Meghan M. Biro, Author at TalentCulture

#WorkTrends Preview: Maintaining Productivity in a Distracting Work Environment

There is a massive trend right now in the enterprise toward open office environments, and understanding how that trend impacts employees is important. IT should understand the distraction challenges that employees face in different environments. In addition, mobile workforces now face distractions in a wide variety of other environments. On next week’s #WorkTrends show we will be joined by Jennifer Adams, Head of Global Collaboration Markets for Plantronics. We will discuss devices, such as noise canceling headphones, and other emerging technologies that are having a positive impact on productivity, careers, and quality of life. Jen will also help us unpack who

#WorkTrends Recap: Transforming Businesses into Digital Dragons

As we get farther into the digital transformation, more businesses are turning into digital dragons. So, what’s a dragon, you ask? It’s an agile company fit to adapt, innovate and thrive even in disruptive times. The ever-popular unicorn tends to rely on risky and experimental business models. Dragons, however, are established companies that continue to leverage their original startup mentality to systematically innovate their way to profitability. Built on purposeful reinvention, scalable market dominance, and a commitment to long-term success, dragons are increasing in popularity. During this week’s #WorkTrends show, we were joined by author and CEO Daniel Newman, who recently

Talent Analytics: A Crystal Ball For Your Workforce?

We’ve been listening to the buzz around Big Data and Talent Analytics for a couple of years now. It has been nearly three years to the day that I wrote about why Big Data is HR’s new BFF. It has a lot of potential, Cloud-sized trove of information that, with the right algorithms and filters – can be turned into actionable insight. The existence of these new streams of verifiable information about potential hires adds a hefty dose of science to one facet of business that, surprisingly, has often felt like more like an art. Sure, the resume looks great and the

HR Leadership: Proving the Value of the Talent Function

Success for a business of any size hinges on its people and their ability to make things happen. Top talent is expensive — and wasted if it doesn’t move your business forward. Human resources leaders need to understand how the talent function can impact an entire organization and why human capital is a company’s most valuable asset. But if they can’t prove that significance to the rest of the leadership team, they’ll struggle to get the support they need. A well-rounded recruitment program isn’t a bonus; it’s a crucial part of meeting goals. Here’s a look at how HR leadership can prove

Crowdsourced Technology Is Putting Workplace Leaders And H.R. In The Driver’s Seat

There is something to be said about controlling your own destiny and making your own rules. It’s the reason our workplace has seen a huge shift in the number of workers exiting the marketplace seeking adventure, opportunity and the ability to start a revolution even in the workplace. Over the past 10 years, the startup world has grown out of a need to revolutionize a product, marketplace or industry that was stagnant, moving slowly or failing to adjust to it’s customers needs. This is what the technology revolution is all about. It’s the lure of Silicon Valley and its sister technology

The Onboarding Experience Matters To Your Future Employees

We talked last week about the need for HR and leaders to be on the look-out for employee potential – a real-time alignment between the business’s needs, new employees in the onboarding and hiring process, and existing employees who may have unrecognized potential. So it’s natural to go back and look at the first piece of the puzzle – onboarding – to see where companies can improve an employee’s first days and weeks on the job with the goal of creating long-term employee engagement and growth. As with so much else in the world of work, long-term employee engagement tracks back to the right

How To Succeed At Real-Time Talent Alignment

Everyone talks about employee turnover, but does anyone know the real size of the problem? According to a very comprehensive survey from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), nearly 50 percent of hires at a senior level from outside an organization leave within 18 months. That’s a spectacular failure rate, and one no organization can really afford to sustain, over and over again. Guess what? This still seems to be the case today. And employee engagement rates are still not where they should be globally. So why do so many organizations and leaders look for talent outside, rather than promoting from

#WorkTrends Preview: Transforming Businesses into Dragons

So, what’s a dragon, you ask? It’s an agile company fit to adapt, innovate and thrive even in disruptive times. The ever-popular unicorn tends to rely on risky and experimental business models. Dragons, however, are established companies that continue to leverage their original startup mentality to systematically innovate their way to profitability. Built on purposeful reinvention, scalable market dominance, and a commitment to long-term success, dragons are increasing in popularity. Come learn more about what it takes to be a dragon from author Daniel Newman, who recently co-wrote the popular business book, “Building Dragons: Digital Transformation in the Experience Economy.” Transforming

People Analytics: Tapping into a Powerful Resource

HR has relied on the use of data and analytics for years but has only recently begun to embrace people analytics. Defined as using a data-driven approach to inform your people practices, programs and processes, people analytics is a powerful resource for HR. After all, human capital is the source of all business success—it makes sense to analyze people to understand and even predict enterprise performance. Recently, HR departments have begun to leverage this powerful tool – and it’s changing the game for many businesses. HR today is all about understanding people and predicting their actions and responses. And, as Josh

#WorkTrends Recap: Negotiation 101: Never Split The Difference

Negotiation is a vital life skill for anyone. We negotiate every day whether we know it or not. People still are unsure of their negotiating abilities. During this week’s #WorkTrends show, we were joined by former FBI Lead International Hostage Negotiator Chris Voss. Chris helped us explore and understand the art of negotiation. The podcast and Twitter conversation applied Chris Voss’ experience as a negotiator and author to the world of work. We learned why saying, “you’re right” and “yes” are at the root of the vast majority of misunderstandings in the workplace today. Here are a few other key points

It Takes Talent To Become A Top Recruiter

Job seekers these days have few advantages when applying for jobs if they don’t have an inside contact to smooth the path. The best recruiters make it easy to connect and make it possible to forge a working relationship with the brand. A recruiters job is to find top talent, yes, but a big part of that job is defending the brand against bad hires – think of Zappos’ practice of buying out employees who don’t “fit” quickly. And they continue to innovate. Zappos’ is currently doing a great job of spotlighting their recruiters. A brand win, win. This means, as with in-the-trenches HR,

Prevent Employee Burnout With These Five Tips

Stress kills. And sadly, this is not hyperbole. Job-related pressures are among the biggest sources of stress for American adults, and it’s getting progressively worse, year over year. Chronic, high levels of job stress can lead to increased rates of heart attack, hypertension, chronic pain, as well as other disorders. Every industry has its unique stressors. But, whether you’re a doctor or a delivery person, work-related stress shares “across the board” common factors—a check list, if you will—of work related triggers. The World Health Organization describes it like this: Work-related stress is the response people may have when presented with work demands

4 Ways To Be A More Resilient Leader

Sundays are Breakfast with music time (Could be Arcade Fire, or Keith Urban, or Tamar Braxton, or Mogwai, or any variety of other eclectic stuff I listen to every day, but those are stories for another day). This week I’ve been thinking a lot about what it takes to be a resilient person. Sunday morning, there was Ringo from the Beatles, belting away “I’ll get by with a little help from my friends”. What song could be a better anthem for resiliency? Why resiliency? Last week I wrote about employer brand and candidate experience. Subsequent conversations with friends, family and clients made

Your Employer Brand Owns The Candidate Experience

By now we’ve all seen the October 2013 Gallup report on employee engagement, The State of the American Workplace. Words that come to mind when I re-read the report: bummer, disheartening, bad news. But I also wonder: what exactly did we expect? Look around you, managers, and you’ll see disengaged employees with the Zombie stare, some with the sour look of the disappointed, a few with the overly positive, can-do smile, trying desperately to make things work. A lot of this is the fault of a poor connection between managers and line-of-business employees and it inevitably trickles into a broken recruitment and communication process

#WorkTrends Preview: Negotiation 101: Never Split The Difference

Negotiation is an important skill for any professional. Career advancement often depends on negotiation, but most people are uncomfortable or unsure of their negotiating abilities. During this #WorkTrends, former FBI Lead International Hostage Negotiator Chris Voss will help us explore and understand the art of negotiation. Come learn why saying, “you’re right” and “yes” are at the root of the vast majority of misunderstandings in the workplace today. This exciting podcast and Twitter conversation will apply Chris Voss’ experience as a negotiator and author to the world of work. Do you want to know why “That’s right” is the gold standard

#WorkTrends Recap: Modern Compensation: Putting People First

When companies start to work on their compensation plans, they often do so with spreadsheets and formulas, far removed from either the people impacted by compensation or the organizational objectives. Modern compensation brings people front and center in the pay business, creating a win/win situation between organizations and individuals. On today’s #WorkTrends show, we were joined by special guest Tim Low from PayScale. We discussed the idea of putting people first in compensation plans and why that makes a difference in business. Here are a few key points Tim shared: How to use modern compensation practices to engage, motivate and reward

Create A Vocabulary That Inspires Employee Engagement

It’s official. Employee engagement is the new black. I’ve been writing and thinking a lot about it lately, as have others. The very notion of how leaders and employees engage has slowly morphed away from ‘companies have to do this because employees want it’ to ‘companies have to do this even though employees don’t trust it 100 percent’. I’m not saying employees don’t seek engagement; I’m simply saying many have reasons to doubt corporate engagement programs as they stand today. We are still in a process of finding what really works. This revelation came after I’d read a series of interesting

HR: Why Social Media Policy Matters More Than Ever

Social media has been around for a while now. In fact, social media applications have never been more mainstream than they are today. Facebook, not surprisingly, is the big winner, with nearly three-quarters of American adults liking and posting and sharing daily—a number that jumps to a staggering 82 percent when you pinpoint the 18–29-year-old age range. Then you have the rapid growth of the visual-sharing social platforms: Video is on a fast climb to the top when it comes to social media popularity, and if you haven’t already, you should familiarize yourself with Instagram Video, Facebook Live, and Snapchat. So, you would assume most

5 Ways To Reinvent Your Recruiting Strategy

A client of mine is a multinational company with a vibrant, fast paced culture has been through the ringer lately. We talked about the talent issues they are dealing with, which were precipitated by losing two big accounts. The hit to income and profits distracted the CEO, and eventually, after months, led to a restructuring of the business to focus on different verticals. Suddenly everyone was tasked with business development, even junior staff. Needless to say, not everyone is comfortable with sales, so it didn’t go very well. Things got worse. The loss of revenue and shift in focus to new

Employee Engagement Is A Leadership Commitment

It seems like so much of what I do these days seems to revolve around storytelling and brands. I thought it would be useful to look at employee engagement through the lens of the five Ws – who, what, when, where, why – and one H – how – to frame up how companies can do a better job of mastering employee engagement. Employee engagement is center stage in HR and The World of Work right now for good reason. Engaged employees are better producers, they’re more committed to the organization, and they are in it for the relative long haul. One study

Recognize, Reward And Engage Your Multi-Generational Workforce

I was at the Genius Bar the other day soaking up the smarts and getting an introduction to the benefits of backing up data before updating to a new OS. As is so often the case at the Apple store, I found myself working with people from several generations. They seemed to be collaborating with relative harmony and purpose to ensure my data wasn’t lost forever, they seemed for the most part happy, and they seemed engaged in their jobs – from the store concierge (no, not a greeter, and not a Baby Boomer either) to the flight deck controller at the Genius Bar,

#WorkTrends Preview: Modern Compensation: Putting People First

When companies start to work on their compensation plans, they often do so with spreadsheets and formulas, far removed from either the people impacted by the compensation plans or the organizational objectives. Modern compensation brings people front and center in the pay business, creating a win/win situation between organizations and individuals. Next week on the #WorkTrends show, we will be joined special guest Tim Low from Payscale to discuss the idea of putting people first in compensation plans. Here are a few things Tim is expected to share: How to use modern compensation practices to engage, motivate, and reward top people.

Meet The Top 30 Social Salespeople In The World

“Never underestimate the fondness of people and organizations for the status quo,”Enterprise 2.0 author Andrew McAfee warned businesses. People are naturally resistant to change, and while that’s not always a bad thing, I’ve encountered my fair share of people resistant to the massive changes and opportunities that social media is creating in business and the workplace. Salespeople, in particular, seem to have a set of rules and values that they are adamant about sticking to, which seems a bit counterintuitive to me, given that today’s buyers complete some 70 percent of their purchases before contacting a sales representative. Those in the know

#WorkTrends Recap: Building Strength-Based Organizations

A healthy organization runs on the idea that people should be respected for the unique strengths they bring to the table. A strengths-based organization takes this idea a step further and fosters an environment where employees are actively engaged in their work. This results in better productivity, retention and profitability in the long run. On this week’s #WorkTrends chat, we were joined by author Josh Allan Dykstra as we discussed a better way to create strengths-based organizations. Although this concept has been around for more than a decade, most organizations have “false-started” on it. We explored why these “false starts” have

Networking: The Path To Becoming A Brand Ambassador

How many networking events do you participate in monthly? One? More than five? Do you loathe and avoid networking events? Or do you love meeting new people and building exciting new relationships? Are they online or IRL (In Real Life)? Many people I talk to are terrified of networking. Typical formal events are held after-hours, when they’re feeling tired and a bit beat up by the day’s work. Meeting with people with whom they have flimsy connections, often in a noisy bar with cheap wine and flat beer, is an act of will some people simply can’t or will not manage.

Stay up-to-date with HR, tech and the future of work. Get our weekly newsletter!

Meghan M. Biro

Meghan M. Biro

#WorkTrends Preview: Maintaining Productivity in a Distracting Work Environment

#WorkTrends Recap: Transforming Businesses into Digital Dragons

Talent Analytics: A Crystal Ball For Your Workforce?

HR Leadership: Proving the Value of the Talent Function

Crowdsourced Technology Is Putting Workplace Leaders And H.R. In The Driver’s Seat

The Onboarding Experience Matters To Your Future Employees

How To Succeed At Real-Time Talent Alignment

#WorkTrends Preview: Transforming Businesses into Dragons

People Analytics: Tapping into a Powerful Resource

#WorkTrends Recap: Negotiation 101: Never Split The Difference

It Takes Talent To Become A Top Recruiter

4 Ways To Be A More Resilient Leader

Your Employer Brand Owns The Candidate Experience

#WorkTrends Preview: Negotiation 101: Never Split The Difference

#WorkTrends Recap: Modern Compensation: Putting People First

Create A Vocabulary That Inspires Employee Engagement

5 Ways To Reinvent Your Recruiting Strategy

Employee Engagement Is A Leadership Commitment

Recognize, Reward And Engage Your Multi-Generational Workforce

#WorkTrends Preview: Modern Compensation: Putting People First

#WorkTrends Recap: Building Strength-Based Organizations

Quick Links

Topics

Newsletter Signup

Meghan M. Biro

Meghan M. Biro

Subscribing to Ho-Hum Newsletters? We have the fix!