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| Volume 8, Issue 6 |
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In This Issue:
 What employees want
 Hiring managers finding decline in job applicant behavior
 Creating people advantage: How to address HR challenges
 Companies get more savvy with internships to find next-gen IT workers
 Use LinkedIn for recruiting employees
 Keeping it real: 8 steps to an effective evaluation process
7 steps to increase the use of voluntary benefits
The new way to build ROI on employee referrals
Careful what you wish for at IBM
 Recession: Handle with care
 The power of analytics in human [resource] capital management
 Is HR up to managing global talent crisis?
New managers need to learn assertiveness
 Want to reduce sick days by an average of 41%? The solution is easy
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What employees want
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Brady Wilson is a co-founder of Juice Inc., a Guelph, Canada-based solution provider for leaders who want to boost their organizational energy level and employee engagement.
It's not money or flex hours. Rather, employees want to feel they are a good fit in the organization, are clear about their job, are supported in their role, are valued, and are inspired.
Getting the very best from employees has become the holy grail of the training and human resources industries. Millions of training dollars are spent to determine how to achieve a state of "flow" where workers are functioning at a high level of productivity,
efficiency, and engagement. But can this be sustained for more than a few days? And is it even possible? The answers to both questions are a resounding "Yes." And the benefits lead to bottom-line results. We've seen organizations boost their employee engagement
and report a year-over-year doubling of their sales growth; reduce their returns and credits by 50 percent; set new safety, productivity, and customer service records; and save millions on their bottom line through increased efficiencies. In fact, when
employee research and consulting firm Towers Perrin-ISR conducted a 2006 study of 664,000 employees worldwide, it found a 52 percent gap in the one-year performance improvement in operating income between companies with highly engaged employees versus
those with low engagement. However, the path to getting there is not the one most of us would think of taking because it's right in front of our eyes.
Stairway to Engaggement. The first step is to know...
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Hiring managers finding decline in job applicant behavior
Hiring managers who have years of experience interviewing job candidates are reporting a sad decline in applicant behavior.
This observation comes from an "interview etiquette" survey on Vault.com, a career resource site. The survey found that about six in 10 hiring managers are not impressed with what they're seeing. Given the host of "how to ace an interview" advice books, Web
sites and career resource offices at colleges and universities, the survey results are dismaying. About four in 10 of the 105 hiring managers who responded to the survey said they've heard job candidates use...
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Creating people advantage: How to address HR challenges worldwide through 2015
People challenges are greater than ever before at companies, thanks to globalization, an aging workforce, and employee desires for work-life balance.
This report, which is based on a worldwide survey of more than 4,700 executives, lays out a comprehensive approach to enable companies to understand the HR environment and
how they can create a people advantage. When companies that understand how to measure the effectiveness of their people and harness their talents, they will achieve a lasting edge...
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Companies get more savvy with internships to find next-gen IT workers
They view students as future IT employees.
Having an innovative Web site and smooth-running IT operations requires technology workers with up-to-date skills. To ensure that they always have a talented and well-stocked pool of future workers from which to choose, many employers are getting
more savvy about their college internship programs, updating them to keep up with the needs of their businesses. Here's a look at the internship programs at seven large companies. In general, these companies are looking for college students with strong
technical skills who could also become employees after they graduate. The good news:...
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Use LinkedIn for recruiting employees
LinkedIn and other social networking sites are advantageous for employers who use them for both networking and recruiting.
I am increasingly receiving email notes from my LinkedIn contacts asking me to refer potential employees or help them make a contact for hard-to-fill positions. The potential for LinkedIn and other social networking
sites to play a major role in your employee recruiting strategy increases as millions of potential employees profile themselves on these sites each year. It's not enough anymore to post a job vacancy on Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com, Craigslist.com. Employers are
spammed with hundreds of resumes from unqualified applicants when they post on big boards. (I have still found great candidates through these job boards, so continue to utilize them as a part of your recruiting mix.). But, the world of recruiting is
changing. More and more the online focus rests on social networking sites and smaller, specialized job boards. Here's how employers are using LinkedIn, a popular networking site, for recruiting. LinkedIn users...
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Recession: Handle with care
It is more critical [now] than ever that we are disciplined in our growth and hiring."
—Rupert Bader, director or workforce planning, Microsoft
"I'm not going to let the high salaries go. I'm going to look at the lowest performers."
—John Thrailkill, vice president of stores, the Container Store
"The big mistake to make would be to stop all development activity in a down market."
—Lawrence Costello, senior vice president of HR, Trane
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Already running leaner than ever, companies that take a measured approach in reducing headcount during the economic slump will be the ones that will have the critical people
they need after markets rebound. The downturn may even be a prime opportunity to grab new talent from competitors.
Diana Bell has learned not to panic when the headlines of a recession start piling up on her desk. That’s not to say that Bell, director of global talent management and executive development at International Paper, doesn’t have anything to worry about. Five
years ago, when the Memphis, Tennessee-based paper goods producer hit hard times, the company had to lay off 3,000 employees, or 3.5 percent of its workforce. At the same time, however, Bell and her team were already seeing the first signs of a talent
shortage, particularly among the company’s engineering population. Now, five years later, that talent shortage has only become more pronounced and the headlines of a recession have resurfaced. But this time Bell says she and her team are better prepared.
"We have learned the importance of taking our time in making decisions during a down cycle," Bell says. Unlike past recessions, where organizations indiscriminately slashed portions of their workforces to cut costs, this time some companies are giving more
thought to how they reduce headcount and how they continue to retain and recruit. One reason is that many employers simply can’t cut much more, says Jeffrey Pfeffer, a business professor at Stanford University. He says tepid job growth during the last
economic expansion means organizations have little fat to cut now. "Companies have gone into this relatively leaner," he says. And in an increasingly tight labor market, companies today also realize that they can’t assume that the talent they need will be
available for rehiring when the markets pick up again.[At these companies, the role of HR has changed from simply being the bearer of bad news to being a crucial player in
making sure their organizations not only survive a market downturn, but bounce back faster than their competitors...]
Read the article. Back to top
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The power of analytics in human [resource] capital management
Whether it's employee turnover, length of time to fill vacancies or cost per hire, virtually all of today's HR departments use some form of metrics to evaluate results.
Most agree this is a good practice, but few of those metrics truly impact the organization.
HR dashboards are heavily focused on measuring the efficiency and effectiveness of HR programs and practices. Instead, HR leaders should focus on measuring, analyzing and sharing information with organizational leaders to make better talent and business
decisions. This approach extends the practice of measurement to one of greater insight and impact — analytics that ultimately can ensure HR leaders have a bigger say in overall strategic decision making and organizational direction. Analytics has been
defined as the extensive use of data, statistical and quantitative analysis, explanatory and predictive models and fact-based management to drive decisions and actions. This definition implies crunching millions of numbers to yield results. But as long as HR is
evaluating the right numbers, it will be the quality of data, not the quantity, that creates opportunities to drive better decisions and actions. In practical terms, analytics involves HR leaders strategically leveraging HR measurement and other business
data to provide deeper insight. For example, instead of merely measuring turnover rates, an analytic approach would seek to capture additional data, such as the type of people who are leaving the organization, where they are going and which open positions are more
important to fill faster. This information allows for a greater analysis of several different components of turnover and would help determine where reducing turnover could
best improve business results and where to allocate scarce HR resources...
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Is HR up to managing global talent crisis?
The increasing mobility of skilled workers around the world, especially those within developing nations, is creating a talent crisis that will need all HR's talents and focus to resolve.
A study of 5,000 HR professionals by the UK-based think-tank the Adecco Institute has argued that growing skills shortages around the world will require HR to carve out a new role for itself as a long-term talent manager of skilled workers. Rather than simply
filling vacancies as they come up, HR will become increasingly involved in the assessment and long-term planning of their organisation's workforce needs, it said. A company's success, or lack of it, in managing its talent will also become an important
differentiator and unique selling point within the global marketplace. "This new role of HR management comes as a consequence of three trends converging:...
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New managers need to learn assertiveness
In another installment from the True Story files, Joanne was listening to a manager from another department getting snippy with her over the phone.
"What's wrong with you people?" he said, his voice rising in anger. "You pretty much do nothing all day long! All I'm asking is that you do your jobs. Why can't you get my simple request processed?"As a new supervisor, Joanne was unaccustomed to such brash
confrontations. But it was just this morning his request for work came in - and without all the proper paperwork. Moreover, other work had been flagged as higher priority. To make matters worse, the manager on the other end of the phone had a lot of seniority,
and he was famous for yelling without anyone challenging him. Getting on his bad side was not something she really wanted to do. Perhaps you've been in Joanne's position. When you're not experienced, such heated conversations can be tough. A good skill for
new supervisors to acquire early on is tactful assertiveness. Notice I didn't say "sugarcoat the truth" or "roll over." Nor did I say "be demanding." Maintaining a professional demeanor is an extremely valuable skill, but it doesn't come easy. Getting
there requires a lot of reasoned thinking. According to the book Asserting Yourself, you can teach yourself ways to remain professional when the pressure is on, but it takes practice.The book also teaches that when disagreements occur, it doesn't mean one person
has to win and the other person has to lose. The two do not have to be mutually exclusive. A main tenet in assertiveness is not simply to "win," but to find a way for both parties to have a win. There is no perfect, magical way to do this, but letting the
other person know you understand his/her position usually sets a good foundation. The real trick is avoiding the bait of any personal jabs while identifying the real issue.
Key In on the Real Issues. So lets' review what the manager said to Joanne [and how she should respond]...
Read the article. Back to top
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Want to reduce sick days by an average of 41%? The solution is easy. Just walk.
The average white-collar employee moves a mere 3,500 steps per day – only slightly over one mile. Experts recommend a minimum of 10,000 steps or 3.2 miles of walking and moving per day.
Since 2005, Australian company Global Corporate Challenge has been combating sedentary lifestyles and resolving health issues by creating a team-based fitness challenge, using two simple things: pedometers and employees who have pledged to walk 10,000 steps per
day. [A six month study, tracking four months in the program, showed a $3.26 return on investment for every dollar spent. Sick days were reduced by an average of 41%, and
participants also averaged 10,500 steps per person – 500 more than the daily recommended amount.]...
Read the article. Back to top
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