4f489db1 Fri, 25 May 2012 19:10:00 +0000 http://www.askamanager.org/2012/05/dealing-with-unreasonable-deadlines.html This post was originally published on September 7, 2007. A reader writes: I work in a very small office, doing a series of specific technical projects, reporting to a very young, recent-graduate manager who doesn’t have any experience in my area. I am regularly asked to complete projects in in ridiculous time frames. For instance, [...] 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_90b399b4baf9248d46d56306e01906f4 Fri, 25 May 2012 18:10:56 +0000 http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/05/25/are-paid-holidays-an-entitlement.htm Few employees realize that taking paid holidays off from work is not a right or a law in the US. Instead, paid time off is an employee benefit offered by employers to attract and retain talented employees....Read Full Post 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_291236f23d2c98dd51a58ca62ff1169a Fri, 25 May 2012 17:00:10 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hrcapitalist/~3/XinaXgXY860/hire-people-who-have-a-chip-on-their-shoulder.html Short post today.   Hire people who have a chip on their shoulder.  Those who might be from the wrong side of the tracks (wrong side only in the "I don't belong to a country club" sense), but have done all the right things, are smart and have a history of getting things done. I don't care what school you went to.  Community college before you picked up the degree from a non-descript state school?  Perfect.  Worked retail during school and after you got your degree because the market was tight?  Nice. As long as you can show me you've got a track history of getting things done, are quick on the uptake and hungry, it actually works to your advantage.  You're not from the wrong side of the tracks.  You're practical and not part of a big ponzi scheme outlined here by Mark Cuban (you should read the post at that link - for real) You don't have to have gone to an SEC school if I'm recruiting in the Southeast.  Kennesaw State, Troy University and UAB work just fine - as long as the other things are there. Can I ask you how much debt you have if you went to a private school I've never heard of?  Probably not, and it's in bad taste.  But I'm thinking whether your parents just dropped 200K on a school that I've rarely heard of or if you already have the equivalent of a big home mortgage for a degree that simply allows you to interview for entry-level, white-collar jobs. If you went to a public school that isn't a A-lister, don't apologize.  Tell me why the fancy degree doesn't mean anything.  Show me what you've done that the rich kids haven't.   HIre a bootstrapper.  If all the intangibles are there, it's a pretty smart thing to do. 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_1f938871a28a8913d27a0ca543a7f6a1 Fri, 25 May 2012 16:39:21 +0000 http://evilhrlady.org/2012/05/how-to-handle-sexual-misconduct-at-work.html Dear Evil HR Lady, I am an HR manager with a multinational corporation. Yesterday I received information about two employees having sex in the bathroom. Several staff members observed them, and apparently this is not the first episode — just the first time I’ve been informed. At what point do we terminate them? To read [...] 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_b312d182fa422b3773278f5dd9e5f6a8 Fri, 25 May 2012 15:36:17 +0000 http://www.askamanager.org/2012/05/and-im-not-even-that-nice.html This post was originally published on June 19, 2007.  Apparently I am engaging in some sort of deviant workplace behavior. I like to email short notes to people when they strike me as particularly awesome — and cc their boss. I never do it unless it’s sincere, but it’s not hard to find opportunities; we [...] 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_ab5ac20aa50502a82cac2882ed34f578 Fri, 25 May 2012 14:00:46 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hrcafe/~3/xg0C_a02fVY/ One way of minimizing workplace violence: Train people to recognize the tell-tale signs that someone is likely to turn violent, and encourage them to report such signs. Read on to learn what those signs are. 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_e1c15aaa513b0de6e93bbb9627b858b7 Fri, 25 May 2012 14:00:12 +0000 http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/05/25/employee-has-trust-issues-or.htm I frequently feature reader questions that are broadly applicable in any work place. Please add your thoughts in the comment area below. I treasure the ideas of ...Read Full Post 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_dea296cbedb75869de823832d7a808df Fri, 25 May 2012 09:00:13 +0000 http://www.askamanager.org/2012/05/how-to-fire-an-employee.html This post was originally published on September 3, 2007. I’m reprinting it now because I’m taking a few days off. You’ll see a few new posts during this period, but I’ll also be using a few from the long distant past. Firing poor performers is one of the hardest things managers do — and also [...] 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_eaad90be7614474af856f1d18db1eb3d Thu, 24 May 2012 19:00:43 +0000 http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/05/24/what-brings-you-joy-11.htm What brings you joy in the workplace? I know what brings me joy. Perhaps we share meaning about joyful events and circumstances? I trust that in sharing mine, I remind ...Read Full Post 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_e35d21906fcf8d5b65ed0547dba91246 Thu, 24 May 2012 17:31:21 +0000 http://www.askamanager.org/2012/05/is-my-friend-being-blackballed.html A reader writes: A couple years back, my best friend applied to a position at a very well-known, global company. This is a company that people from all over the world want to work for, and it’s always been her “dream company.” Without getting too far into the backstory, she got the offer and must [...] 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_131ba2b8134defdf1c437e4117a3080e Thu, 24 May 2012 14:00:35 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hrcapitalist/~3/sIx9NyfIsnc/is-your-onboarding-program-real-or-just-real-bad.html (Editor’s Note: Today’s post is brought to you by Allied Van Lines, proud sponsor of the “2012 Workforce Mobility Survey”, designed to capture the voice of HR on topics related to workforce mobility. Allied has more than 75 years of experience in corporate, household and international relocation.) First up, let's be clear.  I'm no onboarding expert.  I'm a HR leader who's a generalist by nature, trades in common sense and has some pretty strong opinions about what matters, what doesn't and what is complete BS. Example - Onboarding. We all know that it makes sense.  Find a better way to bring people into the organization, connect them with the mission and give them a start at your company that maximizes their chances for success. But just because you say you do onboarding - doesn't mean you really do onboarding. Brad Pitt (aka Tyler Durden) once remarked in Fight Club: "You’re not your job. You’re not how much money you have in the bank. You’re not the car you drive. You’re not the contents of your wallet. You’re not your #@$#@#$ khakis.” HR?  You're not your ability to say you do onboarding.  It really comes down to the quality of the program you call onboarding.  You start all the new hires together on a Monday and run through the handbook, maybe throw up a couple of slides about the culture?  That's not onboarding.  Onboarding really isn't a one or two day event.  That's part of getting someone started, but the real value of an onboarding program is what happens once your two-day bootcamp is over. Why's this on my mind?  Thanks to the Workforce Mobility Survey (click here) sponsored by Allied, we've got some actual data about the state of onboarding rather than comments from my cynical, jaded soul. Check out this great chart from the #AlliledHRIQ survey: Translation of the chart - everyone does a little song and dance via a "orientation".  But orientiation isn't true onboarding, is it?  Take a look at the items I've highlighted - I'd present those as the keys to really strong onboarding: 1.  Management participation in the program - only 1/3 of companies have this.  Wow.  Seems entry level - but apparently not.  #disconnect 2.  Under half of the companies responding to the survey match the new talent up with a vet in a coaching or mentoring relationship.  I'm shocked it's that high. 3.  Only 13% of companies responding to the survey do proactive stay interviews.  How are we doing?  What are you thinking?  How likely are you to leave?  Everyone likes to be asked. Let's face it - onboarding beyond orientation is hard to do.  But, if you really care, you'll give it a shot beyond running through the handbook and bringing in some sandwiches. You're not your HRMS.  You're not your ability to say you do onboarding.  Your ability to truly onboard is directly related to the number of touch points you have after someone finishes your orientation.   It shows you give a S#@*.   If you would like to learn more about Allied Van Lines, please check out their website or blog. And if you would like to get more information from the Workforce Mobility Survey, you can click here. It’s definitely worth checking out. 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_defd20247f00e2dceeae02f23c9b278d Thu, 24 May 2012 13:26:00 +0000 http://www.personneltoday.com/blogs/human-resources-guru/2012/05/tensies-to-replace-elevenses-s.html Image: Rex Features The good people at Pomegreat are going around saying that tensies is replacing elevenses and that “experts” are recommending that a break at ten be formally scheduled. Guru is aghast - he’s never had elevenses in his life. Consequently, he’s vowed to replace not having elevenses with having tensies and elevenses. He’s also going to have to replace working in the afternoon with having a nap if he’s going to be spending all morning eating. Sadly for Pomegreat, despite being committed to this new approach to eating, absolutely nothing can persuade Guru to eat a pomegranate. 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_16d2f051ee4689a071cfadb311efadf4 Thu, 24 May 2012 11:59:47 +0000 http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/05/24/candidates-deserve-respectful-communication.htm Rejecting a job candidate is always tough when the candidate is both qualified and liked. Other times, you breathe a sigh of relief that you avoided making a bad choice for your organization....Read Full Post 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_4e14e9074da9d9e4a64fdaebbd838b4b Thu, 24 May 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/index.cfm?fa=viewfeature&id=3002 What will the future be like a decade from now when fast networking and connected devices are almost ubiquitous? How will social, family and community life change? What will be the impact on fields such as manufacturing and health? A group of entrepreneurs, executives, policy makers and other experts brainstormed about these questions and more at a conference held last month in Wharton San Francisco. 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_ca8d441b6750dbd2994f9a03782f52fc Wed, 23 May 2012 20:25:40 +0000 http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/index.cfm?fa=viewfeature&id=3005 More, not less reform: That's what Europe needs if the euro stands a chance of survival, according to experts from a range of fields at a workshop held on April 26 in Fiesole, Italy. Titled, "Governance for the Eurozone: Integration or Disintegration?," the workshop took place as Greece and a number of other European communities are at a breaking point, squeezed by austerity and an uncertain economic recovery. Against that backdrop, the workshop, which was co-organized by the Wharton Financial Institutions Center, among others, evaluated the steps that EU members are taking to combat a potential unraveling of the union. 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_1341a4f6cff9a60c9ae69b7f501f4ffc Wed, 23 May 2012 20:25:40 +0000 http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/index.cfm?fa=viewfeature&id=3004 Companies once viewed corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs with general skepticism and even contempt. How times have changed. Today, businesses around the world, spurred by consumers as well as a rising generation of more socially conscious leaders, are making CSR a priority, embedding it into their operations and using it to attract and keep talent. 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_eb5a1953e62bc1ab032c586de1d4d893 Wed, 23 May 2012 20:25:40 +0000 http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/index.cfm?fa=viewfeature&id=3008 When JPMorgan Chase announced a $2 billion trading loss a few weeks ago, it was seen by many as a warning shot -- notice that practices at big financial institutions can still, despite the lessons of the financial crisis, produce a toxic mix. Lawmakers continue to wrangle over the best way to moderate the systemic risk caused by financial institutions that are "too big to fail," and top banks have only grown larger since the crisis. What if several banks had big troubles at the same time? Could the ripple effects swamp the innocent, as they did a few years ago? 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_be4529d36d34b3d07aa163ef7fea3ac9 Wed, 23 May 2012 20:25:40 +0000 http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/index.cfm?fa=viewfeature&id=3007 It has been a wild ride for Facebook lately -- and it doesn't seem to be over yet. The social networking giant made its long-anticipated market debut on May 18, only to see its stock barely rise above the opening price of $38. By May 22, the stock had fallen by 18%, and although it has bounced back slightly since then, some investors have filed lawsuits over how the company and Wall Street banks handled the IPO. What factors contributed to such a volatile debut? According to Wharton faculty, the problem is that no one knows for sure how to value Facebook's 901 million users. 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_6185d3be825a97be63c0abfd2b4d3598 Wed, 23 May 2012 20:25:40 +0000 http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/index.cfm?fa=viewfeature&id=3006 Is the promise of potentially lucrative commercialization enough to lure software hackers out from underground? What drives the vast pricing differences in the Medigap market? Can more finely tuned online ranking systems help consumers get better value from their hotel choices? Wharton professors Ethan Mollick and Amanda Starc and visiting professor Anindya Ghose, respectively, offer answers to these questions in their latest research. 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_a18cf7c32feb763742dd21f8caeebc7a Wed, 23 May 2012 19:31:29 +0000 http://www.askamanager.org/2012/05/how-can-i-get-faster-responses-from-my-coworkers-and-manager.html A reader writes: How should I approach it when I need to chase down my fellow colleagues and manager about matters that require their prompt assistance and attention? For instance, my senior colleague, who is based in another state, usually emails me to follow-up on certain issues that require clearance on my end, that is, [...] 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_7258fd07300b5e4c4218434868f11d11 Wed, 23 May 2012 19:00:46 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hrcapitalist/~3/Foi5gBvuA14/download-the-bootstrappers-guide-to-employee-engagement-office-space-edition.html Ah, yes. Employee engagement - the well-known buzzword that has a plethora of technical definitions, depending on the think-tank you follow. I've got my own definition of employee engagement, and it doesn't involve a task force, measuring happiness or a shiny new company-wide newsletter.  It involves the classic workplace film "Office Space" and your managers.  Intrigued? Good!  I did a whitepaper last week over at my company (Kinetix) called "It's Not You, It's Me: The Bootstrapper's Guide to Employee Engagement".  Here's what you get when you download: 1.  The simplest definition of employee engagement you've ever seen. Designed to make the complex simple, our definition is built to remove the glossy look you see in your management team's eyes when you say "employee engagement". They'll automatically get it (and like it!) when you lay my definition on them.  2. The five biggest myths about employee engagement as told by an award winning expert (we're connected like that), Bob Kelleher. Our favorite? "Employee engagement is just another trend." Sure it is, just like Facebook and the Internet. Right Brontosaurus? 3. Our bootstrapper's guide on how to build employee engagement through your first-level managers. You don't need a big budget to drive engagement - it all comes down to the performance of your first line managers. We'll give you five things to focus on with your people managers to get real, lasting engagement from your workforce.  Bonus: We've also packed this engagement paper full of Office Space references to make it readable and sharable, and we've even included Digital Bonus Clips for our auditory and visual learners. Because we care. And because everyone can relate to Peter Gibbons and TPS reports. You'll never have a case of the Mondays or need to count flare again.   If you want to read more, go get the whitepaper here (registration required).  Not a sales pitch, just interesting reading and a great way to help your managers/company out.  I wrote it, so if you like what you get here, you'll like the whitepaper... If you find registration for content personally appalling, I don't even know who you are anymore.... Just kidding, just email me or hit me in the comments if you're hiding from the authorities and are naturally suspicious, and I'll send you the PDF...   7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_38564e55b433b00fe0f36eebce3d952d Wed, 23 May 2012 16:25:46 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hrcafe/~3/H8JKONlJtv8/ Progressive discipline can help you document an employee's misconduct or poor performance, but it's capable of far more than that. Read on to learn how it can also be used to save employees who are worth keeping. 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_1c36985381a3a031605bb2a05f0b133c Wed, 23 May 2012 14:00:47 +0000 http://www.askamanager.org/2012/05/7-ways-bosses-annoy-employees.html I’m sure it will come as a shock to all of you, but some bosses are annoying. Over at U.S. News & World Report today, I talk about seven of the biggest ways — including making social events unofficially required, pressuring employees to donate to charity, holding endless and awful meetings, and more. You can [...] 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_8c05c823c7225be91f14c9230fb7d0ce Wed, 23 May 2012 13:24:03 +0000 http://evilhrlady.org/2012/05/my-temporary-boss-was-abusive.html Dear Evil HR Lady, In my last temporary assignment, we were required not to work above 40 hours, but our assignment company made it difficult to complete the increasing workload within that time period. I arrived early as a courtesy, although we were told not to work above 40 hours. I was also given more [...] 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_4ef2b49ecce5999304ff102d5f5752ba Wed, 23 May 2012 13:20:02 +0000 http://evilhrlady.org/2012/05/do-temporary-employees-have-rights.html Find out what protections temporary workers are entitled to by clicking here: Do temporary employees have rights? 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_046deeba645eb78f0e5d832d0ac36eb5 Wed, 23 May 2012 12:30:41 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/JonIngham/~3/S-0PdiOnDvY/sapforum-doing-ulrich-or-return-to.html      Today I was at SAP Forum in London.   There were a couple of interesting technology oriented sessions (which to me, more than anything, showed the similarity of issues faced by IT and HR departments) and a few good HR ones (with a couple of less good ones too). The best of these I thought was one on Ulrich – and beyond, presented by Accenture and providing some early insights into some research they’re doing currently (there’ll be a book). Let me come clean on my perspectives before I start my review- I think Ulrich’s work largely makes a lot of sense (though I don’t agree with outside-in) and am looking forward to seeing him in Dubai and at HR Performance.  But I also think ‘doing Ulrich’ is an awful idea and that organisations that do this have only themselves to blame when things don’t work out.  More on my perspectives at the end of the report…   So, Accenture do see an issue in the model (or in execution of the model).  Those clients looking to stay with Ulrich are seeking to refine and optimise it as follows: Joining up, connecting and providing more governance across the model Assessing and developing business partners – often the weakest link Bringing in a COO as an overlay on top of the model to make HR more commercial Tailoring the model as one size does not fit all, eg using concierge services for investment bankers who aren’t going to do employee self-service are they? (just getting them behaving like decent human beings would seem to be enough of a challenge for most) Unfudging global / regional / local activity splits Moving more work into shared services and offshore to increase efficiency Making hybrid the new market, eg a company might outsource to support growth in emerging markets but keep activities in-house elsewhere, or develop other, lower services to support the rising contingent workforce.   But how can it be that everybody is implementing the model badly?  Perhaps the model itself needs to change.  Accenture suspect the next new model will involve: Focusing more strongly on operational excellence to deliver lower quartile costs Keeping numbers of business partners to a very small number Putting everybody else into a flexible, agile resource pool Making all this work through ‘ruthless measurement and analytics’.   The last point seemed to get a lot of stress (this is Accenture!).  So for example: “If HR can’t measure what it does and prove the value of what it does then it shouldn’t be doing it.”   This to me is absolute garbage – worse than that in fact as it’s not just useless, it’s also hugely dangerous as it’s just going to drive HR’s focus to more measurable activities which are generally less valuable.   I was pleased to see, however, that Accenture is stressing the need for HR to help their organisations rather than just support general austerity in their organisations by cutting their own numbers (which XpertHR suggests is what’s happening currently), so: “HR can have a lot more impact by improving sales performance even 0.002% than it can through functional operational improvement.”   The biggest point for me though is that actually the whole debate is a red herring.  Ulrich never proposed ‘his’ model as a solution organisations should implement.  And it should never be one.  All organisational transformation, including HR’s, should begin with clear organisational principles, the identification of potential options and the comparison of the pros and cons of these options against the organisational principles.  The best solution may end up looking like Urich’s straw model or it may not. So to me, it’s Accenture’s finding that “blanket ratios and sizing of the function were applied” that is pretty much the root cause of the problem – not the model nor the execution actually.   Technorati Tags: Accenture,Ulrich,research,SAP,forum,London,2012   Consulting - Research - Speaking - Training - Writing Strategy - Talent - Engagement - Change and OD Contact me to create more value for your business jon [dot] ingham [at] strategic [dash] hcm [dot] com . 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_f843a940ae6167ec4e85b10d568c2963 Tue, 22 May 2012 22:12:00 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hrcapitalist/~3/r4uGbiPgSv4/notes-from-my-commencement-speech-youre-dumb-actually-aaron-sorkin.html OK, it's not mine. From Aaron Sorkin’s commencement address at Syracuse University (via kottke.org and h/t to @alexgoetz) "Make no mistake about it, you are dumb. You’re a group of incredibly well-educated dumb people. I was there. We all were there. You’re barely functional. There are some screw-ups headed your way. I wish I could tell you that there was a trick to avoiding the screw-ups, but the screw-ups, they’re a-coming for ya. It’s a combination of life being unpredictable, and you being super dumb." Book it!  That's money.  See the whole thing here... 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_7810682587c4796de0a44d70e2e07104 Tue, 22 May 2012 16:35:48 +0000 http://www.askamanager.org/2012/05/terse-answer-tuesday-bad-manager-edition.html It’s terse answer Tuesday — seven short answers to seven short questions. And we have two particularly bad horror stories about managers today — including one threatening a former employee’s life. Here we go… 1. Listing volunteer work without any proof I used to work as the Executive Editor (volunteer) for a website. Although it [...] 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_b9a80ff6c631e065e2528e5a6533f089 Tue, 22 May 2012 15:30:16 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/yourhrguy/~3/54KGt5DmNao/ You can pretty much blame marketers for anything. That’s pretty lazy. But between them and SEO chasers, they have essentially ruined guest posting. Yes, guest posts are over. I try to respond to everything that comes in to my world. … Continue reading → 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_2e5d6efd94fb876ef3bedf5b1bdf8100 Tue, 22 May 2012 13:42:02 +0000 http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/05/22/are-you-the-victim-of-a-bad-boss.htm How many times have you witnessed a person working in a supervisory position without the necessary supervisory skills? How many times have you questioned why some leaders get the roles that they do? Probably, often....Read Full Post 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_0c0107be22db5d1da902fdc48ea41ce1 Tue, 22 May 2012 12:11:32 +0000 http://www.personneltoday.com/blogs/human-resources-guru/2012/05/nine-out-of-ten-hurdles-is-not.html Image: Rex Features Guru always tells his staff that he will accept nothing less than 100% from them. Sadly, Guru’s approach is not replicated across Britain, as was in evidence at the Manchester GreatCity Games where British athlete Jessica Ennis thought she was competing in the 100m hurdles. The managing director of hurdles has obviously created a culture where it is acceptable for employees to give less than 100%, as it was discovered after Jessica Ennis had won the race (with what she thought was a new personal best) that only nine of an expected ten hurdles had been laid out. Guru would not stand for this - he doesn’t doubt that it’s very boring setting out hurdles, but he would have insisted that his hurdles logistics team put out the tenth one even if they didn’t really want to. If they really, really didn’t want to do it, then a compromise might have been that they put out the last one for Jessica Ennis, but not bother with the last hurdle for the Americans she was running against. As it is, Guru cannot help but worry about the forthcoming London Olympics. If the hurdles executive team at the London Olympics takes a similar approach, who knows how many hurdles we’ll be getting - eight, seven, six, five… Guru has a disturbing image in his mind’s eye of a 100m hurdles final with no hurdles. When it happens, nobody can say Guru didn’t see it coming. 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_64a6b6cd113fccf89d9c8879ac6ef11b Tue, 22 May 2012 08:16:54 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/JimStroud20/~3/GA49hsvOW5M/ Jim consults with Chad Sowash to discuss why (and how) companies should hire veterans. Related PostsI demand HR justice for US veterans!How Companies Can Help Military Veterans Transition Into Civilian JobsChad Sowash discussing jobs for veterans at Congressional HearingRecruiter Training Video: How to automate Resume SourcingCHINA – I need you to resign and then reapply to the job I just [...] 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_988e8a6ae88095ff3a188d7943803e75 Tue, 22 May 2012 03:54:01 +0000 http://www.askamanager.org/2012/05/bereavement-leave-in-a-very-competitive-workplace.html A reader writes: Nearly 3 months ago, my husband and I experienced the loss of our only child. It happened suddenly and I haven’t returned to work since. I have kept in contact with my supervisor from time to time just to check in. The standard bereavement leave is three days but they made an [...] 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_84d957748485bd5ee7eddcf08882de74 Tue, 22 May 2012 03:28:37 +0000 http://www.askamanager.org/2012/05/i-dont-want-my-coworker-to-know-about-my-boob-job.html A reader writes: In a few weeks, I’ll be taking 2 weeks off work to have plastic surgery. After returning to work, I’ll be on a few work restrictions for 2-3 weeks. My immediate supervisor and manager know the reason, but I really don’t want to tell my co-workers that the reason I can’t shift [...] 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_93f00133941ca33a9058db7a5b0399ff Mon, 21 May 2012 22:17:26 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/JonIngham/~3/X_C7W1ONjmw/hr-performance-2012.html      Straight after that I’m following Dave Ulrich back to London for another session on HR supporting social media in the business at HR Performance in London. Other speakers include: Sandy Begbie, Group People and Operations Director at Standard Life Binna Kandola, Senior Partner and co-founder, Pearn Kandola Vance Kearney, Vice President Human Resources, Oracle Europe, Middle East and Africa Jez Lanhorn, Vice President People, McDonald’s UK Darren Newman, Consultant Editor, XpertHR and writer, Equal Opportunities Review Dean Shoesmith, Executive Head of Human Resources, London Boroughs of Sutton and Merton. Liz Bramley, Employee Engagement and Diversity strategy, The Co-operative Group Esther O'Halloran, Managing Director, Paul UK Denis Barnard, founder of HRcomparison.com   I hope to see you there too.   Technorati Tags: HR Performance,summit,conference,London,2012   Consulting - Research - Speaking - Training - Writing Strategy - Talent - Engagement - Change and OD Contact me to create more value for your business jon [dot] ingham [at] strategic [dash] hcm [dot] com . 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_b6785c739f0547c37e58c9456a4751f7 Mon, 21 May 2012 19:16:00 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/JimStroud20/~3/5R9aQceyRw8/ Monster.com has been around for a long time. Do you know the history behind it? Infographic by PC Recruiter – Original Related PostsThe Monster Mash continues…This is what Monster.com should have done after they were hacked (Part 2)The History of the Resume [Infographic]“The History of Sourcing Interactive Timeline” is now onlineCOMIC – The Recruiting Life – The Interview Process    [...] 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_483c46b7b9f50a95f2698421a9f732b2 Mon, 21 May 2012 18:25:38 +0000 http://www.askamanager.org/2012/05/how-to-juggle-a-job-offer-when-youre-waiting-on-another-and-how-to-find-a-mentor.html I get asked about this all the time, and now my answer is over at U.S. News & World Report today: what to do if you get one job offer while you’re waiting to hear about another job that you’d prefer. You can read it here. And, over at the Intuit QuickBase blog today, I [...] 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_c50ce986a29966eebc2af9caf72e06af Mon, 21 May 2012 16:00:05 +0000 http://www.askamanager.org/2012/05/connect-with-other-ask-a-manager-readers-on-linkedin.html If want to connect with other Ask a Manager readers on LinkedIn — to network, talk, or whatever — now you can. Our awesome commenter Jamie set up a group over there (moderated by her, not me!). To join, click here. It’s a private group, so you’ll need to do two things: First, click “join [...] 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_342206313cefa269c3347d0fe067045d Mon, 21 May 2012 15:33:36 +0000 http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/05/21/complaints-need-a-feedback-loop.htm Are you interested in discovering your employees' most serious complaints? Knowing what makes employees unhappy is half the battle when you think about employee work satisfaction...Read Full Post 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_9bcea32d55f49b1a598d64b1ded3bfbe Mon, 21 May 2012 14:30:37 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hrcafe/~3/J1SEPd7H4-U/ You know you can't terminate an employee right after they make a harassment claim. But what happens when an employee misinterprets an order to "get out" as a termination? Read on to learn what happened in this case, and weigh in on how you think the judge ruled. 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_b940d9387bfb499b316da0bf2a287d8e Mon, 21 May 2012 13:56:53 +0000 http://employerslawyer.blogspot.com/2012/05/somewhere-in-smoke-filled-room-your.html Well that's a little dramatic, but after staying up late to watch my Spurs complete their second sweep in a row,  the subtle part of my brain is not working as well as it should be. Although said in jest, the comment does have some truth (except for the smoky rooms), as the American Law Institute is meeting in D.C. this week and will be taking up Chapters 3 and 7 of the Restatement of Employment Law. This according to Paul Secunda, one of the editors at the Workplace Prof Blog, who will be in attendance. American Law Institute - Restatement of Employment Law.According to Professor Secunda, Chapter 3 on compensation and benefits is authored by Sam Estreicher of NYU, and Chapter 7 which deals with privacy and autonomy interests in the workplace is authored by Matt Bodie, from St. Louis University.Although it will be known as the Restatement of Employment Law, Third, it is actually the first. The 3rd moniker is because this is the third general round of Restatements done by the ALI. The first round was from 1923 to 1944. The 2nd round started in 1952, and the 3rd round started in 1987, and included Employment Law for the first time.Because it takes considerable time to reach the consensus of the various reporters and advisers, and then go through the Council itself, it may well be some time before it is finalized. A list of the project participants can be found here. Even when final, its impact will come only as courts adopt it. But if you think it could not have impact on your world, think of the four theories of privacy rights (only three of which have been accepted by Texas courts) and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Although the latter has been substantially restricted in Texas, both concepts have been important in my career, and both arose gained prominence (if not their existence) from the Restatement of Torts. As I have always understood the Restatements, they are meant to be a combination of what the law is, plus some looking forward to what it should be, so whatever comes out could very well be an important force, although that force is likely to be felt long after my active days of practice are ended.If you want a preview of where it's headed, some of the drafts are available from the ALI's website under the Restatements of the Law - Employment Law section. 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_c7a5a116d71816cf0d341388ed310f8a Mon, 21 May 2012 13:33:00 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/JonIngham/~3/NA83r1LsTFQ/middle-east-hr-summit.html      I’ve got more great conferences coming up later in the year.  One of these I’m really looking forward to is IIR’s HR Summit in Dubai in November. Dave Ulrich kicks the conference off with a full day on HR from the outside-in and leadership (the why of work). The rest of the programme is the split into sections based upon Ulrich’s HR competencies.  You may remember that one of these is ‘technology proponent’ and I’ll be presenting on social media in HR, and HR’s role in supporting the use of social media in business. I’ll then be wrapping the programme up with a workshop on HR measurement.   Other speakers include: Christel Heydemann, EVP Corporate Human Resources & Transformation, Alcatel‐Lucent, France Ehab Hassan, Group Chief HR Officer and Executive Vice President, National Bank of Abu Dhabi, UAE Hussain Al Obaidly, Chief Human Resources Officer, Mubadala – GE, UAE Thomas Bartridge, Director of Human Resource, Masdar, UAE Wayne Davies, HR Director – Middle East, North Africa and Turkey, GE, UAE Craig Deaves, Organisational Capability Manager, BP, Iraq Maryam Al Falahi, HR Consultant and Former VP ‐ HR Strategy & Planning, Etisalat, UAE Maha Al Mansouri, Associate Director – HR and Emiratisation, Masdar, UAE Cora Koppe‐Stahrenberg, Chief Human Resources Officer, Emirates Investment Authority, UAE Akif Tashkandi, HR Director, Boeing International, Saudi Arabia Jalal Al‐Khaled, Chief Human Resources Officer, Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company, UAE Salwa Al Nuaimi, Vice President Talent Acquisition, Etihad Airways, UAE Charlie Sampson, Former Regional Head of Talent Management, HSBC Bank, UAE Othman Haddi, Associate Director, CEEMEA HR Headquarters, Procter & Gamble, Switzerland Tamer Elewa, Regional HR Business Partner ‐ Global Operations, Merck Serono, UAE Jonathan Budden, HR Business Partner, Microsoft, UAE Dilpreet Singh, HR Leader ‐ Middle East & Africa, IBM, UAE Salem Baabdullah, General Manager ‐ Talent Management, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Saudi Arabia David Capozzalo, Lead ‐ Executive Leadership & Development, SABIC, Saudi Arabia Veronica Munro, Head of Leadership Effectiveness – West, Standard Chartered, UAE Matthew Mee, Vice President – Human Resources, Jumeirah Group, UAE Colin Gow, Group Head of HR Shared Services, Al Futtaim, UAE Khaled Helaly, Director ‐ Strategy and Business Planning HR, Qatar Foundation, Qatar Indi Seehra, Director of Human Resources, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom Khalil Cotran, Managing Director – Human Resources, NBK Capital, Kuwait Assaf Al‐Quraishi, Vice President ‐ Human Resources MENA, Unilever, UAE Lee‐Anna Nussbaumer, Corporate Director of Human Resources, Emaar Hospitality Group, UAE   If you’re in the region I hope I’ll see you there.   Technorati Tags: Dave Ulrich,HR,outside in,competencies,why of work,Dubai,Middle East,IIR,Summit   Consulting - Research - Speaking - Training - Writing Strategy - Talent - Engagement - Change and OD Contact me to create more value for your business jon [dot] ingham [at] strategic [dash] hcm [dot] com . 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_b0592333fcfb27d9fbffd6a930375ada Mon, 21 May 2012 11:14:00 +0000 http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/05/21/hr-gobbledygook.htm Employers ask a lot about employee satisfaction, employee engagement, employee motivation, employee involvement, employee empowerment, and employee morale. There are differences between each of these concepts, but many people use ...Read Full Post 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_c269aefa1b2a555ca664e07a2a3712ed Mon, 21 May 2012 09:00:25 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/allthingsworkplace/~3/utBudxSLoog/strengths-weaknesses-and-engagement.html What engages you most: building on your talent or overcoming what you see as some "gap" in your inherent abilities? Where do you get the bigger payoff? My friend and employee engagement guru David Zinger cited a Gallup Management Journal article in one of his posts that reflected these findings: 1. If your manager primarily ignores you your chances of being actively disengaged are 40% 2. If your manager focuses on your weaknesses your chances of being actively disengaged are 22% 3. If you manager focuses on your strengths your chances of being actively disengaged are only 1%. I think these factoids are powerful in their simplicity. They point the way to what managers and their people should be paying attention to if they're really concerned with being engaged. First: Managers would be wise to initiate conversation and discussion with all of their people. Otherwise, the numbers show that they'll lose the active commitment of nearly half. Note to employees: I know that you know that your manager is supposed to know this. Well, clearly they may not. If you aren't getting attention, initiate a conversation with your boss about how important it is to you. Some people, by nature, don't initiate those things. Then, if you find out that this isn't a department or organization where you can flourish, you have some solid information for making career decisions. And if you do make a difference by initiating the discussion and see it continue, you've helped at least two people. Second: Here is a way to start thinking about where to invest energy: Building Strengths or Overcoming Weaknesses. I'll use a sales example. Let's say you are a sales rep who has a track record of getting appointments and a presentation with 60% of the people on whom you call. But your ability to close the sale is 25%. You have been a sales rep at different companies for 18 years.(Stick with me, I've been a sales manager). What you now know is that you're strength lies in building the initial relationship and being able to get in front of the client. No matter how hard you've worked at closing the sale, you've never gotten above 25%. As your sales manager, I'd start thinking: If I help you focus on getting appointments and presentations--and you improve just 10%--then I have someone who can get us in front of a prospective client 66% of the time. If I start focusing on your closing deficit and you manage to improve 10%, you still only get to a 27.5% success rate. So I decide that I --or another "closer" with a high percentage of success--will come along to the presentations. You become the "star" door opener and we find another "star" closer. I'd be crazy to spend my time and energy focusing on your weakness. It would be the same as telling Yo Yo Ma "You're a phenomenal musician. I know you are a cellist, but we're going to put all of our energy into making you a great tuba player." Thought for Today: Let's talk with people about "What They Can't Not Do." 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_c3f95d656b1722c80f7c8d24d8027037 Mon, 21 May 2012 04:01:00 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/JonIngham/~3/9aJ-X3hL-9w/interviewing-ryan-blair-at-economists.html      Less than a month now until the Economist’s Talent Management Summit on 14th June… As well as acting as the summit’s social media partner, I’m going to be moderating a panel “THE NET GENERATION—capitalising on unique characteristics” with Ryan Blair, CEO of ViSalus and author of "Nothing To Lose". Aged 36 now I think, Ryan isn’t quite in the net generation I think we’re supposed to be discussing.  But then he did start his first company aged 21 and became a millionaire soon after, so he certainly capitalised on his own unique characteristics! Anyway, we’re also supported by Lucian Tarnowski (28?) from Brave New Talent, who as CEO of the social recruiting platform, Brave New Talent, certainly fits the bill. And of course, both of them lead organisations predominantly staffed by net gen employees.   Any thoughts on what I should be asking Ryan?   Also, I’m still taking entries for a free ticket to the summit – you just need to submit an idea for an HR innovation.  This can be a big one – a radically different HR architecture would be great – but it could be quite a small one if it’s interesting enough (perhaps like Ryan’s own innovation in asking interviewees to play Connect 4 with him so that he can understand the way they think!???). More details here: http://strategic-hcm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/talent-management-summit-how-to-win.html.     Technorati Tags: Economist,talent management,summit,London,2012,net generation,Ryan Blair,ViSalus,Nothing To Lose,Lucian Tarnowski,BraveNewTalent   Consulting - Research - Speaking - Training - Writing Strategy - Talent - Engagement - Change and OD Contact me to create more value for your business jon [dot] ingham [at] strategic [dash] hcm [dot] com . 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_f1481410dd47ef4cc51a8a972f3e0eb4 Sun, 20 May 2012 19:09:00 +0000 http://www.askamanager.org/2012/05/my-job-offer-was-revoked-before-i-started-and-after-i-quit-my-job.html A reader writes: I was working with a staffing agency and received a job offer through them. I was informed by phone and email that I’d been hired, with start date and start time. So, I verbally confirmed that I accept, would be quitting my current job, and would be able to start on the [...] 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_5657745c9e17480546ceded87e80dd97 Sun, 20 May 2012 15:00:37 +0000 http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/05/20/listen-to-my-gen-y-podcast.htm Tapping the subject of millennial or Gen Y employees again today as a podcast of my discussion with award winning host, Michael Finney on KGO 810, San Francisco, last ...Read Full Post 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_603aec2059881a5a5f8375e507c2b1ea Sun, 20 May 2012 14:30:27 +0000 http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/05/20/tap-into-employee-motivation.htm I have a young colleague whose energy amazes me. She's the mom of two and works full time plus is active in professional and civic opportunities. A couple of years ...Read Full Post 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_c8ec278438c24ad0c0cce1fe9f5c8498 Sun, 20 May 2012 08:32:18 +0000 http://www.askamanager.org/2012/05/short-answer-saturday-6-short-answers-to-6-short-questions-6.html It’s short answer Saturday — six short answers to six short questions. Here we go… 1. How can I motivate this manager? I work for a small business managed by a married couple, owned by the female partner. Although this is one of healthiest environments I have ever worked in, the male partner has challenges [...] 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_a6ccec98280d776840b0c1e5ee262adb Sat, 19 May 2012 18:48:12 +0000 http://www.askamanager.org/2012/05/why-are-employers-so-bad-at-training-people.html A reader writes: I’ve been out of school and in the workforce full time for about four years now. In this time, I don’t feel that I’ve had even one job that adequately trained new employees. The first full-time job I had was in a new hotel, and everyone was trained pretty well on how [...] 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_f46a728a598974ff92c61d31261d73f3 Sat, 19 May 2012 13:12:39 +0000 http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/05/19/lifestyle-choices-for-millennials.htm Having a company with many young employees means that an employee or an employee's spouse is almost always pregnant. Indeed, there are usually multiple babies on their way. We have even ...Read Full Post 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_d52910f2395ec5c4dc0dfdc9343ce8b0 Sat, 19 May 2012 02:51:25 +0000 http://www.askamanager.org/2012/05/whats-the-etiquette-of-getting-a-bonus.html A reader writes: I am only a few years out of school, working my first long-term job. I’ve recently been doing some above-and-beyond work for my employer, and a senior coworker mentioned that this sort of work is often rewarded with a bonus. I’ve never received a bonus before, and I’m hoping you would be [...] 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_1d0a8cedca110cc1fb4a17f20f691522 Fri, 18 May 2012 20:56:18 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/JonIngham/~3/_0h2qlju6ew/why-ed-lawler-is-completely-wrong-about.html      You know I’m a fan of Ed Lawler, right? (see 1,2,3).  We’re not talking John Boudreau or Peter Cappelli here (though of course Boudreau is Lawler’s colleague at USC). But I’m afraid I think Lawler’s article in the Executive Guide to Integrated Talent Management (featuring me, Dave Ulrich, Marshall Goldsmith – plus Peter Cappelli etc) has got everything pretty much completely the wrong way round. It all starts off OK: “The existence of an effective performance management system is often the major differentiator between organisations that produce adequate results and those that excel.  Without a focus on performance management at all levels of an organisation, it is hard to see how an organisation can find a talent-based competitive advantage. It is far from easy to get performance management right in an organisation.  The corporate world is littered with companies whose employees never receive an effective performance appraisal.  People at all organisational levels go through the motions of formulaic performance appraisals with astonishing insincerity and have little to show for it.  There also are numerous examples of situations where individuals thought they were going the right thing and performing well only to find out that they were mistaken when they had their annual appraisals.  Finally, in many organisations, performance appraisals simply aren’t done, either because of employee resistance or because managers ‘dry lab’ (fake) them.”   Agreed.  And I think these reasons are why an increasing number of organisations are jettisoning their performance management processes and doing something more innovative and resonant instead. But if you are going to do it, it’s important to know the best practices which will tend to stack the odds as far in your favour as much as you can. To me, Lawler’s suggestions are more part of the problem than they are part of the solution.  Here’s why:   1.   Start at the top Lawler: “In the best of all possible worlds, goals are first set at the top and then cascaded down so that individuals at each level have goals that are tied to the overall strategic direction of the organisation.” Me: Well, I understand the logic for this – I’ve even led large projects (£1m+) based upon this principle, and shouted about the case studies which result.  But increasingly I see organisations which are just to complicated and complex for this to work.  You can’t just start with the top level goals and slice and dice till you end up with every individual taking on their own teeny little bit.  Things don’t work like that.  So as long as everyone is clear about the overall business strategy, and their own role requirements, they and their managers, and increasingly those other people working around them, are the best people to decide on their goals.  Plus of course doing this makes the whole process much quicker and more agile, and less tedious all round.   2.   HR should support, not own, the system Lawler: “HR managers should not act as the conscience of the organisation or drive and sell performance management.  These should be the responsibilities of the top managers.” Me: If HR can’t own this, what can it own? (nothing!).  It depends on what you want HR to be – if it’s just an administrative side attraction, then fine, just tell it to operate the logistics of the appraisal round.  But if you want HR to drive competitive success but ensuring you have the people you need, you’ve got to give HR ownership of some of the key tools. Some of this comes down to the difference between accountability and responsibility.  HR can’t be responsible for managing peoples’ performance – that’s got to rest with the line.  But HR can be accountable for good performance management taking place across the organisation.  And owning the system which enables managers to own the performance of the people in their teams is a key part of enabling this to happen.   3.   Cascade strategy and goals to all levels Lawler: “The starting point for an effective performance management process should be the business strategy of the organisation.  It should guide a goal-setting process that leads to individuals, teams and business units having transparent goals and objective sthat are directly tied to the strategy of the business.  For this to be effective, the goal-setting process needs to begin at the top of the organisation and cascade down.” Me: I would ignore the fact that this is really just a repeat of Lawler’s principle 1 except that my challenge is largely the same as my earlier one too.  Not everything can be dictated from the top.  If nothing else, it’s not very compelling to be treated like this ie as a small cog in part of the big organisational wheel.  It’s often better to  let people come up with objectives they’re going to be committed too, even if they’re not directly aligned with those of the top cheese.  See my post on performance leadership for more on this.   4.   Set measurable goals Lawler: “Measurable goals need to be set, and individuals should be assessed in relation to them.  This applies to both the skills and competencies that individuals need to develop and also, of course, their performance deliverables – the how and the outcomes of their performance.” Me: Yeah, measurable’s nice, as it helps understand how people are doing and how much to pay them.  But this is about performance assessment, not improvement.  And improvement comes, once again, from making goals compelling, not merely measureable.  See my earlier post on making objectives MUSICal, not just SMART.   5.   Set talent development objectives Oh good grief – get people to set these themselves.  Then they may actually own them and do something about meeting them.   6.   Rate outcomes and performance, don’t rank people Lawler: “Some organisations (for example, ExxonMobil) rank-order hundreds, or in some cases thousands, of people from first to last, numbering them from one to whatever the total number of individuals is in the part of the organisation that is being appraised.  This effort is like trying to measure the length of an objective to the closest thousandth of an inch using an ordinary straight ruler; the information needed to measure performance so precisely just isn’t available.” Me: Yes, but you can’t accurately compare people’s performance at higher levels either.  Nobody’s performance, goals or their job is the same, so you’re comparing apples with oranges whatever you try and do.  Anyway, it’s not the ‘information’ that’s important here, it’s the conversation.  The value of ranking, and why I suggest organisations do it, is the conversations between managers about what they value in different people and why they perceive some as more valuable than others.  I’ve never seen the same quality of discussion take place over simply rating people.  I4CP can show that it’s apparently less popular, but personally, I’d still do it.     Lawler: “Another seriously flawed rating practice is forced distribution. Some organisations (for example, GE, EDS and Accenture) require their managers to identify a certain proportion of their reports who are failing, often 5 to 10 percent, and a certain proportion who are doing particularly well, often 15 to 20 percent. The forced distribution approach ignores the reality that some work groups have no poor performers and other have no good performers.” Me: Yes, that’s probably true, though GE never forced this to the extent that the story was spun. Anyway, you get round the problem by rating and ranking people. So they get rated based upon their objectives, and ranked against everyone else. If they’re performed well against their objectives but their colleagues have done even better (ie the bar has been raised) they’ll get a good rating but be ranked rather lower. I can’t see the problem in this.   7. Train managers and employees I almost have to agree to this one, but there is a way round doing so. Recognise the need for emergence – if you have to train people (on the system, not just having good quality conversations) then the system is too complex. keep the bureaucracy light and just let it happen. Managers and employees will find their own ways to manage and improve their performance.   8. Link rewards to performance, but discuss development separately Lawler: “Principle 8 is to link rewards to performance, but to discuss development separately. An important feature of an effective performance management system is the degree to which it affects the reward system; in other words, the degree to which it leads to pay increases, bonuses, stock options and promotions. Over the years, articles and books have claimed that performance management processes should separate the appraisal of performance from discussion about salary increases and promotions. This may indeed make some of the discussion easier, but it is not the way to make money and other tangible rewards effective motivators.” Me: I certainly agree that there’s a problem here – put simply, if money’s involved, people won’t discuss their development needs (weaknesses) because they think it’s going to result in them being paid less. So they pretend they don’t have any needs, only strengths, so no, or at least less, development needs get identified. But I think Lawler is completely wrong to go with the reward vs the development aspect. Firstly because we know reward doesn’t motivate that much. And secondly, because it definitely doesn’t improve performance (by very much). So use performance management to drive learning and development – both key drivers of improvement in any organsiation. And figure out something else (like this) to provide a basis for reward.   9. Appraise the appraisers Again, a bit more of a difficult one to object too, but it’d be a shame to give up now…. so of course I need to note that simply appraising managers isn’t really going to be anything like enough.  More important is finding people to work as managers who are motivated and competent to manage.  And then you won’t have to worry about appraising them.   10. Consider having review discussions online For a while I thought this would be the hardest principle of the ten to challenge – but then I saw my way through it.  Don’t consider – just do it!  This isn’t so much for the sake of being more ‘functional’ (“it gives individuals a chance to think a bit before they make their responses”) however, as Lawler suggests – it’s because online provides better clarity, sharing and memory than doing it any other way.  Simps.   There you go – sorry Ed!   Also see The book Learning and integrated talent management Recruiting and integrated talent management Reward and integrated talent management   Technorati Tags: Ed Lawler,performance management,Kevin Oakes,I4CP,Pat Galaghan,integrated,talent management   Consulting - Research - Speaking - Training - Writing Strategy - Talent - Engagement - Change and OD Contact me to create more value for your business jon [dot] ingham [at] strategic [dash] hcm [dot] com . 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_1f1191bafeaf3706d8691c15785c701d Fri, 18 May 2012 18:11:00 +0000 http://evilhrlady.org/2012/05/why-i-left-my-job-without-a-new-one-lined-up.html “Oops, I quit my job.” Katherine Stevensen’s Facebook status casually proclaimed that she had made a potentially life-changing decision. For one thing, she had no new job lined up. I wanted to know why. To keep reading click here: Why I left my job without a new one lined up 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_888f88742edd991ff2f13de63b64f170 Fri, 18 May 2012 17:43:06 +0000 http://employerslawyer.blogspot.com/2012/05/5th-circuit-dashes-class-action-in.html The interaction between arbitration and class/collective actions which seems to be continually evolving, took another positive step for employers in the 5th Circuit with today's decision in Reed v. Florida Metro University, Inc. (5th Cir 5.18.12).Reed sued claiming that his on line Bachelor's degree in paralegal studies would not be recognized either by law schools, nor a police department where he sought employment. Since that was contrary to his understanding as to what the school told him, he filed suit claiming a violation of the Texas Education Code. He sought $51,000 plus attorneys fees, but also sought relief on behalf of a class of everyone who "contracted to receive distance education from Everest University Online while residing in Texas."The defendant successfully moved to compel arbitration, but the Court deferred the decision as to whether it could be brought as a class action to the arbitrator.Noting it was a close question, the arbitrator held that the matter could proceed as a class action. Reed sought affirmation of that ruling and the School asked that it be vacated on the ground the arbitrator exceeded his powers.  Judge Lee Yeakel in Austin denied the School's Motion to vacate award.The 5th Circuit first addressed whether Judge Yeakel's decision to allow the arbitrator to decide whether or not the matter could proceed as a class action was correct and concluded that it was.On the second issue, whether the arbitrator exceeded his powers in holding that it could proceed as a class action, the 5th Circuit found Judge Yeakel had erred. The Court reversed and held the arbitrator had exceeded his powers and since there was "only one possible outcome on the facts before us" held that the arbitration must proceed only between the two parties, rather than sending it back to the Arbitrator for reconsideration.In doing so, the Court noted it was openly disagreeing with the 2nd Circuit's interpretation of the Supreme Court's decision in Stolt-Nielsen S.A. v. AnimalFeeds International Corp. (U.S. 2010).  In Jock v. Sterling-Jewelers, Inc. (2nd Cir. 2011), cert. denied Mar. 19, 2012, the 2nd Circuit emphasized the deference to be given to the arbitrator, ultimately concluding that "whether the arbitrator was right or wrong in her analysis, she had the authority to make the decision, and the parties to the arbitration agreement or bound by it."The 5th Circuit chose to respectfully disagree with the 2nd Circuit, holding instead that a court had to ensure that an arbitrator has a basis for his class arbitration determination, even while applying a deferential standard of review. Emphasizing the Supreme Court's concerns about class action arbitration as expressed not only in Stolt-Nielsen,  but its subsequent decision in AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion (U.S. 2011), the 5th Circuit chose to emphasize the Supreme Court's view that there must be a showing that the parties consented to class action determination.Although the Supreme Court may have had enough of class actions and arbitration for awhile, the 5th Circuit has done its best to tee up another one for them. In the mean time, employers whose arbitration agreements are silent on class actions can breathe a sigh of relief, at least in three states. 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_317f023591dbe584adbf26a40e3a07d2 Fri, 18 May 2012 17:17:00 +0000 http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/05/18/ready-for-an-agile-future.htm Think about this changing world that we live in. Changing customer needs, information sought and delivered 24 hours a day to any device and networking far and wide through online ...Read Full Post 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_c192846704cd33ce95de3aab1f3b4c1d Fri, 18 May 2012 16:02:00 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/JimStroud20/~3/kPDzIwPWEZU/ As the economy in Singapore grows, so too will the conditions for its employees. These improving conditions are taking several different forms, the most prominent of which are more flexibility in working arrangements and increased wages. But employees aren’t the only ones seeing the benefits of these developments; employers are reaping the rewards as well. Changing the Way Work is [...] 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_31f2611189d569a2b6531aa7c700db81 Fri, 18 May 2012 15:53:00 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hrcapitalist/~3/NOlYnTcpfI8/performance-vs-potential-van-halen-david-lee-sammy-and-gary.html Performance vs. Potential – it’s the only way to look at who’s a star and who’s a scrub in your organization.  You can also use it for lots of other purposes, namely comparing the relative merits of Brat Pack movies starring Molly Ringwald.  OR - which version of Van Halen was better - David Lee or Sammy? You’re not following me?  I was up a couple of weeks ago at the bswift Annual Conference in Chicago, where I spoke about The 9 Faces of HR – a primer on how to morph the performance/potential grid to evaluate HR teams and HR candidates you’re thinking about hiring. Here’s one of my slides – Using Performance vs Potential to evaluate the 3 different versions of Van Halen.  Breakdown after the slide (click the slide for a bigger version): The breakdown is pretty simple.  Van Halen under David Lee Roth?  Good if not great performance (record sales), but wow - what potential. Van Halen with Sammy Hagar?  Great performance, sold a bunch of CD's - but not as much depth with the potential as with David Lee.  Which is deeper with the potential to change the way a kid views playing the guitar?  "Unchained", or "Love Comes Walking in"?   I rest my case. Sadly, most of you don't know that Van Halen tried a third lead single after Sammy pissed everyone in the band off - the lead singer of Extreme - a dude named Gary Cherone.  Low performance, low potential.  Code For: "Retire" and get ready for the David Lee Roth reunion tour.  Where's my spandex pants with tassles? From the high potential, good performance David Lee era: "You say, I cannot get there from here, babyThen I don't care where I'm goin'Here's to your thin red lineMmm, I'm stepping over...Thought you'd never miss me till I got a fat city addressNon-stop talker, what a rockerBlue-eyed murder in a size five dressChange, nothin' stays the sameUnchained, and ya hit the ground runnin'Change, ain't nothin' stays the sameUnchained, yeah ya hit the ground runnin" Have a great weekend.  One of my favorites below, email subscribers click through for the video. 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_348cb582db25de893d236fd85b512bb1 Fri, 18 May 2012 15:02:29 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hrcafe/~3/BVKJFu7VqXw/ A recent study suggests that teams which are too tightly knit may resist outside input and end up hurting themselves. What’s all this mean for your organization? Read on to find out. 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_e6f37683a12b404702d59dd4dec9a0ce Fri, 18 May 2012 13:39:38 +0000 http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/05/18/delegate-dont-dump.htm Delegation can be viewed as dumping by the employee who receives more work to do. A young employee's complaint reminded me. Though she was extremely interested in more responsible work ...Read Full Post 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_30f4c125076020cb58d6af5fb46bbc4d Fri, 18 May 2012 09:00:05 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hrcapitalist/~3/cr4DjtJ-Ut0/u2s-bono-to-steve-jobs-on-poaching-employees-from-a-competitor.html More wisdom from the Walter Isaacson book on Steve Jobs, this time a quote from U2's Bono to Steve Jobs - after Jobs was freaking out when Palm was hiring some talent away from Apple.   Bono was the co-founder of a private equity group that had bought a controlling interest in Palm, and since he'd done business with Apple, Jobs thought he could complain to Bono and get some action. After hearing Jobs complain about the talent poaching, Bono sent Jobs the following note back (page 460): "You should chill out about this.  This is like the Beatles ringing up because Herman and the Hermites have taken one of their road crew" Classic.  Stop bitching about the fact employees are being taken from you and figure out why they want to go. Who knew Bono had the DNA of a Talent Pro?  What's next?  The Edge riffing on performance management stratiegies?   7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_622aef5c6fd95f8e673f93a2d590357f Thu, 17 May 2012 13:15:43 +0000 http://www.personneltoday.com/blogs/human-resources-guru/2012/05/guru-undertakes-laughter-imple.html Guru is always looking for ways to lift his staff. He watches them mooch around the office with their sunken eyes and curved backs and wishes there was something he could do to help himself not have to bear such a miserable sight. His efforts to perk them up have previously been limited to sending them emails telling them to perk up and an innovative “worst employee of the month” award, in which some of the fun of public hangings is recaptured. Guru has to be honest and say that these haven’t proved to be hugely effective motivational tools, so he was delighted to stumble across an email detailing an exciting new approach to motivation being trumpeted by Ian Brownhill of BergHind Joseph, entitled “The importance of not being ernest [sic]”. The email suggests that laughter can “transform workplace culture and increase employee engagement”. Apparently, laughter is gaining momentum and overcoming the conventional mentality that work should be a toil. The email promises that there are “Examples of where laughter has been effectively implemented within organisations”. Well, Guru finds this all very exciting and has set about implementing laughter in his workplace by replacing “worst employee of the month” with “laughing employee of the month”. Each month Guru selects an employee who gets to spend the entire month laughing. There aren’t really any rules - it’s all very laid back and good natured. The only rules are that the laughing employee of the month must laugh for at least six hours of every day in the month and that the laughter must be judged to be infectious. The implementation programme has not been without its difficulties. The current incumbent is going through a difficult divorce and has consistently been judged to be laughing in a way that is not infectious, and, on one occasion, was quite obviously trying to pass off crying as laughter. She was severely reprimanded and has been laughing relatively infectiously since then. Guru’s feedback on his laughter implementation programme is, thus, that it can be an effective tool, but only if it is effectively enforced by a ruthless leader relying on a rigorous system of discipline. 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_4ba0b7a19e0c414963e92a14f6ae62e7 Thu, 17 May 2012 12:16:50 +0000 http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/05/17/develop-job-possibilities.htm The job descriptions I write for the site are comprehensive and attempt to provide the possible scope and range of each of the jobs described. You'll want to look at the ...Read Full Post 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_7f5493a7ae936029998ecbe258ecfa55 Thu, 17 May 2012 10:29:26 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/JimStroud20/~3/GFncif-tjVk/ As we continue into the ether of social networking, we are finding ourselves becoming more and more entangled within a digital world that is, little by little, creeping influence over our lives. With now over 901 million active users on Facebook and a revenue of $3.71 billion in 2011 alone, there is no end in sight to the continuing growth [...] 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_b043899836f00e7742d9c4e005401d67 Thu, 17 May 2012 00:16:13 +0000 http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/05/16/only-a-players-wanted.htm Do you employ A players or B players and which type of employee does this website help you manage? That's what a reader asked me recently when he sought help ...Read Full Post 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_1c6869d3956a86de53012ccec16a0234 Wed, 16 May 2012 17:15:08 +0000 http://evilhrlady.org/2012/05/use-social-media-memorize-these-vital-12-words.html Anyone who blogs, tweets, or otherwise expresses themselves online should keep this policy in mind for using social media. To keep reading click here: Use social media? Memorize these vital 12 words 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_3f66e2382897d9f842bb5760b82bab11 Wed, 16 May 2012 16:28:14 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hrcafe/~3/djmauoNLkFY/ Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson is no longer with the company after the discovery that he misrepresented himself on his resume. The ensuing scandal comes with a critical lesson for hiring managers: Dig deep into every job candidate's credentials. Read on to learn more. 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_8d8b5c265e5b4e519574adcd4298bf9e Wed, 16 May 2012 13:46:15 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hrcapitalist/~3/sk1JYwl0Uxk/a-great-add-to-your-leadership-training-memento-mori-aka-stay-humble-.html In ancient Rome, when a victorious general paraded through the streets, legend has it that he was somtimes trainled by a servant whose job it was to repeat to him, "Momento Mori: Rembember You Will Die."  The reminder of mortality would help the hero keep things in perspective, and perhaps instill some humility. Sounds like a great add to any leadership training to me.  Enjoy the good times, but don't expect that it's your birthright they will last. Ask Yahoo.  Ask MySpace. Ask Netscape. Ask Kodak.   Ask . 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_3a7dad6ec5652a693db367f688cfe31a Wed, 16 May 2012 13:46:00 +0000 http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/05/16/do-you-play-well-with-coworkers.htm Know what employees need? I speak often about the fact that employees need to understand the overall goals of the company - so they understand the parameters of the ...Read Full Post 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_36a821b1a3bda5233e00acea196bcced Wed, 16 May 2012 09:00:11 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/Astron/~3/Ms4XFujklQQ/astronology-telecommuting-concernsare.html  AstronologyVolume XII Issue 29May 15, 2012Dear Andrew, Astron Solutions provides high-quality, low-cost, innovative human resources consulting services to organizations like yours. Call us for advice, innovative program design, and user-friendly Web/PC based software. The Astron Road Show  There's one stop on the Astron Road Show coming up later this month!  On May 31st, National Director Mike Maciekowich will present at the Society for Human Resource Management of Tompkins County's 2012 conference.  Mike's topic is "Designing an Effective Total Rewards Strategy to Meet Today's Economic and Regulatory... (THIS IS ONLY A PREVIEW. PLEASE CLICK THE LINK ABOVE OR CHECK OUT ASTRON'S BLOG AT http://astronsolutionsworldofhr.blogspot.com/ FOR THE FULL ARTICLE) 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_80b3004eda5a06fa0520b6afb7f4a289 Tue, 15 May 2012 17:13:00 +0000 http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/05/15/employee-handbooks-required.htm Is having an employee handbook the law, asked another reader recently. Not something I have ever really thought about in the past. Here is my response. What do you think? ...Read Full Post 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_99374510198ac68a2be9b6534e4598f1 Tue, 15 May 2012 17:05:16 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hrcapitalist/~3/5bb5KLtRvhE/how-to-remove-lies-from-your-resume-and-linkedin-without-getting-fired.html So you've distributed a lie on your resume.  Maybe a big one, maybe a small one. Still, if you've been following the saga of Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson, any lie on your resume should give you cause for pause.  Consider the rundown of Thompson's alleged character issue via a resume lie from the San Jose Mecrury News: "Yahoo (YHOO) CEO Scott Thompson will step down from the helm of the Sunnyvale Internet company after a furor resulting from a false degree on his company bio, according to a Sunday report. Thompson, who took over as head of the struggling company less than six months ago, claimed he received degrees in accounting and computer science from Stonehill College near Boston, but Yahoo's largest outside investor revealed earlier this month that the accounting degree was the only one he earned. Yahoo admitted Thompson did not receive a computer science degree, but termed it an "inadvertent error." That did not halt the controversy stemming from the revelation, however, and Thompson's attempts at damage control -- two apologies to Yahoo staff and claims that the error resulted from a mistake by an executive search firm that recruited him to his former job at PayPal -- did little to calm calls for his job." Thompson did something that's common - he had a degree, but claimed a specific degree he thought would help him in his preferred career path.  Then, when his career took off, he didn't remove the error. I'm not telling you to lie.  I'm telling you that if you lie, you need to get the lie off your resume at some point.  Increasingly, that little lie is coming back to haunt people at all career levels. Here's how to remove a lie from your resume: 1.  Pledge to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. 2.  The next time you distribute a resume, go with the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  Guess what?  You get credit for the job you got with the resume lie in your new version of the real truth. It's really that simple.  You've lied on your resume.  Just stop the madness with the next resume you distribute.  Be brave. Of course, simply changing the resume back to the whole truth and nothing but the truth isn't as simple as that. Then you've got to figure out the LinkedIn thing as well.   That's right, LinkedIn. Odds are if you lied on your resume, you've lied on LinkedIn.  That's problematic, because that's not nearly as private as you distributing a resume in a private job search. Thoughts on dealing with the LinkedIn problem: 1.  If you lose your job, change everything, including LinkedIn, automatically.  It's a natural breaking point and the risk is low at that point. 2.  If you're still employed, odds are the lie isn't about job title or broad responsibilities - since all your company could see those.  It's probably a supplemental detail, like a degree. 3.  One way to deal with the LinkedIn problem: Activity Broadcasts.  Login and go to your name at the top right hand corner, then click "settings".  Then check "Activity Broadcasts", then uncheck the box that alerts people when you make changes to your profile.  This ups the chance you can make the change without people being aware that you're changing the detail in question. 4.  If you don't think #3 provides you enough cover, go for neutralizing what your profile says.  Instead of changing what your degree is in, do #3 and simply change the degree to "B.A.", without mention of a specific degree. It's time to grow up and remove the lies - even the little ones - from your resume. Do it before something that small and stupid causes your career harm.  Trust me, it's not worth it, and after your second job and the experience you have at that point, no one really cares. 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_17b6afb06c6f53958fa0ca19afd4c442 Tue, 15 May 2012 13:24:00 +0000 http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/05/15/mentoring-develops-employees.htm Effective relationships and learning are the mainstays of organizational success today. Organizations that find meaningful ways for their employees to connect are more likely to realize greater productivity, enhanced career ...Read Full Post 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_482952101ce3d9fac2c91c12ae762dac Tue, 15 May 2012 11:10:19 +0000 http://www.personneltoday.com/blogs/human-resources-guru/2012/05/guru-up-for-ceo-position-at-ya.html Image: Rex Features Guru is sad to announce that this may be the last Guru post he ever writes. He was checking his CV last night and discovered that he has a computer science degree from Cambridge and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Although his memory of these periods of his life are quite patchy, they were there quite clearly on his CV, alongside his geography O-level and his 50m swimming badge. Having been mildly surprised to be reminded of these educational experiences, Guru was left flabbergasted after reading quite how well he’d done. At Cambridge he was top of his class with 110% (presumably having unlocked some extra levels in Tetris or something) and at Harvard he was summa cum laude, a term that was apparently never explained to him, but might mean “really good at business”. Anyway, with qualifications like this typed onto his CV, it’s quite likely that Guru will be recruited to run a massive IT company in America, such as, for example, Yahoo, meaning he’ll have to abandon his loyal readers. Guru and Yahoo could be an excellent fit: they almost rhyme, they both have a tiny online presence and they were both last popular in the nineties. 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_7d82168764477ab2678423a0018b5d0b Tue, 15 May 2012 07:18:17 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/Astron/~3/a0aZ-IFF3ZA/networking-different-way.html Networking stinks. We are taught from early in our youth not to talk to strangers and we spend a lot of time in our adulthood walking past strangers on the street. But, if you're in a room with booze and business suits, you're supposed to be excited about everyone there and find exciting ways to hand the other person a small rectangular piece of cardboard. As you may be able to tell, I avoid networking events whenever possible. But Forbes has some new ways to network that may make it a bit more enjoyable. I like #5 on their top-5 list: reconnect with your past. I think that everyone should make sure to tap into their alumni networks as... (THIS IS ONLY A PREVIEW. PLEASE CLICK THE LINK ABOVE OR CHECK OUT ASTRON'S BLOG AT http://astronsolutionsworldofhr.blogspot.com/ FOR THE FULL ARTICLE) 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_77df44ebe3812a92867aa9339fd69b0a Mon, 14 May 2012 21:35:00 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/JimStroud20/~3/YpeJMUEgylo/ Is There A Long Term Unemployment Crisis? By: Marilyn Katz What Is The Definition Of Long Term Unemployment? Long term unemployment describes a situation where a person has been without work for longer than 12 months. In my opinion, it is important to consider these numbers, and not just the unemployment figures that are all grouped together. The group of [...] 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_569f073300413bc4fb8f7cf46df1a8fb Mon, 14 May 2012 19:21:22 +0000 http://employerslawyer.blogspot.com/2012/05/nlrb-enjoined-again.html Earlier it was the NLRB's posting regulations, see post here, which were enjoined. Today it's the regulations regarding the conduct of elections (sometimes referred to as the ambush election rule) which was the subject matter of yet another injunction. District Judge James E. Boasberg of the District of Columbia, has enjoined the rule because of a lack of a quorum. This one does not have anything to do with the last recess appointments to the Board which are under challenge, but to the fact that Member Brian Hayes, did not participate in voting on the passage of the final rule.In Chamber of Commerce et al v. NLRB  (D.D.C. 5/14/12) the Court noted that At the end of the day, while the Court’s decision may seem unduly technical, the quorum requirement, as the Supreme Court has made clear, is no trifle. This was after he had cited an even better known authority:According to Woody Allen, eighty percent of life is just showing up. When it comes to satisfying a quorum requirement, though, showing up is even more important than that. Undoubtedly this is not the last chapter in the litigation or the rule for that matter. Even if the Board is able to overcome the lack of quorum on its initial rule making, there will still be the substantive challenges which were not addressed.And, if the Board should choose to re-enact the legislation, the new vote will include members whose recess appointment is being challenged and that of course will result in another hurdle, even before the challenges on the merits of the rule are addressed.For those ready to decry this as a partisan gesture, Judge Boasberg was nominated by President Obama and at least according to Wikipedia, was recommended by Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, the non-voting member of the House of Representatives from the District of Columbia and the former Chair of the EEOC. 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_942db06f4a6cdb1c8c69d10e7ee2297f Mon, 14 May 2012 16:40:00 +0000 http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/05/14/no-carrots-for-motivation.htm Daniel Pink recommends no carrots to encourage and reward high level performance in higher level cognitive skills and output. Loved this less-than-five minute cartoon drawing summary of the presentation about rewards ...Read Full Post 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_83de37fd13dd1cf70f1bc7eb404384f0 Mon, 14 May 2012 16:37:32 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hrcapitalist/~3/oQJftjP2GdE/webcast-5-ways-to-use-video-in-your-hr-practice-and-look-great-doing-it.html Short version: I'm doing a webinar next week (Wednesday, May 23rd - 1pm EST) on using video in your HR practice - sign up here. You'll be glad you did. Long version: This just in: The use of internet video is exploding.  People are reading less on the web and "watching" more." You knew that. More importantly, have you thought about how the trends in online video impacts how you build your HR practice?  That's the key right?  Here are a couple of stats to help you know how important it is that you consider how to use video as an HR pro: --Americans streamed 43.5 billion videos in December 2011, up 44% since December 2010, according to comScore’s 2012 US Digital Future In Focus report released a couple of months ago.  The study also showed that 105.1 million Americans now watch videos online each day, up 43% from 73.7 million in 2010. --The average video view length is up from 5 minutes to 5.8 minutes, showing an increasing willingness to watch longer form content. --The average viewer watches 239 videos per month!  239 at an average of 6 minutes per = 24 hours per month. Wow.  The experts say that media companies have to take notice and consider how they can create video content to engage this growing audience and promote their traditional offerings. I say that you and I as HR pros better get in front of this video trend as well.  Guess who is a part of that trend of dramatically increased video usage?  Employees and Candidates... That's why the good folks at Fistful of Talent and the HR Capitalist are doing a webinar next week called The Future of Talent: 5 Ways to Use Video to Raise Your HR and Recruiting Game. Join us for this webinar, and we’ll give you the 411 for how to think about video within your HR or recruiting practice and a road map to get started in the following areas: Employment Branding – If you believe video is on the rise, then your text-based descriptions of your company culture aren’t going to cut it anymore.  We’ll give you examples of what companies like yours are doing to use video to build transparency around what a day in the life of your employees looks like. Recruiting – We’ll break down how today’s video technology transcends the old cliché “video conference” system used for remote video and actually creates a higher quality of interview, allowing you and your hiring managers to control the questions you want answered, across all early stage candidates. Role Play for Managers – Your managers need better skills related to how they manage people.  We’ll show you what smart companies are doing to weave role-play scenarios into all their managerial training, and how they’re using video to conduct skill practice and provide feedback related to the skill that managers use on a daily basis. Training Shorts Delivered via Mobile – Video makes training less of an event and more of a product delivered “just in time”.  We’ll discuss how innovative companies are breaking down training into bite size morsels delivered via mobile video. A “How To” Guide to Get Started with Video in Your HR/Recruiting Organization.  We’ll talk about how companies are building light infrastructure to deliver on the potential of video in the above areas – without breaking the bank. Join me and the FOT crew as we break down the video scene and brainstorm about the best way to build video chops in your HR or recruiting practice.  Sign up here. You'll be glad you did. 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_29d9be25858567b919ef4b77c9a7b611 Mon, 14 May 2012 14:01:38 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hrcafe/~3/nJHlUptH4hw/ A surprising research study shows that demonstrations of appreciation from managers, while they do increase employee engagement, are less effective at it than other kinds of positive events that are also within managers’ control. Read on to learn more about what techniques work better when it comes to praising employees. 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_c25b21892eab8ad8f6f051b20e8696b5 Mon, 14 May 2012 13:58:26 +0000 http://evilhrlady.org/2012/05/what-moms-really-want-on-the-job.html Instead of flowers, find out what working moms really want. Click here: What moms really want on the job 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_1b34a6f3e4e86297f1d0e2afb26430ca Mon, 14 May 2012 12:57:50 +0000 http://evilhrlady.org/2012/05/zero-tolerance-for-tardiness-in-the-workplace.html Dear Evil HR Lady, Our company recently implemented a policy that has quite a few people perturbed, myself included. If an employee is late for any reason what-so-ever; traffic, weather, sick kid; the employee is forced to use their PTO time. We have for YEARS had the option of staying late to make up this [...] 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_4ab7d6bc611b92401a106c0874b945d1 Mon, 14 May 2012 12:55:25 +0000 http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/05/14/management-system-failing.htm In a client company, a manager had decided that the goal setting components of the performance development planning process were not clearly communicating his goals and expectations to one of ...Read Full Post 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_22980768cba8242c2c9de24a6d9198de Mon, 14 May 2012 09:00:31 +0000 http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/05/13/creative-recruiting-and-selection-idea-from-legoland.htm Looking for creative ways to recruit and test your job candidates? I am a fan of job specific testing because it helps you determine who is really qualified for your ...Read Full Post 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_0c57314f6f55d9dc32c05ab8e76ebf00 Sun, 13 May 2012 15:24:47 +0000 http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/05/13/make-bad-boss-good.htm A ...Read Full Post 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_50d9754d3a04c24e76e0206f9ea85bb7 Sun, 13 May 2012 10:00:27 +0000 http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/05/12/share-your-nightmare-interview.htm Everyone who interviews potential employees has stories to tell. Stories are a crucial component in shaping your organizational culture, too. But, nothing is better for raising the spirits of managers ...Read Full Post 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_1084cf7aa1ccf6103ba462598547faa5 Sat, 12 May 2012 15:25:27 +0000 http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/05/12/would-you-friend-your-boss.htm My husband joined me on Facebook last year primarily to see pictures of our grandchildren. But, it turns out that he's much more fun than I am and takes ...Read Full Post 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_7597bfd87c58ead48601db6494625459 Sat, 12 May 2012 10:53:53 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/JonIngham/~3/_oTcX468msU/astd2012-integrating-learning-and.html      It’s been ASTD’s annual conference this week which has reminded me that I never completed my review of the ASTD / I4CP’s 2011 book, The Executive Guide to Integrated Talent Management to which I contributed a chapter (alongside Dave Ulrich, Ed Lawler, Marshall Goldsmith, Peter Cappelli and others). Mine is actually the next chapter after the earlier ones I have already reviewed outlining the general benefits of integrated talent management, and on the integration of learning with recruiting. My chapter is on the integration of learning and compensation and rewards, and starts of with… “Ensuring the alignment and integration of L&D and reward as well as other management policies, processes and practices is an important enabler to effective talent management. There is firstly a need for horizontal alignment – ensuring that both L&D and reward, along with other elements of the HR and management architecture, are linked together and support each other. However, it is even more important for an organization to ensure vertical alignment, which it achieves from having both L&D and reward, and other processes, aligned with the overall business strategy, and its mission, vision, values and so on. These vertical and horizontal linkages can help build HR, L&D and other processes around what an organization believes about people management and development – for example, what it thinks works in motivating and upskilling people and how these strategies can best be implemented… For example… some organizations believe strongly in formal systems and structures whereas others prefer informal and social ways of operating. The first form of organization is likely to have set learning curricula for each grade and level supported by a Learning Management System. Organizations subscribing to more informal approaches are likely to put greater emphasis on opportunities for connecting with others in the organization and for self managed learning. An organization’s reward strategy should also be aligned with these approaches to learning. For example, a formal learning system is likely to work best when supported by a formal incentive programme and an informal or social approach to learning may work best when linked to a looser recognition programme allowing and encouraging managers and employees to express their appreciation for exceptional effort, skills and performance.   Karl-Heinz Oehler, VP Global Talent Management at Hertz then provides an example of the sort of problem which occurs when there isn’t this type of intgration in a more structured type of firm:   ``   “Compensation & Rewards is interrelated with almost every functional HR domain, but its relationships with L&D is special, yet underestimated.  It is special because L&D’s role is to enhance employee competence, to bring about behavioural change, and to develop employees’ ability to work more effectively.  Yet development programs all too often fall short in producing the desired change – and not because these programs are badly designed or delivered.  In fact, many of them receive very high ratings.  So what was the problem? Reviewing development programs at Hertz, especially those aimed at improving business results, highlighted the fact that employees were convinced that what they learned was right for the business.  However, the C&R system was contrary to the principles learned and thus drove a different ehaviour.  New behaviours can only be encouraged, implemented, and sustained if the employees practicing them are properly compensated and rewarded.  This was one of the formidable challenges that Hertz L&D faced.”   Karl-Heinz goes on to describe some great example of how Hertz has tried to ensure better integration from this point. However, despite what Karl-Heinz states, I don’t think C&R does have much of a special relationships with L&D – certainly not to the same extent as between C&R and Performance Management, and PM and L&D. I’m going to continue (and this time, complete) reviewing / providing extracts from these other relationships / the other chapters of the book over the next couple of weeks.     Technorati Tags: Karl-Heinz Oehler,Hertz,integrated,talent management,learning,reward,ASTD,I4CP   Consulting - Research - Speaking - Training - Writing Strategy - Talent - Engagement - Change and OD Contact me to create more value for your business jon [dot] ingham [at] strategic [dash] hcm [dot] com . 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_8a4f72f0c1f47947f4f89a1a585dc59f Fri, 11 May 2012 21:37:00 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/JimStroud20/~3/j8ar5Tz8kgE/ “HR, social media and background checks” is the topic of the day when Jim Stroud interviews Jim Andrews, the Director of Client Services for Social Intelligence Corporation. Related PostsHow to Build a Dependable Workforce: Using Background ChecksHow thorough are your background checks? (Part 2)Who wants to hire a Social Media Recruiter?How thorough are your background checks?25 Articles on Social Media [...] 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_d3ca7bc2213f604ca56aed7efd96f52c Fri, 11 May 2012 18:50:12 +0000 http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/05/11/job-match-your-strengths.htm Each of us brings strengths and weaknesses to the workplace. Our strengths and weaknesses differentiate us in both big and small ways. Our approach to work, when we work best, and what motivates us and calls forth our best work, differs. Some people jump into new situations and technology. Others, like me, read the directions, think about it, and make a plan....Read Full Post 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_2550675de1af39b4cbd1abacbd993f96 Fri, 11 May 2012 16:41:00 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hrcafe/~3/W5bCQAo11lE/ Different employees take different views of workplace problems and situations, depending on the frame through which they see them. As you seek to motivate employees to behave in productive ways, you’ll be able to exert a greater and more positive influence by reframing issues to suit your purpose. Read on to learn more. 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_98ac651c55c5003a891352f9dabec026 Fri, 11 May 2012 13:46:00 +0000 http://www.personneltoday.com/blogs/human-resources-guru/2012/05/colin-jackson-in-fast-typing-t.html Image: Rex Features With the Olympics just around the corner retired athletes are being presented with many exciting opportunities. Colin Jackson used to thrill us on the track with his lightning reflexes and effortless style over the 110m hurdles, and now he’s thrilling a new generation by giving talks about the importance of fast typing. Fulfilling a lifelong ambition (probably), Colin Jackson is pitting his typing against the nation’s typing in Pitman Training’s challenge to find the nation’s fastest typer. Guru hopes Pitman Training has rigged the event to ensure Roger Kingdom doesn’t enter, or Jackson’s hopes could be dashed once more in an Olympic year. Guru was initially consumed in the excitement of the event (after all, who doesn’t enjoy reading the results of typing competitions?!), but his enthusiasm was tempered by the picture you can see to your left, in which Colin Jackson appears to have just realised that the best part of his life is over. Pitman Training’s PR team has unintentionally captured a moment of pure existential crisis. In many ways it is the perfect advert for a very fast typing competition - a competition in which the winner is the person who can accurately type the most words in a given period of time for no other reason than the fact that doing it will mean they’ll win a competition for doing it. And then what? Years of dining out on their achievement, until one day they end up appearing in a novelty hurdling event wondering what the hell it is about fast typing that qualifies them to jump over a series of little gates. 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_02c9b6e68d893e8d985e3ad49a7a5117 Fri, 11 May 2012 08:35:03 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GeorgesEmploymentBlawg/~3/KZzlHdkKZgQ/ 40 years after consent decree, city still faces discrimination charges, now over testing for promotions. 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_1ecdcd49474312a3bede11a55514d5ea Thu, 10 May 2012 19:36:56 +0000 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hrcapitalist/~3/hbHgoJUUrlI/welcome-to-moes-and-the-psychology-of-the-standardizedforced-greeting-and-thank-you-at-your-company.html For those of you who don't live in the Southeast, you may or may not have experienced two fast food/fast casual eateries: - Moe's Southwest Grill - Chick-fil-a What's common about these two places?  They both force employees to use a standardized greeting or thank you - the employees have to do it a certain way as part of the gig: - At Moe's:  Somebody on the food prep line has to yell "Welcome to Moe's" every time someone comes through the door.  With enthusiasm. - At Chick-fil-a:  When you say "thank you", the folks at the counter have to say "My Pleasure". Does it work?  For the most part, yes.  But, if you had to choose one, the standardized way to say thanks is much easier to pull off than the forced greeting that takes a small yell. The reason is simple.  It's harder to appear authentic when you have to put enthusiasm into a loud greeting that the entire place can hear - than it is to say thank you to one person (at a normal voice level in a standardized way).  The burden is much lower. One's public, one's private.  When you perform at Moe's, everyone can hear you.  When you return to Moe's and you sense cynics and jaded employees are giving you the "Welcome to Moe's" line, you're not the only one hearing it - everyone else is as well.  And you're disappointed.  I like Moe's a lot - it's just a high burden for the brand to carry. The moral of the story?  It's good to build a piece of your hospitality culture around standardized greetings - you just have to make sure that you can deliver on them, and if you can't - that only one person hears the lack of enthusiasm.   Welcome to the Capitalist!  Black or Pinto beans? 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_835b17abd9465ed48fa2bbbf61091f35 Thu, 10 May 2012 17:23:26 +0000 http://humanresources.about.com/b/2012/05/10/5-cover-letter-red-flags-for-employers.htm Want to know the cover letter red flags that should capture your attention when you review an applicant's cover letter? The cover letter is an integral ...Read Full Post 7001feff1c95c17a8bbf4fda56ac3407_4a8f95f5eb4afc414c0eb64faf8fe0fa Thu, 10 May 2012 14:30:58 +0000