Posts

Suzanne D. Williams

The Ever-Evolving Role of Human Resources Management

Those responsible for human resources management have always found themselves in a precarious position. After all, HR pros often deal with a trust deficit on either side of the bridge they span. From one side, senior management feels HR practitioners lean too much towards employees. From the other, employees often blame HR leaders for taking the side of “management.”

A problematic situation, indeed. And one complicated by the almost unannounced pandemic that has arrived much like an uninvited, overbearing guest.

With the potentially long-term impact on our workplaces, Human Resources Management will need to evolve. We must redesign the theories and practices of the 21st century to suit the new demands.

So, where does one start?

First, we must realize that moving forward, organizations will take the form of dispersed networks rather than formal structures. Leadership and HR teams will facilitate collaboration between individuals and teams separated by distances, time zones and cultures. A significant portion of these may be folks who come on board for specific projects. Once they accomplish team goals, those people will move onto their next gig. In fact, Gartner’s 9 Future Trends of Work Report estimates 32% of organizations are replacing full-time employees with contingent workers as a cost-saving measure already.

Given this fundamental reality, the approach of human resources management will need to transform in a manner never seen before.

Let us see what the key salient features of this new approach to HR management would look like.

Guiding, not Driving

For far too long, the HR function has been a gatekeeper of the organisation’s culture. They have also been very directly associated with driving policy adherence. No doubt, this is required to create a unified operating methodology. However, it also often leads to restrictive practices that limit creativity and experimentation.

In the current times, employees are juggling more than work. In many cases, they are dealing with multiple challenges such as pay cuts, health matters of close family members, online study requirements of their children, and the like. This means HR managers and leaders need to play the role of guides and mentors during their operations. They must help employees perform in their new environments with a ‘silken glove’ approach.

Empowering, not Policing

With policies and practices, comes policing. It is this compliance mindset that has become the silver bullet in every HR practitioner’s arsenal.

We have forgotten, perhaps, that humankind’s most successful creations have come from individuals who are self-motivated to build a better future. Instead, many in the HR field have attempted to create an environment closeted by rigid boundaries. In fact, today’s automated reporting means there is no shortage of data when it comes to tracking employees.

However, as many ‘pundits’ have shared over the ages, nothing works better than enabling and empowering employees to take charge and work responsibly.

In any case, as we have witnessed in the ‘Work-From-Anywhere’ environment, much of the tracking falls apart due to lack of last mile ‘surveillance’. Hence, the mantra really has to be about moving power into the hands of the employees. With, of course, the right amount of coaching to ensure that they put the organisation’s interest at the top, in all matters under their purview.

Counseling, not Judging

The sudden move to a remote working arrangement did thrill some hearts in the initial stages of the COVID-induced lockdowns experienced in many parts of the world. The euphoria was very short-lived, though.

Surveys, including one by Kincentric, a Spencer Stuart company, showcase that the life altering pandemic has impacted the wellness of employees at many levels. Given this realization, HR fraternity members will have to simultaneously don the hat of confidants and counsellors. While supporting their colleagues, however, they will need to be appropriately empathetic towards them. As they stretch to extend a helping hand (or shoulder) to them, HR practitioners will have to ensure that they adopt a very mature approach. This will be especially true when it comes to balancing the needs of the organization with those of its employees.

Human Resources Management in Transition

In summation, the HR community must realize the industrial era practices that evolved into the era of the services economy will no longer work for the digital, distributed age we live in now. In such an environment, an employee has maximum touch-time with managers, not HR. The quality of this interaction assumes greater significance given that much of this interaction is remote and bereft of social connection, quite unlike the past.

Therefore, extending HR management beyond the HR function is the need of the hour.

This means HR professionals must enable all managers in the organization to own the HR agenda as well. This will require more of our workforce to be elevated with regards to their maturity and ability to handle people processes.

The optimum starting point for embarking on this journey is to stitch trust into the fabric of the organization and enable managers and employees to have faith in each other. It is only then, that the foundation of our organizations will be built on solid bedrock. Only then will be in a better position to survive the kind of shock we are now facing.

It is now up to human resources management professionals to rise up to the challenge!

 

The Benefits of Professional Development — “In Real Life”

While technology has expanded the ways and means through which HR professionals can continue their education, the most rewarding and valuable professional development experiences always occur in real life.

On June 19, more than 15,000 attendees will converge on the Walter E. Washington Convention Center for four days of learning, sharing and networking at the SHRM 2016 Annual Conference & Exposition.

Conference attendance for HR professionals is a key component of professional development. With the workforce and workplace changing so rapidly, having frequent opportunities to gain knowledge about the latest trends, technology and best practices are critical for career growth and success.

The SHRM Annual Conference & Exposition is a kind of marketplace, jam-packed with sessions and solutions for every issue that HR is facing in the new world of work. Whether it’s mobile recruiting, global cross-cultural competency, workplace wellness or tracking employee classification for the new DOL overtime regulations, #SHRM16 will deliver the most up-to-date information in an environment where HR professionals can share with—and learn from—their peers, and create valuable connections that will last throughout their careers.

There are many reasons why annual conference attendance lands on every HR professional’s annual check list, however, the three most frequently cited are:

  1. Career growth and success: With the world of work changing so rapidly, conference attendance keeps HR professionals current on all of the latest technology, trends and public policy issues, and is critical for job success and career growth.
  2. Recertification: The ability to demonstrate competency in the HR profession is now a must, and a SHRM Certification is the way to do this. Conference attendance affords busy HR professionals an annual opportunity to accumulate educational credits to maintain their certifications.
  3. Networking:The networking that occurs with other HR professionals is priceless. Conference attendance provides an occasion for HR professionals to share ideas and learn from the experiences of their peers. It also provides an opportunity to meet IRL (in real life) the social media connections that are created throughout the year. The sharing of information and the creation of friendships that will last a lifetime are invaluable benefits.

On June 15, at 1 p.m. ET, SHRM SVP of Knowledge Development Alex Alonso and SHRM VP of Membership Elissa O’Brien will chat with Meghan M. Biro during a #WorkTrends special segment that will focus on the personal and professional benefits of conference attendance.

We hope you will join the conversation to learn why your return on investment for conference attendance has never been greater.

Photo Credit: Bob_Gali via Compfight cc

Some of My Best Friends are in HR, Back Off: #TChat Recap

It’s as if HR became a simultaneous cliche and pariah that’s at least earned a seat at the kiddie table. Like geeks that keep stuff glued together and in working order so the company doesn’t get sued or lose too many good employees or has to lose employees the right way because of a downsizing.

But hey, those are my friends you’re talking about, those fine people in human resources and talent management, so back off.

About 150 of them will be gathered in Atlanta for HRevolution — the progressive people management event for human resources professionals, recruiters, and business leaders to come together and talk about the problems facing businesses today.

“This is where thought leadership and action meet. The format for HRevolution encourages interaction and every participant has the opportunity share ideas and opinions in an open manner.”

I can’t wait to go!

But if someone says “seat at the table” one more time, I’m gonna blow. I’ve talked with many HR practitioners of late who are part of their company’s executive business strategy, but unfortunately the dissing “buzz” of disservice continues. The good news is that smart CEOs who want growth have strong talent management, which means they have smart people management who understand the business, what drives growth and how to keep the workforce in order to get there.

Hey, maintaining and retaining the workforce in a complex global business world ain’t easy, but it’s being done. We’re also still on the front end of mainstream with technology, but exciting consumer-focused collaborative software abounds for HR/recruiting — and is getting better. This includes all things social, mobile, collaborative, cloud computing and analytics all baked into HR technology for the way we work today and the way we maintain the workforce. The drive to better manage across all lines of business is critical. Vacuum management silos will atrophy the business unless they’re collaborative and interconnected.

Human resources and workforce management is maturing and businesses along with it. Remember, front end of mainstream, but the next 5-10 years I believe will be amazing.

As Matt Charney so eloquently wrote in the #TChat pre-cap:

“While HR professionals are rarely understood, the truth of the matter is, they’re also not fully appreciated for doing the mission critical work they do.  It’s not an easy job, but it’s an important one, and one that touches the lives of every employee, every day. That goes for you, too.”

And you, and you, and you…

A seat at the table is poop (Thank you, Kimberly Roden). Now, get back to work. See some of you at #HRevolution this weekend.

Here were last night’s #TChat questions:

  • Q1: Employees: What does HR need to do differently to be an effective people manager and business partner?
  • Q2: HR Pros: What can employees do differently to be a better business partner and collaborator with HR?
  • Q3: Is HR finally seen as a strategic executive partner in business today?  Why or why not?
  • Q4: In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge facing HR today?  How can it be overcome?
  • Q5: How is technology today improving the HR and talent acquisition functions?
  • Q6: Is education and intellect enough to be a great people manager? What about emotional intelligence?
  • Q7: What’s your biggest HR pet peeve? What about your biggest HR thrill?

Thank you again everyone for joining us!

Only Time Will Tell Post-Interview: #TChat Recap

Ah, the job interview. The all-important transaction between job candidate and potential employer. You’ve screened out and assessed in the most qualified top tier of applicants. Maybe out of 10 total, or maybe out of 10,000. Whatever the math, you’re both ready to sit and talk for the first time.

You invite the job applicant into your office, and after a little small talk, one of the first things the applicant asks is:

“So, what are the benefits you offer? I’ve got a wife and three kids, you know.”

Or maybe the interviews starts off on the other foot, in your mouth:

“Thanks for coming in today. We’re very interested in you for this job. Very interested. Wow — did anyone ever tell you how gorgeous you are?”

Or maybe the interviewee comes prepared and asks questions like:

“How do you see this position collaborating with product marketing to drive B2B channel growth?”

Okay, maybe all of these are a little contrived, but believe it or not they’re all not too far from the truth of what I’ve experienced. (No, I wasn’t the guy who told the candidate how gorgeous she was. I mean, she was, but that’s not the point.)

And no matter how good we get as the hiring entities and interviewers, no matter the intricate behavioral technique or casual and personable style, no matter how prepared the candidates are, we’re only human, and we do our best to ask the questions and answer them fully and read between the lines…

To trust our gut. Very scientific, you know. For example, I remember back in the day when I did source and recruit software developers for sourcing and recruiting’s sake, and not just on TV. Here’s how it went after an initial phone interview screening and then presenting the candidates to the hiring managers:

Recruiter: This candidate is great. You should interview her.

Hiring Manager: Try again.

Recruiter: Why?

Hiring Manager: I don’t know. Just try again.

*sigh*

You say po-tay-to and I say po-tah-to. Right?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: every recruiting technology that I’ve ever seen has always been about getting to the short list of qualified applicants more quickly, accurately and efficiently. But interviewing and hiring remain highly subjective, sometimes messy human endeavors.

In fact, interviewing and reference checking are the last recruiting activities to innovate, but innovate they are. Interview management platforms form the likes of HireVue, ZuzuHire, GreenJobInterview and many others now allow for combinations of live 2-way video streaming and/or 1-way video recordings with embedded assessment/screening questions and are giving companies exciting new ways to interview from afar while saving tons of money. Yes, tons.

The final interviewing stages prior to hiring are critical, with emotional connectivity being of the utmost importance in my playbook, to go from acquisition to retention. The best advice I was ever given on both sides of the hiring equation is to come well prepared for the interview, so you can be yourself and sell yourself as yourself (and your firm). Because what’s more important to assess in an interview: skills, grit or culture fit? What about emotional intelligence? You know me — I’m all about being a self-aware, emotionally focused decision maker (with a lil’ passion sprinkled in). Queue the EQ music…

However, don’t forget that folks can prep for tests and interviews, and only time will tell if they make the gritty fit. How can we get better at the know of fit?

That is the million dollar question that’s way above my pay grade. Thankfully there were folks much smarter than me participating last night.

Here’s our current reach and here are the questions from last night:

  • Q1: What are some of the ways in which interviews have changed the most for job seekers?  For employers?
  • Q2: What strategies can candidates use to influence the outcome of an interview before or after the interview itself?
  • Q3: What’s more important to assess in an interview: skills, grit or culture fit? Why? What about Emotional Intelligence?
  • Q4: How do interviewing best practices change for an interview with HR/recruiting vs. hiring manager?
  • Q5: What can candidates do in an interview to better assess the company/opportunity as well?
  • Q6: What’s the most valuable piece of interview advice you’ve ever been given?
  • Q7: How can technology help companies and candidates improve their interview and selection process?

Thank you for joining us last night! And a special thanks to Meghan M. Biro for moderating and Matt Charney and Monster Thinking for the pre-cap post.

#TChat Next Week – Trench HR: Trends on the Front Lines from HRevolution coming April 29-30. Join us!

The Psychology & Influence of Interviews: #TChat Preview

Originally posted by Matt Charneyone of #TChat’s moderators, on MonsterThinking Blog

The more the candidate sourcing and selection process changes, with the vast evolutions in the tools and technologies employers use to find and engage talent, the more the interview process, the most integral and involved component of the hiring process, stays the same.

This is too bad, really, considering the crucial role interviews play in talent selection. No hiring manager’s ever made a decision based on a cleverly sourced candidate. They care about whether or not this potential new coworker is going to get along, help the team, and be the kind of person they want to spend the majority of their waking life with.

By the time you get to an interview, generally, you’ve ostensibly got the skills on paper to play the part. But obviously, a resume doesn’t tell the entire story, and if it did, this whole recruiting thing would be a whole lot easier. After all, the best candidate isn’t always the most qualified. An interview’s not about asking questions; it’s about finding fit.

And while recruitment has progressed from the transactional back offices of “Personnel” to the strategic front lines of talent acquisition, while social media proliferates and job seekers become increasingly savvy, interviewing looks a lot like it always has: questions, answers, and a lot of reading between the lines.

This week’s #TChat, “The Psychology and Influence of Interviews,” will explore the implications of technology, the economy and the constantly changing tides of talent supply and demand on interviewing best practices on both sides of the table.

The Psychology and Influence of Interviews: #TChat Questions and Recommended Reading (04.19.11)

Join us on Twitter for #TChat tonight at 8:00 ET/5:00 PT as employers, recruiters, job seekers and thought leaders weigh in on what it takes to stand out from the competition and transform an interview into an offer in today’s job market.

Here are the questions we’ll be covering, along with some recommended reading to help inform, and inspire, your participation in the #TChat conversation.  But don’t worry.  We’re not judging you on your answers.  We’ll leave that to the professionals.

Q1: What are some of the ways in which interviews have changed the most for job seekers?  For employers?

Read: Job Interview: Tips for the Virtual Interview by Charles Purdy

Q2: What strategies can candidates use to influence the outcome of an interview before or after the interview itself?

Read: Closing the Deal: Interviews as Infiuential Sales Presentations by Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter

Q3: What’s more important to assess in an interview: skills, grit or culture fit? Why? What about Emotional Intelligence?

Read: The Job Interview Culture Checklist: 7 Steps to Evaluate In Your Next Job Interview by Hank Stringer

Q4: How do interviewing best practices change for an interview with HR/recruiting vs. hiring manager?

Read: Advice for Tackling The Different Types of Interviews – by Monster.com Career Experts

Q5: What can candidates do in an interview to better assess the company/opportunity as well?

Read: Own The Interview: 10 Questions To Ask by Larry Buhl

Q6: What’s the most valuable piece of interview advice you’ve ever been given?

Read: The Best Piece of Interview Advice You’ll Ever Read by Lance Haun

Q7: How can technology help companies and candidates improve their interview and selection process?

Read: Benefits of Video Interviews and How To Make Your Video Better by Rusty Reuff

Visit www.talentculture.com for more great information on #TChat and resources on culture fatigue and how to overcome it!

Our Monster social media team supports the effort behind #TChat and its mission of sharing “ideas to help your business and your career accelerate – the right people, the right ideas, at the right time.”

We’ll be joining the conversation live every Tuesday night as co-hosts with Kevin Grossman and Meghan M. Biro from 8-9 PM E.T. via @monster_works and @MonsterWW. Hope to see you tonight at 8 PM ET for #TChat!

Employment Triad Equates to Acknowledgement & Closure. #TChat Recap

The job transaction is a triad. There is applicant, candidate and employer.

During last night’s #TChat Employer Black Holes and the Candidate Experience, it was question #4 that differentiated and clarified things for me:

Q4: Should the candidate experience apply to applicants?  When does an applicant become a ‘candidate?’

The answer to that is when you’re qualified and you make the “short list.”  Because until that point you’re not qualified, and in today’s market, there’s a lot more of you out there looking for work who aren’t.

Even with the volume of career applicants today, there’s a lot that be done to “humanize” the process and at the very least auto-acknowledge folks thanking them for applying to your job openings.

So I’ll repeat some of what I shared in my post the other day – The Employer/Applicant Transaction: Acknowledgement and Closure.

There’s only one job per multiple applicants/candidates, so what has their experience been with American corporations and SMB and startups alike?

Overall, pretty poorly. I mean, it’s not news to know how poor the applicant/candidate experience is and has been for a long, long time.

Businesses do owe applicants and candidates at least two things regardless of the position level being applied for. That’s it. Two things that I’ve done as an employer over the years:

  1. Acknowledgement – simply that you’ve applied and we acknowledge that. Thank you.

  2. Closure – simply that you are or are not qualified for the position, that you are or are not getting the job, there are or are not other opportunities with us, and we acknowledge all these things in a consistent and timely manner. Thank you.

There were a lot of other nicer sentiments for how employers should treat their applicants/candidates, but it’s still simply these two things.  And you sure better do it with your short list of candidates regardless of industry or position. It’s best practice for your workplace culture brand.

You can read the transcript from last night here, and these were the questions posed to everyone:

  • Q1: Is the applicant ‘black hole’ experience real when applying for a job?  If so, why does it exist?
  • Q2: How does candidate/applicant experience impact employment brand or company culture?
  • Q3: At a minimum, what should job seekers expect from employers to which they apply?
  • Q4: Should the candidate experience apply to applicants?  When does an applicant become a ‘candidate?’
  • Q5: What are some creative ways job seekers can get through the black hole or recruiters can handle the applicant tsunami?
  • Q6: Job seekers: What has your candidate experience been like during your most recent job hunt?
  • Q7: Employers: what are you doing to improve candidate experience?
Thank you everyone for joining us last night!  A special thanks to Matt Charney for helping me steer the ship.
We’ll see you next week where our topic will be:
Managing virtual teams and dispersed global organizations while maintaining workplace culture.  Is it possible?

Employer Black Holes & the Candidate Experience: #TChat Preview

Originally posted by Matt Charneyone of #TChat’s moderators, on MonsterThinking Blog

With the way employers and job seekers alike refer to the “black hole” of online job search, you’d think it’s some sort of industry wide conspiracy, given its endemic proportions.

The candidate experience, writes #TChat co-host Kevin Grossman, is almost always negative or non-existent, regardless of the job title, function or level:

There’s only one job per multiple candidates, so what has their experience been with American corporations and SMB and startups alike?

Overall, pretty crappy. I mean, it’s not news to know how poor the applicant experience is and has been for a long, long time.

Case in point — I recently went through a fairly high-level job search with a well-known firm in the HR marketplace. Considering that they should know better the best practices of recruiting and hiring, I was left with inconsistent acknowledgement and no closure. Still. Even thought I didn’t get the job, of which the other primary candidate definitely had the edge on me, I was led to believe that there were other opportunities.

And then nothing. Crickets chirping in the night.”

Grossman’s experience, and frustration, echoes the experience of countless others, but he points to two of the almost universal expectations candidates have when applying for a position: acknowledgment and closure.

These are pretty reasonable demands, and the fact that most employers aren’t meeting even this basic baseline defies reasonable explanation.  The truth is, employers have gotten pretty good about the acknowledgment part; most applicant tracking systems have been programmed to automatically e-mail a confirmation directly to the job seeker for their records, and it’s sent out the moment they apply to an open requisition.

It’s the closure part organizations seem to be having problems with, to the frustration of candidates and to the detriment of their employment and consumer brands alike.  But the thing is, it’s just as easy to notify applicants that they haven’t been selected via e-mail, instantaneously, as it is to notify them when their application is received.

But no one likes to be the bearer of bad news, least of all recruiters.  Most seem to feel that letting people know they’re no longer under consideration opens a door that they’re trying to close, and that, in effect, no news is good news.  But it’s not.

In fact, for employers and job seekers alike, it’s very bad news indeed.  At Monster, we’re committed to advancing the conversation, and searching for the solution, for an improved candidate experience and to help employers transform the “black hole” into a brand-building talent pipeline.

That’s why we’re excited to be participating in tonight’s #TChat, Workplace Culture Branding – Employer Black Holes and the Candidate Experience. Join @kevinwgrossman @meghanmbiro and @talentculture at 8 PM ET tonight as we tackle this very important issue.

We might not come up with all the answers, but we hope these questions, and these related articles, help inform, inspire and impact your perspective on improving the candidate experience:

#TChat Questions and Recommended Reading: 2.15.11

Q1. Is the applicant ‘black hole’ experience real when applying for a job?  If so, why does it exist?

Read: Candidate Experience Isn’t About Pleasing Everyone by Claudia Faust

Q2. How does candidate/applicant experience impact employment brand or company culture?

Read: When Potential New Hires Are Searching for YOU by Emily Bennington

Q3: At a minimum, what should job seekers expect from employers to which they apply?

Read: Candidate Experience and Common Sense by Tim Sackett

Q4: What do employers owe to applicants?

Read: Candidate Experience: A Question of Values by Howard Adamsky

Q5: Should the candidate experience apply to applicants?  When does an applicant become a ‘candidate?’

Read: Candidate vs. Customer Experience by Gerry Crispin

Q6: What are some creative ways job seekers can get through the black hole or recruiters can handle the applicant tsunami?

Read: How to Get An Employer’s Attention in 20 Seconds by Jessica Holbrook Hernandez

Q7: Job seekers: What has your candidate experience been like during your most recent job hunt?

The Employment/Applicant Transaction: Acknowledgment and Closure by Kevin W. Grossman

Q8: Employers: what are you doing to improve candidate experience?

Read: Eliminate the Black Hole by Colin Kingsbury

Visit www.talentculture.com for more great information on #TChat and resources on culture fatigue and how to overcome it!

Our Monster social media team supports the effort behind #TChat and its mission of sharing “ideas to help your business and your career accelerate – the right people, the right ideas, at the right time.”

We’ll be joining the conversation live every Tuesday night as co-hosts with Kevin GrossmanMeghan M. Biro and Steve Levy from 8-9 PM E.T. via @monster_works and @MonsterWW.  Hope to see you tonight at 8 PM ET for #TChat!