by Janine Nicole Dennis | May 21, 2014 | Featured, Guest Post, Human Resources, Work/Life
photo credit: Kathy Colaiacovo
Work-Life Balance. Its on the mind of your managers and employees, especially now that we are on the brink of summer. I’ve always thought that people think of “work-life” balance as options for working from home or the freedom to “come and go” as you please. Its really much more than that to me. Its the opportunity to work and recharge at my pace and with some flexibility in regards of what is meaningful to me. While I think that ultimately it is up to the individual to strike the right accord in regards to work-life balance, I do think that HR professionals have a role in helping to set the standard.
Lay the Foundation
Laying the foundation of programs that offer better work life balance and flexibility may be easier said than done. First off, one size does not fit all. We all come from different industries and businesses — half days, working from home, flex schedules, job sharing will not work for everyone. Even within a single organization one option will not work for all jobs. I think that the biggest mistake in starting these types of programs is that managers or HR come up with a list of possibilities for flex programs and find that its poorly received. It could be due to the rollout or the change management — but I think its even bigger than that. Ask your employees what do they want and value. What helps bring balance to them? It may be volunteer time, on site day care, a concierge service — its not always in the bucket of “how do you get people time away from work to do other things.” Several years ago, as recognition of work that I was doing on a large project implementation, I got two weeks worth of prepared meals. Talk about bringing some balance back to my life! The convenience allowed me to put my time and energies elsewhere when I was at home with my family and to this day is one of the best rewards that I’ve received. Not having to get groceries, meal plan, or prepare meals went a long way to my “balance” during that project. If someone had just given me time off, I wouldn’t have gotten the same relief or feeling of balance at that time.
The point is, HR should do a thorough review, including a survey of employees’ desires, to help create a program for managers and employees to follow. One more note — lay the foundation means just that — help get things going, but allow employees and managers actually build the program. It will be much more successful if the program is developed by the people and not just another HR thing. Be a champion of work – life program options.
What are your thoughts on work-life balance and who owns what — does HR still have a role or is it squarely on employees and managers?
Andrea Devers (@thegirlinhr) is an expert in HR Technology, HR process and programs, HR Service Centers, Shared Service, change management, project management, and six sigma. Feel free to connect with her on her blog, The Girl in HR, or follow some of her musings on Twitter.
by Janine Nicole Dennis | Mar 26, 2014 | Career, Human Resources, Life, Talent Management
Image Courtesy of Flickr
When I decided to pursue a career in HR over nine years ago, it was admittedly with rose-colored glasses and a lot of heart. Every fiber in me was dedicated to the craft of the discipline and I wanted to truly understand the motivations behind work behaviors.
Year one of my career, I learned something different. Instead, I found out that HR was a figurehead for the company and that some of us care more about resources than the human.
That year, I had a boss who I escalated a sexual harassment claim to. He questioned the validity of my concern and tried to convince me I was overreacting. He claimed to follow through on my complaint, but ultimately there was no resolution other than him allegedly letting the other party know I was uncomfortable. I guess being swatted on your behind wasn’t obvious or blatant enough.
Year two through five, I learned that unethical behavior, political positioning, and harassment were not tolerated on paper, but in practice- HR was at the forefront of these agendas in the organizations I worked for. From not paying contractors for their time worked due to cash flow issues to patients that were unnecessarily tested to make a dollar, there seemed to be a never-ending list of permissible behaviors that HR aided and abetted in these organizations.
I studied hard in my Industrial Organizational Courses and made top grades. Very little of it prepared me for the inevitable reality of working in HR. We tell young professionals to do an internship- better yet- do more than one. I did an internship and I loved it. It didn’t prepare me for the ugliness and total disregard for humans I encountered working in HR.
My experiences are not relative to every HR, but in speaking with colleagues and employees over the years- it certainly represents a significant portion of HR departments out there. It is a very dangerous and damaging game to play when mal-intent and unethical behavior enters an arena that has branded itself as a discipline dedicated to uplifting humans in an effort to drive positive business outcomes.
When an employee has to get legal counsel involved because they cannot trust their HR department to do what is right on their behalf during a reduction-in-force- there is a problem.
When HR Business Partners tell you that filing a harassment complaint against your manager may not bode well for your career- there is a problem. This is particularly true when you have evidence that should raise concern.
Furthermore, when employees are either carried out of your establishment on stretchers to an Emergency Room or have significant health problems due to stress and aggravation- it is a sure sign that you are treating your people more like a resource and not a human.
Why am I still in HR?
Good question. I am amazed I made it this long. All I can say is- I still believe in this discipline. I believe in the power of putting your talent first and ensuring that they are always set up to succeed. I am a hopeless optimist that hopes that there will be a renaissance in HR one day soon; where businesses and HR alike learn that abusing employees will never garner you success.
Moral: If you have ever led the cavalry in one of these situations I described, please stop the madness. If you don’t like people or HR, find a new vocation. If employees aren’t working out either work with them or manage them out, but for the love of God stop bringing down the entire discipline with your malicious practices.
Interested in getting back to putting your talent first, contact us.
by Janine Nicole Dennis | Feb 28, 2014 | Business, Human Resources, Talent Management, Vlogs, Women in Business
Good Morning #HR Aristocrats!
This has taken me longer than I am proud of, but I am happy to debut my first official “Ask Czarina” show here.
Competing projects and pregnancy malaise kept it at bay and then the technology deities were working against me. Excuses, excuses!
Alas, here is the first episode discussing the articles here for weeks February 10th-18th. I promise there will be more and I hope you enjoy it.
To send questions or topics for future shows contact me at thearistocracyofhr@gmail.com
Happy Friday and have a great weekend!
Ciao!
by Janine Nicole Dennis | Feb 26, 2014 | Business, CHRO, Development, Featured, Human Resources, Talent Management
Image courtesy for Stock Images For Free.com
This is a real-talk forum. I’m not about to list leadership competencies or some empirical data I happened upon in my latest internet search on where CHRO’s and leaders in general go wrong.
As a CHRO, you are the figurehead and face of Human Resources. The success and failure of HR’s programs and initiatives rest on your shoulders. The obvious strategy ( assuming you still need to assert the value of HR in the organization) is to align at the top and do whatever they ask of you- even if it undermines the very essence of what HR contributes to the organization. It takes a vision, business savvy, strategy, and the ability to advocate and raise the important issues/discussions around employing people. According to some, marketing and/or financial types are just a few of the professionals being touted as the better choices for HR leadership and even at the staff level. The fact is I don’t care if you put someone with 20+ years of HR experience or 20+ years in Marketing- the central point is you better know people, the challenges of the business and the opportunities that are inherent in investing in talent. HR has always been a field that welcomed professionals from non-traditional backgrounds, so professionals in different fields outside of HR as HR leaders or professionals isn’t exactly groundbreaking.
When people join your organization they are in effect putting their faith in you and the possibilities that may or may not exist within your company. Essentially, they are entrusting you with their livelihoods. The hope is that they can make a decent living, enjoy the work they do and grow. The growth doesn’t necessarily have to mean promotions, but just the ability to continue to learn and grow in the way that is most meaningful for them professionally.
Newsflash– there are few people currently employed purely out of the love of working. Your employees are humans. They have families, problems, debts, health concerns, marital concerns etc. Your job as a leader of HR isn’t to be their psychologist, financial advisor or angel investor. However, it would help if you saw your employees, I mean really saw your employees in the context of being human beings with needs, wants and complex circumstances.
If you can see them through this varied lens, you may be moved to also see them as an investment. If you see them as an investment you might also be moved to do some of the following:
1) Get to know your people. How can you invest in something you know nothing about? Take the time to get to know the people behind your company. Say hello, shake a hand, know them by name where possible. It all makes a difference in how they see you.
2) Now that you have gotten to know your employees- it’s time to be honest. Be honest about work conditions, raises or lack thereof, your plans for the future. Somewhere along the line we have learned to treat employees like children withholding information and disseminating it as it suits your interests. Know that the omission of facts that affect your employees are seen as deliberate and underhanded.
3) Now that you know them and you are being honest. Good job! Put your money where your mouth is. Invest in your employees. There is nothing in this world that allows for us to receive something for nothing. Where are the programs aimed to develop, train, compensate, re-recruit, and allow flexibility where possible to retain your employees?
Some more questions…
How are you prioritizing your efforts? What’s the strategy? Pleasing the C-Suite is important and there’s no doubt that your decisions will not always be in the best interest of the employees. However, what if you tried to do the absolute best you could by your employees? What if- the key to keeping the C-Suite happy was to ensure that the employees were happy and productive. Isn’t that what you were hired to do?
That was a lot of questions, but these are all of the questions you should be asking yourself as a CHRO. HR has the unfortunate plight of having to walk a fine line between competing interests, people, obligations to the business and legal matters. That said, you are the consummate middle man leader. You cannot be so aligned to the top that you lose sight of the very element that keeps you employed- the people.
Are you a CHRO putting your talent first and impacting business strategy through dynamic employee-centered programs? Share your story.
by Janine Nicole Dennis | Feb 19, 2014 | Business, Career, Featured, Human Resources, Talent Acquisition, Talent Management
Image courtesy of Wikimedia
Depending on who you speak to there is a talent war and every employer should be gathering up their troops to battle for the best and brightest. While I don’t disagree that there are still some highly sought after professionals that are hard to get to particularly in technical fields- I don’t see this said talent shortage/war being true in general.
What I have seen is great talent who are no longer passive but now actively open to any and all conversations surrounding new opportunities. I see those top performers as ready to have conversations about their next move, but employers being ill-equipped to receive them.
What do I mean?
This means that many of the employers speaking about the talent shortage are really spreading workforce propaganda and are in fact the root of the problem when it comes to the talent discussion. All employers want the best and brightest at their company, yet not all of them are diligent enough in how they attract, assess, develop and retain that talent. They want the finest selection of talent but are only willing to offer up salary, development, and benefits that don’t begin to compensate or reward the efforts of quality professionals.
There are various types of workers needed to keep your organization afloat. You have the top performers who will do what they are expected and offer up ideas, skills, and abilities above and beyond what you ask of them. These are your current and future leaders. You have your operational kinds that will be on time do what is asked of them and nothing more. They’re not overly concerned about upward mobility or development-just pay them for an honest day’s work and you will have them for the long haul. Lastly, you have those that will do less than what you expect and require a lot of hand-holding. These are the people that do just enough to keep you off their backs, but are not adding much to your workforce in terms of engagement and productivity.
When you think about what you want the makeup of your employee ecosystem to be- it isn’t likely that you want to attract or retain the latter kind of professional. Everyone is aiming for the best! You want those professionals that are self-motivated, productive, and ready to push the company agenda ahead.
Return on Effort
While it’s great that you are clear on what you want- are you as clear on what will attract and retain what you seek? The talent is there. They are open to conversation and helping you solve your business problems, but it comes at a price. Just as you expect ROI on your investments in them; they expect that you provide opportunities for growth, benefits, fair market value pay in return for their efforts. It’s called “return on effort”. This is where you get what you need from the employee and you in turn provide proper remuneration for their deliverables.
Be Honest
Do you have the budget or resources to garner the talent you seek? This is an important consideration for all businesses. If the answer is “yes”, your only worries is the strategy in getting and keeping them. If “no”, you have both a budget concern and work to do in terms of figuring out how you fairly and equitably distribute what you can; plus continuing to attract and retain talent despite a shortfall. This is not an easy task, but it may require you to be honest with current employees as well as new hires as to what you can really offer. Some may still join or remain with you through the struggle and others may flee. The point is it’s time employers stop selling grown adults on ideals and fluff that may never come to fruition.
Be cognizant of what you can offer as an employer and admit your shortcomings. Talent gaps and shortage may be real, but it isn’t the full story.
How will you rework your talent strategy in 2014 and beyond? Let me know how I can help?
by Janine Nicole Dennis | Feb 12, 2014 | Business, Entrepreneur, Featured, HR Innovation, Human Resources, Life, Talent Management
Image from Flickr
One of the things we HR practitioners get dinged on consistently is our ability to be flexible. Yes, there are compliance pieces and yet other things that we must oversee and manage in HR, but is there no flexibility in how we roll out our programs, initiatives and policies?
Being in business has taught me that one of the most important things we need to be able to do is “pivot”. The definition of “pivot” as a verb is “to turn on or around from a central point”. In HR, we are the central point in the organization. It is the place from which all operational and transactional aspects of the business’s workforce emanate.
When you are asked to step slightly out of your comfort zone which is standing right at that central point- do you?
1) Tell your business partners an emphatic “no”.
or
2) Hear your business partners out and find ways to stand at your central point while pivoting to allow them some flexibility in how they accomplish what you need them to.
Pivoting in business is no longer a best practice-it is the way we need to support our partners in doing business. Owners of businesses have to pivot all of the time whether it is regarding the direction of the business or who they market a product to. Doing things the same way with a sentiment of rigidity, control and authority is no longer the way we need to support the business. Just as business is changing so should the discipline of HR and how we do things.
The key to success is to have a basis by which you operate but not to impede progress for the sake of rules or compliance. Instead of saying “no” try listening, discussing and providing a new path for your partners to achieve their expected outcomes.
Consider these scenarios…
Has an employee asked you for some flextime to deal with personal obligations lately? Ask yourself this, are they a good employee and will this adversely impact the run of the business? If your answer is “no”, pivot and offer your employee some flexibility.
Does one of your hiring managers want to try a new platform for recruiting a specific professional that may cost more than what you usually pay for advertising? Pivot. Ask questions, find out more and offer he or she some alternatives if the option they have suggested isn’t budget-friendly.
I’m not just looking at you HR, this also applies to those running businesses that haven’t figured out the importance of pivoting. For all of your business savvy and vision, sometimes the reality of business or market conditions is very different. We are all part of an economy where the needs of the customer and the demand for products and services are rapidly changing.
Would you rather to hold on to a vision that no longer translates to a profitable business or might it make sense to pivot and explore new ways of serving your customers?
These are the types of considerations that businesses and those that support business owners need to be mulling over in 2014 and beyond. Pivoting is a business imperative not a new year’s resolution.
Here’s how you can work your way to pivoting today:
1) Start listening to customers, business partners, associates more.
2) Take every concern or suggestion you receive seriously and think about ways you can make each situation easier for your partners without forsaking you position.
3) Discuss possible alternatives with your customers/partners and allow for their input on how you reach the desired outcome.
4) Enjoy the fruits of having more collaborative relationships, because you were able to consider solutions and viewpoints other than your own agenda.
How will you pivot this year and how can I help you?
