Innovative HR Solutions

Do I need a Succession Plan?

2012-02-16T10:01:00.000-08:00

Today companies are at a critical juncture with respect to ensuring that the core values of the organization are maintained. As the boomers transition to retirement succession planning and the management of the process between the individual’s aspirations and the company’s future needs is a very important HR function.

Succession plans that are well developed and communicated to key executives will increase retention in the c-suite. Because high-potentials recognize that time; attention and skill development is being invested in them these potential leaders are less likely to seek opportunities outside of the organization.

Succession plans and the development of leadership talent is an investment that requires time. A working succession plan may result in having more than one skilled executive available for a key job. HR’s role is to provide choices, options and a plan that is performance based.

What Needs to Happen in 2012 to Make Our Company Successful?

2012-01-12T12:12:00.000-08:00

One of management’s key duties and responsibilities is challenging, motivating and retaining staff. Three metrics of employee engagement need to be implemented in the near term for progressive organizations to remain competitive in the future:

Align employees work with the strategic vision and company goals as outlined by the leadership team. This can be accomplished by ensuring that the corporate goals are communicated, and incorporated into each employee’s performance plan. Research has shown that employees that buy into the vision, values and strategic vision of the company will support the company in the future.

Hold employees accountable by constantly demonstrating through management’s actions that employees will be treated fairly and honestly along with the consistent application of the prevailing policies. To determine if policies are consistently being applied evaluate your compensation practices to determine if those employees that are demonstrating excellence receive the larger merit increase. Evaluate promotions and transfers to determine if only those employees that are excelling in their jobs are receiving new job opportunities. Finally, evaluate the learning opportunities made available to the staff to ensure that all employees are eligible for external training and development and not only those that are performing at a peak level.

Evaluate the decision making processes to ensure that all employees share in decision making process. Typically, the employees that “do the work” are those that should be recommending ideas to improve work-flow. Employees should feel comfortable recommending changes to the existing processes. At times, failure will be the result but with failure comes knowledge
and success. Employees are more likely to accept and carry out decisions if they're involved in the process.

Using these three metrics will assist you as you start to establish metrics for the New Year.

Why is Aligning the Business with a Corporate Human Capital Strategy Important?

2011-08-04T15:54:00.000-07:00

Today, businesses that are successful have a strategic direction that is aligned with the employees to create a synergy between the business and talent. Along with the effective execution of the business plan and strategy there are four key models that make a company successful. These conditions, if met can put a company on the path to success.

Company Culture

Companies that are successful have a strong culture that is inclusive, collaborative, challenging and respectful. A culture that encompasses these attributes will result in employees that are engaged, motivated, demonstrate high levels of performance and productivity.

Executive Leadership

Successful leaders are dependent upon a team approach that is communicative, supportive, engaged and holds their direct reports accountable for their decisions. Leaders need to be developed and constantly challenged to ensure that the company continually innovates. The leaders of the company also need to maintain the highest ethical standards as they set the tone for the organization and represent the company to the community.

Employee Talent Management

With technology changing the potential for a gap between the skill set and the new requirements of the job can develop into a talent management gap. Employees need to be continually developed, mentored and given the opportunity to enrich one’s job is very important to the success of the company.

Corporate Structure

A corporate structure and understood by all employees is often more productive and responsive to the customer. A structure that groups the business based upon client and customer relationships will often produce the best results by meeting the customer’s needs quickly and efficiently.

In conclusion, developing a strategy that aligns the leadership team with the employees, a culture that supports progressive talent development and a culture and structure that is understood by all supports a progressive business model.

To learn about the best ways to develop a progressive culture and business alignment, go to the link below:

http://www.companyculture.com/change/formal.htm

Why is an On-Boarding Survey So Important?

2011-04-26T09:31:00.000-07:00

On-boarding surveys, originally introduced into organizations in the late 1990’s, were developed to measure employee job satisfaction. Employers wanted to know how satisfied their new employees were because satisfied workers are more productive workers.

Research over the past 25 years has found that job satisfaction is significantly related to other important organizational outcomes, including absenteeism, turnover and other symptoms of employee dissatisfaction. Also, many current studies have identified relationships between the attitudes of employee groups and the satisfaction of customers serviced by employees. The end result is improved organizational performance. According to the Society of Human Resource Management 81% of all employers’ surveyed conduct some form of on-boarding survey. Managers have realized that today they can ask employees about a broad range of important issues such as leadership, benefits, job satisfaction and compensation to name a few. With this information, organizations can fine-tune their new hire communication strategies, work to increase employee buy-in and even decide to modify corporate policies.

Although the early assumption that satisfied workers are more productive workers has not been proven, there is a body of research which suggest that organizations that are in tune with their new employees can motivate them to do a good job and enhance the work environment for all. The on-boarding provides the means for linking employee behavior with company success.

To learn about the SHRM study, go to the link below:

http://www.shrm.org/Research/SurveyFindings/Articles/Pages/OnboardingPractices.aspx

What can employers do today to manage expectations and improve employee satisfaction?

2011-02-10T12:13:00.000-08:00

According to a recent survey of U.S. households by The Conference Board (2010), job dissatisfaction is widespread among workers of all ages across all income brackets in the United States. The study found that "only 45 percent of those surveyed say they are satisfied with their jobs, down from 61.1 percent in 1987, the first year in which the survey was conducted."
As employers today what can we do to turn around employee dissatisfaction on the job? First, it is important to know that there are two different kinds of employee satisfaction.

•Satisfaction with the daily tasks and the work that is considered to be the essential functions of the job.

•Satisfaction relating to the working conditions such as employee and management relations, pay, teamwork and the people.
These two types of satisfaction are very different, and it helps for HR professionals to evaluate from both points of view.

Open Enrollment Time

2011-01-08T11:57:00.000-08:00

Each January company’s go through the annual process of implementing the benefit programs that their employees have become to rely on to protect themselves and their families. Key to the success of any benefit plans enhancement and rollout is the planning and associated communication of the new programs.

To assist the HR professional with the process of a successful plan is a 5 step program. These steps are:

1. Evaluate the employee needs either through a focus group or employee survey. This process will ensure that the benefit enhancements that you are considering are aligned with your employee needs.

2. Establish a budget that has been approved by the leaders of the organization for the benefit programs. Consider using percent of payroll as the method for determining the benefit budget.

3. Working with your benefit broker have them provide you with alternatives to plan design, employer subsidized programs and plan paid for in total by the employees. Choice is very important to employees and alternatives to meet the unique needs of your staff should be considered at every stage of the process.

4. Interview those providers that have been identified and determine their qualifications and ability to meet your needs. Do your due diligence by asking those hard questions, ensure that performance and service guarantees are in place and check references.

5. Communicate the new or enhanced programs to the employees by way of health fairs, webinars, and employee newsletters and all-hands meetings. Where possible provide one-on-one service to the employees to assist them in the process of maximizing and utilizing the programs.

If these 5 steps are followed HR professionals will be in a position to successfully implement the benefit programs that are so important to the employees.

Interesting Article on Engagement

2010-12-21T09:18:00.000-08:00

If you have a moment take a look at this article titled "Time to Re-Engage" from Human Resource Executive Magazine.

Why is Employee Self-service so Important in Today’s Business Environment?

2010-12-21T09:05:00.000-08:00

First of all employee self-service is a process that allows employees to make updates with respect their personal information directly into the company’s HRIS or the third party administrators web site. This access is applicable for benefit changes, address changes, time keeping and payroll monitoring. Self-service also allows the employer to find out what the employee is thinking and how engaged they are through the survey process. Employee ownership of their information is very important to the accuracy of records and the on-going communication between the company and their staff. In order to automate and implement a self-service approach all the company needs to do is integrate their systems and establish kiosks for those employees that do not have a dedicated computer. Today with the computers becoming very affordable migrating from a paper-based to electronic based format is very easy.

Consider implementing a self-service process as this will allow more time for the HR professionals on your staff to move away from processing paper to becoming more a business partner with the employees and management.

Top Ten HR Trends of the Past Decade

2010-12-14T10:19:00.000-08:00

The top ten trends of the decade for Human Resources staff and the employees served at work were not obvious nor were they easy to pick from my original list. Depending on your company size, your location, and the health and progress of your company and industry, the top ten Human Resources trends may have differed for you.

Although the selection was a challenge, and I still go back and forth, these are my top ten Human Resources trends of the decade. These Human Resources trends are presented in no particular order aside from the first trend, which has swamped HR the past couple of years.

Now that you have had a look at the top ten Human Resources trends I've presented, plus several of my runner ups, what are yours? Do you agree or disagree with the Human Resources trends I have selected? Please share your thoughts on the "Readers Respond" form below.

It's the Economy

With US unemployment at 10.2%, as I write this, and extended unemployment benefits and COBRA subsidies keeping many families afloat, this economic downturn has left no one unaffected. Even people still employed have watched as their 401(k)s and savings sunk to new lows. Almost no employees have received a raise without a promotion this past year. Normal bonuses and profit sharing have been replaced with mandatory furloughs and more work to replace that of laid-off coworkers.

Mourning the loss of laid-off coworkers with feelings of guilt, anxiety, and fear has also chipped away at the employee’s comfort level at work. Looking over their shoulder and protecting their own job has become commonplace. No one can predict how bad the economy could become or how long the downturn will last. So, business leaders don’t know whether they are managing from an economic perspective that the economy has been reset forever or a down economy that will recover. Business leaders are struggling to manage in times they have never before experienced – and the employees, who may also be experiencing stressful economic trauma outside of work, are watching and concerned.

Millennials Are on the March

A generation of employees who were pampered and scheduled by their Baby Boomer parents have taken the workplace by storm. They bring pluses and minuses to your workplace, but come on, who ever heard of a play date before 1990? So, not only is your workplace trying to absorb these offspring of the Baby Boomer generation - and millennials bring special challenges – employers are dealing with helping three generations of workers happily co-exist to serve customers as a team.

The economic downturn has made the three generation situation worst with Boomers who planned retirement, to make way for up and coming employees, unable to retire - and not happy about it. Millennials and Gen X employees are supervising Boomers and Boomers are mentoring those who wish to learn from the leaving generation.

To continue reading this artice from About.com click here

What Is Certification and Why Is it Important?

2010-12-07T13:35:00.000-08:00

Today, many HR professionals in addition to have a college or advanced degree are certified through the Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI). The decision to become certified is a direct result of HR professionals wanting to have additional education which will make them more attractive for internal promotional opportunities or as an external candidate more competitive. Certification by HRCI is available in 4 categories. These categories are:

· Professional in Human Resources (PHR^®)

· Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR^®)

· Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR^®)

· California Certification (PHR-CA^®and SPHR-CA^®)

Key stages of certification process include:

Eligibility: 2 years of professional (exempt-level) HR work experience are required in order to take the test.

Plan: Make a study plan by either joining one of the many classes offered by either a regional HR association or SHRM. Classes typically last 13 weeks and are lead by a certified instructor who can walk you through the process and offer you tips on taking the test. Attend each class, become engaged in the process of learning by asking questions, participating in the practice tests and read the material.

Create a Study Group: Work with your fellow students outside of the class setting to test one another, share ideas and offer support. Many of us have been out of school and need to have the support and knowledge of others to help us study and learn.

Schedule Your Test Date: An important driver of success is the goal of taking the test and passing. If you don’t schedule your test date the likelihood of success diminishes.

Clearly, employee certification is important in today’s competitive environment.

Five Myths of Employee Engagement

2010-12-01T08:11:00.000-08:00

Employee engagement has been capturing the attention of organizations because of the potential benefits ranging from better financial results to employee well-being. Here are 5 myths or mistakes that many organizations make with their employee engagement work.

Engagement measures must be anonymous. Engagement requires a name and a face not an anonymous survey. I engage when I know others see me and they are thinking about me. Disengagement should not be a punishable offence; rather it should be the trigger for a conversation. I believe we rely far too much on anonymous surveys for engagement data which means that we have organizations where it is not safe to talk about how all employees are experiencing their work. If that is the case, we don’t have an engagement issue; we have a safety and conversational challenge.

Engagement is about them. Far too often I see employees referred to by managers as “them” and employees refer to leaders as them. We must realize that “them is us.” CEO’s and presidents are employees who may struggle with their own engagement and we will be sowing the seeds of connection or engagement challenges when we believe we are apart from the organization not a part of the organization.

Engagement is the organization’s method to just get more work out of people. Employees need to both know and experience the benefits of engagement. Engagement can increase well-being, create a positive model for our children, enrich the hours of our working days, help us make a difference, create a richer experience for our customers, energize our working day, etc. Engagement is not a problem to be solved it is an experience to be lived.

There is a way to engagement. Engagement is not something extra it is how we work and connect in this decade. Engagement is so much more than a happy dance pasted on YouTube or a half-day recognition and engagement program. Leaders and managers must stop seeing engagement as another item on an endless to-do list and start to integrate engagement ways to build relationships and achieve results through invitation, conversation, connection, co-creation, and community. There is no way to engagement, engagement is the way.

Engagement is something we do to you or for you. There is a wonderful principle from the field of positive deviancy that states: “never do anything about me, without me.” Engagement is not something we do to others it is how we connect and interact with all employees. Ensure employees don’t just answer survey questions – invite employee to have the opportunity to create the survey questions. Cease the endless time delay between surveys and results and bring all employees into the full process. I am often asked by people around the globe, “how do we get everyone on the same page for employee engagement?” My first response is to answer that question with another question: “did all employees have an opportunity to write on that page?”

Don’t myth out on the potential benefits of an engaging organization that fosters high levels of employee engagement through visibility, unity, experience, integration, and invitation.

From David Zinger's blog, to read more from him click here.

Why do employers today want employee engagement?

2010-11-23T07:20:00.000-08:00

It would appear that the economy is starting to improve through various market indicators. With this improvement comes increased competition and the turnover by key staff. The engagement of employees and the reduction of turnover is very important for companies today and in the future. An engaged workforce will assist companies in remaining competitive and productive. Key elements of employee engagement are found in three main drivers of success. These include:

Strong Employee/Management Relations: An important driver of employee engagement is the individual employee’s relationship to their manger. Is their manager supportive, an effective coach, honest and represents the high ethical values of the organization? A manager that embodies these key elements will be a partner with the employee and secure their engagement.

Effective Communication: Understanding how the company operates and the strategy for the future will allow the employee to become more engaged in the success of the organization by understanding where the company wants to be in the future. Effective communication includes sharing the business plan and strategy, new products, financial performance and the vision for the future.

Job Satisfaction: When employees at different levels in the organization enjoy the job and view their role at the company as challenging and contributing to the success of the company engaged employees are more included to give 110%, look for new ideas and be more creative.

Clearly, employee engagement is an important tool for the leaders of companies today to embrace and support.

Performance Reviews

2010-11-17T21:37:00.000-08:00

Performance reviews are the HR ritual that everyone dreads.

And now brain science shows that positive or negative, the way in which that review gets delivered can be a boon or a curse.

If a boss gives even a good review in the wrong way, that message can be a low-grade curse, creating a neural downer.

So I learned while reviewing recent scientific findings for an upcoming webinar that has got me rethinking the concept of emotional intelligence.

The neuroscientist Richard Davidson at the University of Wisconsin has found that when we’re in an upbeat, optimistic, I-can-handle-anything frame of mind, energized and enthusiastic about our goals, our brains turn up the activity in an area on the left side, just behind the forehead. That’s the brain state where we are at our best.

But when we’re feeling down, with low energy and zero motivation, even anxious, our brain has turned up the volume on the right side. That’s the zone where we punt.

(from Daniel Goleman's site) To continue reading his fantastic article, click here

Why Do Employers Today Want to Conduct an Employee Engagement Survey?

2010-11-09T08:52:00.000-08:00

Today with employee access to the Internet readily available either through a personal work computer, the library or a company kiosk more employers today are able to devote the time and resources to find out what their employees are thinking. Because surveys are quick and easy to administer company’s can obtain an accurate assessment of the organizational “climate” – What’s working well, and where do we need to improve?

Employers are also finding out through an electronic based on-boarding survey what new hires are thinking in the first 60 to 90 days of employment or through an off-boarding survey ways to reduce turnover or find out if a specific department is experiencing management challenges. Employee feedback will allow you to determine where you need to modify, eliminate or enhance HR programs. Progressive organizations are utilizing this tool to make their work environment more aligned with employee expectations and the company’s financial resources.

Managing Your Company Talent!

2010-11-02T08:21:00.000-07:00

If your organization is currently shopping around for a talent management solution or looking for ways to tighten up your existing one, you’ve come to the right place! This week I come bearing gifts in the form of wisdom; seven fruitful tips (to be exact) on what to hope, dream and look for in a talent management platform.

1. Adaptable and flexible – A performance management system must be able to change as the needs of the business change. Content (such as forms, reports, etc.) should be customizable and easy to modify.

2. Easy to administer and manage – Managers don’t want to use software that’s complicated or difficult to oversee. Enough said.

3. Simple and intuitive to use – The goal of an automated solution is to reduce the headaches paper-based systems often create. It should not be seen as an automated chore for managers and employees. To make life easier for everyone, choose a solution that’s simple and user-friendly, and that doesn’t require a technical background to operate.

4. Link to corporate goals and objectives – Being able to tie employee goals and objectives to those of the company will help give focus and direction. Not to mention, knowing how one’s goals fit into the big picture will help motivate employees and give them a sense of purpose and place within the organization.

5. All inclusive – A world class platform should be a complete solution; a one-stop shop, so to speak, that provides the ability to perform collaborative appraisals goal management, 360 multi-rater reviews, online surveys, succession planning, compensation and reporting. All your talent management needs should all be rolled into one convenient system.

6. Great reporting and analytics – What’s the point of having data and not being able to get anything out of it? A high-quality system should have the means to ‘slice and dice’ data, and provide access to robust reporting and analytics.

7. Cost effective and high ROI – A good performance management platform doesn’t need to cost a fortune to get the job done. A solution that comes with a lot of expensive bells and whistles doesn’t always mean it will be efficient. Make sure you select a platform that will meet the needs of your business and deliver high ROI.

-Great tips from HR.com

What Can We Do to Make Our Managers Better at Hiring?

2010-10-27T12:32:00.000-07:00

Improving hiring skills is becoming the priority for public and private organizations as the economy recovers and more baby boomers enter retirement. I believe “hiring skills” is the organizational competency most likely to create growth and long-term success going forward. The need to identify the right talent for the right position is, and will continue to be, the most critical objective for human resources departments and hiring managers. So your concern and focus couldn’t be better.

Unfortunately, most organizations’ HR departments offer a traditional approach to hiring and are not adequately matching advanced tools and strategies to the needs of the hiring manager. The key is to train hiring managers to be empowered to use the latest proven tools, processes and strategies. That way, HR becomes more of a strategic partner rather than a bureaucrat (from the perspective of the internal client) while the goal—consistently hiring superior performers—is more easily met.

Job benchmarking is the first step to securing the talent necessary to the organization’s success. The first question is: What talents are required for superior performance in the specific job?

Only the job has the answer, so use a system that lets the job “talk,” and then listen carefully. (I use a patented job-benchmarking process with all of my clients, developed by TTI Performance Systems, that enables an organization to benchmark the job. The client can then assess the talent of the candidate to find the best match to the job’s talent requirements.)

The essential elements of conducting a job benchmark using internal stakeholders and subject-matter experts is to first identify the key accountabilities for the position and then use a “valid and reliable” job survey to capture individual opinions based on those key accountabilities. By combining the results of up to 10 job benchmark surveys (three is adequate) into a single composite survey, the HR department and hiring manager have a “talent profile” or target for matching purposes. The job benchmark should offer job-related interview questions that promote dialogue around the applicant’s talents. The value of the job benchmark goes well beyond the hiring process, which makes for a high return on investment.

With a job benchmark in place, marketing the position and evaluating applicants for fit becomes much easier. The question now is: How does a hiring manager quickly and accurately separate the top talent from the applicant pool?

After filtering applicant résumés based on minimum requirements, and perhaps conducting a short phone interview to verify certain information (such as relocation and salary expectations), use a talent assessment for this next step. Not all assessments are equal. Assessments can measure very different parts of a person’s talent. Many of these assessments become very suspect when trying to verify the assessment’s validity and reliability, especially for hiring. Hiring managers should be able to easily learn how to understand and use the assessment to properly narrow the candidate pool, and use the assessment results to formulate questions to use during the interviewing process.

Interviewing candidates is time-consuming and has the greatest potential for creating biases. That is why I encourage and train hiring managers to use scientifically proven (valid and reliable) assessments that measure the “talent” of the person to help determine “who” will be interviewed.

Hiring managers want to be in control of whom they hire. Keep that in mind as you provide them with tools and strategies. This outline ensures the hiring manager is in control and uses an HR department in a more strategic way. Training the hiring manager comprehensively to be an expert in interviewing, hiring and using talent assessments can be done in 12 hours. That includes covering job benchmarking, using assessments for applicant evaluation, behavior-based interviewing skills and the legal dos and don’ts of interviewing. Breaking the training into three- or four-hour segments is a good idea.

With a carefully designed training program for managers, job benchmarking and talent assessment tools, and a process that enables the manager to stay in control throughout the process, you’ll have very satisfied managers and will realize that hiring superior performers is not as difficult to achieve as you first thought.

From a recent post at Workforce, Carl Nielson, The Nielson Group, Dallas

12 Questions to Measure Employee Engagement

2010-10-19T11:33:00.000-07:00

Workforce had this great article posted on their site:

Five years ago, The Gallup Organization began creating a feedback system for employers that would identify and measure elements of worker engagement most tied to the bottom line--things such as sales growth, productivity and customer loyalty.

After hundreds of focus groups and thousands of interviews with employees in a variety of industries, Gallup came up with the Q12, a 12-question survey that identifies strong feelings of employee engagement. Results from the survey show a strong correlation between high scores and superior job performance. Here are those 12 questions:

· Do you know what is expected of you at work?

· Do you have the materials and equipment you need to do your work right?

· At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?

· In the last seven days, have you received recognition or praise for doing good work?

· Does your supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about you as a person?

· Is there someone at work who encourages your development?

· At work, do your opinions seem to count?

· Does the mission/purpose of your company make you feel your job is important?

· Are your associates (fellow employees) committed to doing quality work?

· Do you have a best friend at work?

· In the last six months, has someone at work talked to you about your progress?

· In the last year, have you had opportunities at work to learn and grow?

What are the benefits of promoting from within your company?

2010-10-12T11:00:00.000-07:00

Today with business facing strong headwinds from both domestic and foreign competition retaining quality staff that have a proven track record is more important today than it has ever been. With unemployment near 10% and a flood of applicants trying to secure employment, Human Resources should re-examine their internal application process. HR departments should internally post all open position for a minimum of 10 business days, establish a process for employees to apply for an open position and companies should encourage all qualified internal candidates to apply. If there is a skill deficiency consider looking at providing the internal candidate with additional training or support as you have a proven quality employee. Always get back to all of the candidates by letting them know of the hiring manager’s decision. Often times hiring an internal candidate will be an employer’s best decision as you have access to the candidates performance reviews, typically there is no drug testing, background checks or concern about performance. Consider establishing a career opportunities program for your company. Promoting from within is often times the best business decision a company can make.

Is Turnover Going to Be a Problem in 2011?

2010-10-05T11:12:00.000-07:00

As the economy improves and employees start to see new opportunities to increase pay and responsibility employers will start to see an increase in turnover. Turnover is very expensive to businesses as there is the sourcing of candidates, time to interview and check references and then the training of the new hire to meet the daily tasks. One of the best ways to meet this challenge head-on is to ask your employees what their long-term goals are, do they need any additional training to be more productive on the job and what are some of the key challenges that they face. Often times it is just the discussion that makes the employee feel better about their manager and company. So ask your employees to share their thoughts and learn from their ideas. Communication is very important and two-way communication is critical to retaining employees. As a reminder, if you lose an employee you will often have to pick-up their job in addition to your own so learn to listen and communicate more effectively.

How can a company engage its employees more effectively?

2010-09-29T10:55:00.000-07:00

Businesses today want to discover what their employees are thinking in order to align the needs of the organization with the expectations of the staff. Many tools are available to find out what employees want and include: small focus groups, large group meetings that foster two-way communication and employee surveys. The benefit of a survey is that employers typically invite all employees to respond so no one feels left out; the results are validated by conducting a statistical test and the employees are comfortable responding because the survey is anonymous and confidential. Key to the success of any survey is securing the support of the leaders of the organization. Only through their support will the survey process succeed. What a great way to find out what your employees are thinking utilize a survey only – just act on the results!