by Janine Nicole Dennis | Jun 21, 2013 | Human Resources
SHRM National 2013 is now in the past, but there are business considerations to examine now or in the near future. It is hard to summarize a conference of this size and magnitude. However, I will share the business trends & HR considerations that I feel were dynamic and applicable for us HR practitioners in the trenches.
Social Responsibility
On Monday, Blake Mycoskie the Founder and Chief Shoe Giver of TOMS, gave the keynote address to kick off the conference. His message was powerful as he described his journey in starting a business grounded in philanthropy. You see, TOMS is not just a company that sells comfortable, quality shoes. TOMS has a “one for one” model when it comes to their business model. What this entails is for every shoe that is sold, TOMS gives one free, specially designed pair away to a child in need of shoes. TOMS doesn’t stop at the shoes-they also do the same for those in need of suitable eyewear, sight-saving surgery or medical treatment.
Blake decided that he didn’t want to just sell shoes and eyewear and live happily in bliss with a lot of money. He decided instead that he wanted his business to stand for more. To date, he has given away over ten million pairs of shoes to children around the world in fifty different countries. He has not only managed to empower and engage his workforce through his philanthropic efforts but his customer base is equally engaged in the giving.
Social Responsibility isn’t the next HR buzzword. It is simply the human thing to do. During Blake’s address, I tweeted out:
The business consideration is this: Is “giving back” something you do ad hoc or is it part of your business strategy? There’s a difference between the two and it is important to know which team you are playing for. If ROI comes to mind when you think about social responsibility, try “giving feels good” or as Blake has seen in his own company:
The Culture Club
There has been a lot of discussion about culture over the past year and the discussion continued- as there were several sessions on the topic at this year’s SHRM National Conference. Out of the two sessions I attended on culture-both mentioned Zappos as a company that seems to have gotten culture right.
In the Glassdoor session on Tuesday with CEO, CMG Group (former COO of SHRM), China Gorman and Allyson Willoughby, Senior Vice President of People and General Counsel, Glassdoor- there was an interesting assertion made. The assertion was “culture is the right thing to do.” Culture has been discussed as being necessary connective tissue between the workforce and the company’s mission and values, but the “right thing to do” is a new concept. Why is it the right thing to do? It provides your workforce with a higher purpose and focus. Without purpose and focus, employees are just doing whatever and whatever is not a business strategy or a recipe for company success.
Here’s the second trend/consideration:
You need to know the answers to these questions and so do your employees. Remember it is all about giving your workforce a purpose and focus that leads to productivity and intended financial and non-financial outcomes.
Business Threats and New Opportunities for HR
The last trend/consideration of importance were emerging business threats and the need for HR to be aware and vigilant in providing solutions for these threats. The threats as stated in Jack Smalley, SPHR’s mega session: “Why the Best CEOs are Turning to HR to Lead the Organization Through Today’s Top Five Threats” were:
1) The ability to innovate
2) Businesses losing their competitive advantage
3) High costs of reckless hiring
4) Being able to retain top talent
5) Regulatory Concerns
The following statements by Jack Smalley, SPHR summarizes the immense importance of these threats:
In addition to high costs of reckless hiring, there is the consideration of reckless retention as explored by Karen Michael, Esq in her mega session called : “Bad Bosses/Big Losses: The Top Legal and Business Strategies to Fix the Boss and Save the Cost”. She discussed the pricey payouts and damaging outcomes caused by retaining bad leadership and creating toxic environments. It was an eye-opening look at the impact that bad management has regarding turnover, unneccesary litigation and poor morale. Workplace Bullying was also cited as being an important business consideration that companies should monitor and manage carefully.
This was the most compelling statement in her session:
Essentially, this means make sure your policies around discrimination, workplace bullying and the proper handling of an investigation are thorough and consistently enforced. No complaint is too benign that it shouldn’t require at least a conversation. Don’t be that employer!
SHRM National provided a lot of food for thought. There are some different rules of engagement at work in business and the economy and it is very clear after this conference that HR needs to be able to rise to the occasion in helping our partners navigate these complex issues.
What will you do to “become more”? I look forward to hearing from you.
by Janine Nicole Dennis | Jun 17, 2013 | Human Resources
I arrived in Chicago on Sunday and already it has been a blast. From the moment, I arrived here I have been meeting so many online friends and have received hugs, kisses, and handshakes. It is amazing!
I am a huge proponent for social media and the power of engagement and learning that comes with it. However, that power or engagement has a shelf-life. At some point, there is an intrigue that leads to offline interest. You aim to get more than the 140 characters. You want to know more.
What’s the social lifecycle?
The social lifecycle is you meet online, then you engage with others on social. From the online engagement you move your relationship among the various social platforms as the relationships progress. From the consistent engagement online over time there is maybe an offline phone call, Skype session, or other mode of communication-which eventually ends in a real-life meeting when and if it is possible.
My social relationships have come full circle and are so much more meaningful now that I have shook a hand or had a conversation. Social media is a catalyst for relationships-however, eventually, the full meaning of everything you have built online should culminate into a live, breathing interaction.
I’m just one day into completing my social lifecycle and already I see the impact. From vendor relationships to meeting fellow HR bloggers, I am truly “becoming more”than an avatar, 140 characters or a blog post. I’m a person and people want to do business and/or connect with other people.
It is very easy to get caught up in social media and the ease of communicating from afar, but ultimately that gets old.
For those of you that will be stopping by “The Hive” and/or attending social media sessions for the purposes of getting started-know that it is a powerful tool, but not beginning or end of your networking or relationship building.
Make those online connections count while you’re at SHRM and complete your own social lifecycle. Use this opportunity while you are here to “become more” and make your relationships mean more.
by Janine Nicole Dennis | Jun 10, 2013 | Life
I’m not a huge basketball fan, but I will watch intermittently during the regular season and finals. I recently watched the press conference with Lebron James after a Game 1 loss to the San Antonio Spurs and his words struck me…alas there is an HR lesson or two here.
Essentially, the press asked him questions about the public opinion of his effort in the game when his team falls short. In essence, the reporter was alluding to this premise that he could do more despite the tremendous effort he puts forth most games. To this question, James responds, ” I do what’s best for the team. What’s best for the team doesn’t always result in a win.” The reporter goes on to ask if public opinion of his effort makes him feel like he should be more aggressive; to which he responded: “No, I can’t get involved in that honestly, because I’ve done more and lost before.” “I can’t really get involved or care. I don’t really read too much. I know what I say to you guys and I know the questions you guys ask me, but I don’t really read too much of what people say. I do what’s best for the team. What’s best for the team, it doesn’t always result in a win.”
The ever-opinionated, Greg Popovich chimes in with further commentary after this press conference in support of James which provides even more depth to this discussion. See here for those comments.
How does this translate to HR?
As I and thousands of other HR practitioners prepare to gather next week for theSHRM National Conference in Chicago, I think it is important to ask yourself: are you doing what is best for your teams? Your teams in this context would be the internal customers you serve (C-Suite, hiring managers, employees etc.). Are you doing the best you can by your external customers (candidates, new hires, passive seekers etc.)? If the answer is “no”, try to seek out the solutions at SHRM National for becoming the best partner your team could have. This means attending relevant sessions, engaging vendors and having conversations with your peers about what they are doing to be the “best” partner in their organizations.
Are you winning?
According to Lebron, “yes” and “no”. As an HR practitioner, you have to make decisions that affect the business everyday. Some decisions like business decisions will garner wins and some will not. The goal is always to win, but how do you pivot and recover from a loss or poor decision? Isn’t the pivot and recovery far more important than always winning? If every battle ends in a win for HR or in business, there would be no lessons to be learned. I’m not urging you to make less conscientious decisions, but I am saying that we can stop beating ourselves up for being fallible as a profession.
Stop talking about the “proverbial” table!
I won’t bore you with the definition of the “table” in HR. You know what it is. We speak of it as though it is the “table” that Jesus Christ sat down to last supper at- you know the one where the cool C-Suite types sit with their loathing of HR and all it comes with- yeah that table. The way we stop asking for permission is to “occupy the table”. You don’t occupy and disrupt the fear and loathing of HR haphazardly; you disrupt and occupy with purpose. As the story with Lebron James suggests, it’s not about what people say about us or what is written- it is about what we do as practitioners in our organizations every day. Yes, we will benchmark. Of course, we will read some snark about how we are becoming obsolete or what we do poorly; but by and large, if we stop talking, trust that we know what we are doing and focus on the needs of our teams- how could we go wrong?
The truth is we will do wrong, we will make mistakes. The point is to stop repeating the same mistakes for decades. The aim is to progress with the tide, if that is what translates to you serving your teams the best. The action item is to kill all the noise about how we don’t add value. Fervently reject the notion that other practitioners can do what we know we do best and that is to- manage human capital to deliver successful outcomes and deliverables for the business.
With that said, I urge all of my fellow SHRM National attendees to go into next week with a renewed sense of self. Come learn and engage and discuss ways that you can occupy your table. For those of you not attending SHRM National, your call to action is even more immediate- occupy your table today and join the rest of us in changing the perception of one of the greatest professions around.
See you in Chicago!
Acknowledgement: The concept of “Occupy the Table” is the love child of a talented group of professionals. My thanks go to colleagues in this brain trust Tom Bolt, Steve Levy and Joey Price, bloggers all. Don’t be surprised if you hear more from us on OTT or #occupythetable in the near future.
by Janine Nicole Dennis | Jun 4, 2013 | Life
Photo Credit
SHRM National Conference 2013 is fast approaching and I must say, I am excited.
As a member of this year’s social media team, I am fortunate to have an opportunity to cover this fantastic conference and contribute to the very important cause of ‘No Kid Hungry’.
On Sunday, June 16th, several social media personalities/HR professionals including myself will be playing a game of kickball to raise money for ‘No Kid Hungry’. I’m probably crazy for joining the team since I have not played kickball in easily twenty years. However, I am praying in advance for no injuries and lots of fun.
Am I crazy for doing this?
Not really, but I am crazy about my children and children in general. I also think it is absolutely crazy that 1 in 5 children in this country will go hungry this year. That is a ridiculous statistic for a country with our wealth.
I can’t fix all of our childhood hunger issues but I can support, advocate, and take action to ensure that I assist those that can fix it and that is ‘No Kid Hungry’.
I am asking you the “The Aristocracy of HR” community to assist me in abolishing child hunger with a small donation for this cause.
No donation is too small and all are appreciated. Click here to make a secure donation via my personal fundraising page.
If you will be at SHRM in two weeks, come to Grant Park, Field #1 from 7pm-8pm to see me and other social media personalities duke it out for hunger! It’s going to be a riot!
Also, be on the lookout for the tweet-a-thon on June 11th. Dovetail Software will be donating $1 every time someone tweets with the hashtag #SHRMKickball and@Dovetail and a link to our game webpage is mentioned. Click here for the official game page.
Let’s make a difference for all of the children in the U.S. We focus so much on the future of our children. Let’s first make a better present for them by making sure no child in this country ever goes without food.
by Janine Nicole Dennis | Jun 3, 2013 | Life
A good job description helps the company develop a criteria and fit for the organization within a certain discipline. That is, the job description is where the company decides what knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies are needed to successfully perform a certain job.
A job description is a document that is helpful to recruiters, hiring, managers and new hires from the perspective of ensuring that:
1) Recruiters understand the full scope of what the person is required to do.
2) The hiring manager is clear on what is essential to the performance of the position as well as identifying key performance indicators by which the employee will be evaluated.
3) New hires and employees are aware of the full scope of their duties and responsibilities.
In essence, the job description is a great internal document for many reasons. However, your internal job descriptions are not and should not be the job posting. Some will further argue that it isn’t even a basis for your job postings.
Your job posting needs to be attractive and it should be designed to be read in under one minute; especially since, recruiters spend even less time on a candidate resumes. In addition, we should be focused on telling the real story of day-to-day life at ‘Company X’ not boring candidates with a lot of text.
To be successful in attracting the talent you seek, employers will have to think like candidates and less like themselves to be successful in their recruitment efforts. This may even include taking the leap of faith into social media to give your positions greater visibility.
How can you learn more about this?
Join me and David Clark, Senior Manager, Product & Operations for CareerBuilder on Wednesday, June 5th at 12pm EST/11am CDT for our “High Performance Postings” webinar. We will be sharing our best practices and ideas for how you can revolutionize your employment brand through leaner, candidate-targeted job postings.
Click here to register now.
For those of you that love a good hashtag like I do and want to follow on Twitter, please use #HiPerfPost.
I hope to see you there!
