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How Big Data Will Develop

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There is still much to look forward to in the way of technology in 2015. It’s explosive. It’s all encompassing. It’s big data.

Nearly every aspect of our lives are already touched by data in some way. The annoying emails in your inbox? Flyers for companies you’ve never been to in the mail? Job opportunities at organizations you’ve never heard of? These are all results of big data integration.

As business leaders, the big data space is only getting better and more organized to target candidates, clients and prospective customers more effectively through nimble platforms and streamlined practices. Here’s how you can expect to see big data develop through the remainder of the year.

You’re Only As Agile As Your Data Platform

Companies are beginning to trade in their massive hardware units for cloud-based data aggregation platforms. This is less costly and much easier for organizations to manage as they accrue more and deeper data. This agility facilitates decision-making, and as Andrew Sheridan said:

“[Business intelligence] and data visualization are becoming easier to use and more readily available. This will open up the opportunity for companies of all sizes to gain incredible insights from their data.”

He explains that this shift allows business leaders to ask why customers and candidates go to their pages. Rather than just a collection of information, as big data advances, in 2015 it’s beginning to transition to a true analysis of the information therein.

Personalization And Integration Become Key

The plethora of information available can be overwhelming. Quite frankly, much of it might be irrelevant to the data you truly need to see. That’s why this year will include personalization of the data you pull. Why is this pertinent information? Because with the massive amount of data it becomes more difficult and time consuming to find the numbers you need for the decisions you’re looking to make.

It’s Not All Hype

Despite the number of articles and blogs about the seemingly unending exposure of big data in the workplace, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. It’s not just a marketing ploy, it’s a real effort to help businesses make more educated decisions. Organizations have seen the benefits of big data, as 73% of them have either already invested or plan to invest in a platform in the next two years.

It Will Streamline Business Practices

Granted, companies already use big data to change business practices and have made an impact on the way we make business decisions. But with the integration into the recruitment departments, big data has become more than just a medium to track and file information. It gives business leaders the capability to educated choices based on the actionable information provided by the data platforms. Doug Laney, VP Distinguished Analyst at Gartner Inc., said:

“Customers, employees and citizens will become engaged principally through digital means. With operational processes quickly becoming digitalized, traditional analog and manual processes will be automated, including both physical and human elements. Many, if not most, decisions will be algorithmic, based on automated judgement.”

Big data isn’t just hype, although with all of the information and the two cents from hundreds of thought leaders would tell you otherwise. It has trends within itself, so how then, could it be a trend? It has become an important part of a robust business model, and as the platforms and options for big data aggregation expand, so do the possibilities. Cloud integration increases agility so business leaders can make their educated decisions more easily, and it streamlines various business practices.

These are just some of the trends happening in the world of big data within the remainder of the year; just imagine how much simpler complicated business practices will become as we develop further into the industry.

 

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Checking References And Getting The Info You Need

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For those of us in HR, the process of checking references on candidates is ingrained. We call, ask a few questions to verify dates and title, ask if the candidate is eligible for rehire, and, if we are lucky, we get some details about what type of employee the candidate was. In some ways the process is cursory and merely a way to show that we did our best to ensure we were not hiring a psychopath. Even though such an approach fulfills basic hiring practices, it does not always provide a useful tool for making a good decision about a a candidate.

In a time when many companies give out little more than an employment verification, it can be extra challenging to get a useful references. So, how can you improve your reference checks to get you the information you need to make a good hiring decision?

Just The Facts, Ma’am

There is an HR guideline out there that says that a best practice is to provide only basic information (e.g. dates of employment, last title held) when a potential employer calls to check on a former employee. The thought is that giving only objective information will minimize the risk of a former employee claiming defamation of character. For the reference checker, this unfortunately means that it may be difficult to get enough information about a candidate’s work history to make a good hiring decision.

If a company is being particularly tight-lipped about a former employee, try asking if the person is eligible for rehire. A simple yes or no can give you good information. Follow up by asking, “Why?” Although you may be speaking to someone who will be strict about answering this question, it does not hurt to ask to go beyond the basic facts.

It can be useful to have a section on the job application where the candidate gives you permission to check references. Sometimes a former employer will be more likely to speak freely if they have such a signed statement from the candidate. Former managers may also be more likely to speak if you assure them that their reference will be kept confidential from the candidate.

Rely on your network for references as well. It may be a challenge to go through formal company channels to get a detailed references, but people may be willing to speak more casually about a former employee when you do not take traditional routes. It can also be useful to have candidates provide a direct number to reach their reference. If you call someone on their personal number, they may feel more comfortable speaking freely than they would be through company channels.

Getting More Than Just Dates And Title

Verifying employment history can be an indication of whether or not someone is honest. If the candidate’s work history does not match up with the information from former employers, there could be other problems with what the candidate has told you about their skills and qualifications.

But often we need to go beyond a list of dates and titles. To get more information, treat the reference call similar to an interview. Ask open ended questions. Rather than asking if someone was good at customer service, ask, “How was this candidate when it came to customer service?” Follow up by asking for examples of how their customer service was good.

To Speak Or Not To Speak

When it comes to providing references on your former employees, consider giving out more information than just the basic facts—especially when it comes to good employees. Restrictive reference policies can sometimes hurt good employees because potential employers may have a hard time verifying what appears to be a glowing work history.

Make the decision that works best for your company when it comes to deciding what type of reference policy to create. Consider providing a few well documented and supported points about a former employee. When providing references for former employees applying to businesses you work closely with, be helpful by giving them enough information to make a good decision. Doing so will increase the chances they will be generous the next time you call to check a reference.

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Three Ways To Distinguish A Killer Culture

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Workplace culture is everything. It’s how work gets accomplished (or avoided); it encompasses the systems, processes and decision-making space to work effectively and efficiently; and incorporates the values, beliefs and behaviors exemplified (or not) by leaders–and by “leaders” I am referring to yesterday’s new hire up through the CEO.

Without the right workplace culture, you’re misaligned. There’s emptiness inside your heart; a hollow feeling of belonging because it isn’t getting the attention it needs. Without the right culture your craving to optimize your potential is thwarted and you become less of who you want to be.

After spending 13 years in the SEAL Teams, there was a lot I learned about organizational culture – good and bad – that is transferable no matter what industry you work in. The principles for success are the same no matter what job or market to which you dedicate yourself. The only difference is the tools you use. Here’s what I mean.

There’s a simple formula to ensure your culture is “right:” have the right people; make sure those people have the right tools; ensure those people keep having the right tools. It’s that simple. Below is a more thorough explanation of these three simple ways you can ensure you build a killer culture:

Hire for character. Values, personality, habits. Nobody wants to work with a social hand grenade – those toxic personalities that make you question why anybody would ever choose to be friends with that person since they do everything unimaginable to repel a conversation rather than build one.

When you hire for character, start by taking a lesson from Ernest Shackleton. If you don’t know who this unsung leader is, Shackleton wanted to be the first person to trek across Antarctica (why anybody would want to do this is beyond me). He knew that the upcoming voyage would entail hardship to say the least, so he needed a certain kind of person. To ensure he didn’t waste any time in the hiring process, his “pitch” for attracting talent looked like this:

Men Wanted: for hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constand danger, safe return doubtful, honor and recognition in case of success.

While the epic display of leadership by Ernest Shackleton was certainly a deciding factor in his crew’s survival, but the crew itself—and specifically, the types of people they were—was the other deciding factor. The lesson: Brand the right message that attracts the right people.

Train For Competence

Once the seeds of character are planted (and onboard), it’s time to define what success looks like and build the competencies to achieve it. Modeling, excel templates, and the “art” of delivering feedback can all be learned; honesty, integrity, and the willingness to have difficult conversations for sake of bettering the company aren’t as easy.

I’m going to go way outside my Navy lineage and cite Delta Force (yes, the secret squirrel Delta Force led by Chuck Norris–that’s a joke) as the shining example here. Once candidates pass the physical selection process, they begin training on the technical aspects of commando-ism. In other words, Delta ensures that it has the right character and the right fit before it invests time and money into training their soldiers to be all they can be. The result? The second most effective counterterrorism unit known to man (please forgive my Navy bias).

Coach For Performance

Everybody needs a little realignment once in a while. When you have a competent, motivated person who is both able and willing to execute daily tasks (and I mean that not in the commando sense), the only limiting factor is the information he or she receives to stay on track. In other words, as long as meeting updates, agendas, objectives, roles, and responsibilities are clear, opportunity for growth abounds.

Of course, this is life, and I’m well aware that sometimes “the memo” fails to get passed. When this happens it causes frustration, animosity, even jealousy between those who received the memo and those who didn’t.

To mitigate the potential of an emotional time-bomb erupting, use coaching to increase people’s self-awareness. After all, can you think of anybody who couldn’t benefit from learning more about how their behaviors impact others? Didn’t think so.

The goal of coaching for performance is to align individual behaviors with organizational goals. If there’s a discrepancy, the question becomes, “why?”

Culture is everything. A strong workplace culture will attain, retain, and train its people to the extent that it believes in the power of human capital. How will you grow?

Image: Big Stock Images

How To Convert More Candidates Using Psychology

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In today’s hyper-competitive recruitment market, the secret to convincing great talent to apply is often as simple as understanding exactly what they want (and expect) from your company.

Unfortunately, we’re too busy to get to know all candidates personally. So, what do we do? Well how about a secret weapon? Try to convert candidates using psychology.

Developing a basic understanding of the subtleties of the human mind can give you a major headstart in the hiring process. Our brains often react in the same way to certain impulses, so there is plenty of scope for finding creative ways to (ethically) encourage candidates to apply.

Be Honest And Transparent

How far should you show candidates the ‘real you’? Should you try and cover up your company’s shortcomings or should you completely open the kimono?

Nowadays, work is no longer a 9 to 5 deal. It plays a major role in all of our lives, and candidates want to understand what they’re getting themselves into. The want to be sure that they’re going to relate to the environment that they’re going to have to spend 8+ hours a day in.

It’s an exercise in trust. If you lie to applicants about your company then you’re asking for bad reviews on Glassdoor and high turnover rates. Tell them the truth however, and you’re far more likely to end up with committed, motivated employees.

So Does That Mean You Should Show Your Shortcomings?

We’re typically hardwired to cover up our weaknesses, but research from social psychologist Fiona Lee suggests that admitting our shortcomings could actually be a great way to draw attention to our company’s strengths!

How Does This Relate To Hiring?

You’re unlikely to be showcasing your company’s financials to candidates, but being honest about your organisation and the responsibilities that applicants will face in their new role, (even if it’s not all good news), will help inspire trust and confidence in your hiring process.

Break Through Action Paralysis

The way you write your job ads might be more important than you think!

We are beginning to become a little more engaging with the way we write job copy, but there might be a few tricks we can use to make candidates more amenable to clicking ‘apply’ – conversion rates are low because so few people are actually prepared to take action.

Research from Dr Robert Cialdini, Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University, has produced some interesting findings here. Cialdini found that minor copy changes make a huge difference to the way we act. He discovered that when minimal paremeters are set, people are far more likely to take action.

How Does This Relate To Hiring?

This study has the potential to dramatically improve the way we ‘sell’ our application process to candidates. Why not break through the standard human aversion to taking action by clearly stating how long your application will take.

We would all be much more inclined to take a ‘simple, 10-minute application’ than one which we have no information on – it’s not rocket science.

Give Candidates Instant Gratification

We live in an ‘on-demand society’ where everything is just the click of a smartphone button away – it’s no wonder that we’re attracted to anything that offers us instant gratification. How do we harness this?

Effective careers page copy should remind candidates of potential rewards at every turn. Words like ‘instant‘, ‘immediately‘ and ‘fast‘ have been proven to fire up our brain and get us excited. They may just be be the most persuasive words you can use so make sure you work them into your job adverts!

Make Sure Your Company Stands For Something

People are becoming increasingly concerned with a company’s core values (and whether they share them). In fact, recent research from CEB suggests that we’re loyal to what a company stands for, not the company itself!

With this in mind, it’s essential that we communicate clearly and regularly with candidates about our values. Make sure they’re easily available on your website, and a key part of your interviewing process.

You shouldn’t think of these tactics as ways to trick candidates into applying. Instead, rationalise them as good ways to make your company stand out a little more. With the recruitment market as competitive as it is nowadays, we all need all the help we can get to separate from competitors and attract top talent. Trying to convert candidates using psychology could give you an edge!

This post originally appeared on the Seed Blog

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Don’t Let Bad Reviews Get You Down In The Dumps

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You can’t guarantee every employee is going to have a perfect experience with your company. Job dissatisfaction is bound to happen no matter how great the company culture and management team are. Bad reviews will happen and disengaged or unhappy employees will surface.

Unfortunately, according to research conducted by recruiting technology comparison agency Software Advice, 50% of job seekers look online for reviews when they research companies to work for, so it’s inevitable they will come across a bad one.

In the case there are bad reviews of your company, don’t let this distract from the positive ones. Instead, use these 4 effective ways to ensure quality employer branding to prevent (and respond to) poor reviews.

1. Awareness Baseline

Instead of shoving the bad reviews into a corner and acting like they don’t exist, acknowledge these weaknesses and turn them into strengths. One way to do this is by creating a strong website as a counteractive response to the reviews. Answer your reviews in a professional and courteous manner. 

If you’ve never checked the reviews on your company online, it would be wise to do so as this is the main line of reference for job seekers. Nine out of 10 job seekers are looking online for jobs, and the majority of the job hunting process is performed on the web. Create your positive and negative answers ahead of time so you go in prepared.

2. Responding To Candidates Who Inquire About Poor Reviews

Pretending like you’re unaware of the bad candidate reviews online is only going to make your recruiting team look unaware when an applicant notices or mentions your company reputation. Instead, tackle the problem head on by answering reviews as quickly as possible and encouraging those who have a good experience to record it online as well. 

If a candidate does bring it up, view it as a chance to show the candidate a bad review is something your company takes seriously. Show the impact both bad and good reviews can have on your company’s brand and culture.

You don’t have to be a psychologist to detect a fib. In fact, 54% of the time people are likely to detect or suspect a lie. Therefore, practicing transparency is your best method. This includes: framing the review in context, showing steps the company is taking to fix it, and ensuring that every review is responded to online in a timely manner. 

3. Creating A  Consistent Online Brand

Before you meet with a candidate, they’ve read your website. Online is where your company should begin practicing those consistent messages they wish to send to all audiences, including candidates. The more information on your site, the more prepared and informed candidates will be about the company. 

In addition to showing off your culture and teams hard at work, explain what you do and how you do it. Work hard to get your online reviews high enough that they can be a bragging point instead of a source of embarrassment. If you use social to recruit or market, chances are candidates will be looking at these channels as well, so make friends with your marketing department to get an idea of how they deal with online complaints and reviews. Work as a team to create an overarching and consistent message.

4. Focus On Onboarding

Extend the company message past the website by making new hires feel welcome when they’ve made it through the front door! Recruiters and hiring managers should act as candidate advocates to ensure their welcome is smooth and stress-free (after all, you worked very hard to get this candidate in the door!) Anxieties about not having anyone to talk to or lacking a sense of direction, even not knowing where the bathroom is on the first day can create a discomforting first experience with a company. If left to chance, this can create the conditions for a crummy review. In fact, some companies find their reviews stem from being recruited aggressively and then left to fend for themselves once through the process.

Online reviews aren’t the end-all, be-all of your candidate experience or company culture, but they are increasingly important as the world of recruiting moves further online. Ensure that you monitor your online reputation, respond to reviews (both good and bad) immediately and politely, address recurring issues with managers and recruiters, encourage current employees to discuss good experiences and educate executives on how to make those reviews even better.

Image: pixabay.com

Are Your Recruiting Practices Scaring Good Candidates Away?

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Have you ever posted an opening and received very little response from job seekers? It has happened to most of us who work in HR and recruiting. We often sit and lament the fact that there are no more good candidates, but sometimes the issue is with our recruiting and hiring process rather than the candidate pool. Here are some tips for improving your process, so you can attract the right candidates.

Confusing Application Process

Whether you are posting on your company site or on a job site, you want to make a good impression. Start with a clear and easy-to-understand description of the job. I have seen a lot of postings that are simply the job description. Online attention spans can be short, so avoid uploading the job description and write a concise posting. Have a few sentences describing the job and some bullet points that highlight the minimum requirements. Include a sentence or two about the perks of working for your company. Proofread your posting to fix any typos or errors that could make a bad impression. You can link to the job description, but it should not be the thing that initially draws candidates in.

Explain how to apply, and detail what application materials you want from a candidate (e.g. application, resume, references), and state how you want to receive those items. Include the link if you have an online application, and do not forget an email address if job seekers need to send a resume in that way.

Jumping Through Hoops of Fire

Difficult application processes can scare good candidates away. Take a moment to list everything a candidate must do to go through the hiring process at your company. Start with the application. I had a professor in grad school who told me that I needed to “prune the dead words” from an essay I had handed in. She sent me away to scrutinize each sentence, and I ended up getting an A on the rewrite. Turn the same critical eye on your application and prune the dead sections.

Figure out what information you need to determine if a candidate is a good possibility and base your application on that. Job seekers often spend a lot of time filling out detailed applications for multiple employers. Consider a shorter pre-application with only the necessary information, and then have those you call for an interview provide more detailed information on a full application.

Next, look at any pre-employment tests. Are they necessary? Do they give you the information you need to decide if a candidate is a good fit? I had a former co-worker who recently told me she gave up on applying for a job after they sent her a two-hour personality profile that she needed to complete. The company lost out because she was a good employee when I worked with her. While a personality profile can be a good tool to help make a hiring decision, it is a lot to ask a candidate to put that much time into such a task before even getting a job offer from you. Explore less time consuming options to get the information you need.

Making a Bad Impression

I once worked for an HR Director who would storm out of her office when she was a bad mood and snap at whoever was nearby. On one particular day, our HR Assistant was her target, and she snapped at him for something minor while candidates sat in the waiting area by his desk. I stepped out of my office as this happened and saw the looks of shock on the candidates’ faces. It did not reflect well on us as a company when the first thing they saw was an employee getting yelled at.

Be aware of what your office looks like to a candidate. You want to show them that your company is a good place to work. If they see yelling and unhappy people, they are likely to go elsewhere.

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The No Fear Approach To Handling A Combative Employee

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As a new manager, you’re glad to have Chris on your team. He seems like an ideal employee: smart, experienced and gets things done. There’s just one problem. He disagrees with you and his co-workers at every turn. It’s to the point where the mere sound of his tread approaching your desk makes you cringe and wish you wore armor.

In meetings, he challenges your and others’ ideas and has been known to shout and pound the table. Citing his many years in the industry, he corrects you in front of your boss and during teleconferences with suppliers. Chris’s team mates complain that it’s his way or the highway. He’ll either argue with them until he wears them down or do what he wants anyway.

You’ve tried listening to him to see whether he’s raising valid issues that need to be addressed. Sometimes he does but often he argues against any action that doesn’t conform to his ideas of the “right and best” way to do things. The notion that another approach might be as good as or better than his never crosses his mind.

Chris’s aggression usually wins the day because no one wants to take him on. Team morale is low and one of your best workers is threatening to quit if you don’t do something about Chris.

You’ve thought about taking corrective action but Chris is one of the division’s top performers and your boss thinks highly of him.

The worst part is you’ve started to doubt your own competence in the face of Chris’s repeated barrages against new ideas. It feels personal like he’s questioning your ability to lead.
Despite the fact Chris meets functional performance objectives his behavior is reducing overall team effectiveness and productivity. Forget about creativity and innovation.

You know you have to do something but you’re nervous. Chances are he’s been getting away with his combative approach for years. What can you do differently that hasn’t been tried by your predecessors?

You can use your ‘newbie manager’ status to your advantage. Being new means people expect you to do things differently; they expect change. Capitalize on that. The key to building your confidence is a 3-step process: learn calming techniques, prepare and rehearse.

Know how to remain calm and firm.

Facing someone who is frequently argumentative and closed to other points of view is frustrating. It’s a natural inclination to become defensive. You either want to fight back or avoid the person altogether.

Avoidance is not an effective strategy in this case. As a manager, you have an obligation to try to do something about Chris’s inappropriate aggression. Inaction, as you’ve seen with regard to team morale and productivity is costly. Those costs translate into hard dollars—one estimate has it at over 350 billion dollars in paid hours (yes, with a ‘B’).

Arguing is not effective either. Argument has drama and energy. There’s an excitement to it that is infectious. If you decide to fight, it’s like getting on a hamster wheel—you go round and round with it. You get dizzy and less able to think clearly. Your emotional brain takes over and you’re likely to say things you might regret later. Not only don’t you address the problem, you help make it worse.

The good news is you can make things better because calm begets calm.

Practice calming yourself in any stressful situation and you’ll be able to handle Chris without fear.

Once they’re a habit, these steps only take a moment.

  1. In your mind’s eye, visualize a relaxing place—somewhere you feel at peace.
  2. Breathe slowly from your diaphragm.
  3. Tell intrusive and fearful thoughts, “Later.”
  4. Say, “Calm,” and repeat until you begin to feel it.

Follow these steps before you meet with Chris. Repeat them during your meeting as necessary or whenever you need to calm yourself. It’s perfectly acceptable to tell Chris (or anyone), “Give me a moment to think.”

Prepare your approach.

Now that you know how to calm yourself, prepare your game plan for how you’ll address Chris’s combative behavior. Don’t feel like you have to do this alone. Call your HR representative for advice and to make sure you’re following company protocols.

Develop clear behavioral goals. What do you want Chris to stop doing and what should he start doing? It is insufficient to tell someone to stop a behavior without suggesting a replacement for it. Identify no more than three related behaviors you want changed. For example, shouting, acting counter to a team decision, and correcting you and team mates in public.

You might say, “When you correct me in front of our suppliers during a conference call, you undermine not only me but also the reputation of our team. We appear unprofessional and unprepared. From now on, we will meet in advance of a call and agree on our position. I expect you to go along with it on the call. If you have a problem, take it offline with me.”

Write down specific examples and the negative impact of the behavior you want to change.
What happens when Chris shouts at team members? Why is it a problem when he acts counter to team agreements? What is the cost to Chris, to the team and to the organization as a whole?
Identify counter attacks to your examples.

Identify what Chris could say in response. He might insist that his experience trumps others opinions. He’ll likely point out his success on other performance indicators. He might become belligerent and start shouting at you. Expect and prepare for the fact that Chris will try to defend himself.

Prepare at least two strategies for handling defensive counter attacks.

Ask for help. Talk with an HR representative or, if you have access to one, a mediator to get suggestions. Include strategies for how to remain calm yet firm. Write down what you will say. Consider your tone of voice and physical posture. Develop a contingency plan if things don’t go as planned the first time out. Expect this to take more than one meeting.

Plan what you will do when (not if) Chris resorts to his old behaviors. You need intervention strategies to let him know those behaviors will no longer be tolerated. Don’t rely on your gut. Effective intervention is a skill set and you can learn it.

Rehearse your responses.

Now that you have a plan of action, rehearse it. Use your HR representative or a trusted peer colleague (but not your direct reports). At a minimum, rehearse it in your mind’s eye.
Mental rehearsal builds confidence. Action (and how you improve from lessons learned) cements it.

“When you choose to visualize the path that works, you’re more likely to shore it up and create an environment where it can take place.” — Seth Godin

Implement your plan.

It may not go perfectly the first time. That’s okay. Tweak your approach and keep working it. Your team will notice and appreciate your efforts. Eventually, Chris will realize you’re determined. If he attempts to change, acknowledge it.

Remember, you were promoted into management because someone believes in your abilities. You can do this.

(About the Author: Jagoda Perich-Anderson, M.A. is the founder of Conflict Tango whose mission is to help people reduce stress and increase confidence in conflict situations. She is the author of a FREE eBook with 26 ways to do just that: Conflict to Creativity from A to Z. Jagoda brings her passion and 20+ years of leadership development experience to teaching leaders how to combine creativity and conflict management skills to empower innovative solutions. Connect with Jagoda on LinkedIn or on Google + here.)

To discuss World of Work topics like this with the TalentCulture community, join our online #TChat Events each Wednesday, from 6:30-8pm ET. Everyone is welcome at events, or join our ongoing Twitter and G+ conversation anytime. Learn more…

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The Death of Traditional Talent Management

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by Jeff Carr, President and CEO, PeopleFluent

As organizations increasingly grasp the true value of their workforce and view employees as important business assets rather than cogs in a wheel, conversations in boardrooms across the globe are focusing on talent acquisition, management and retention. Organizations are starting to ask questions about their workforce, such as: How can I develop an actively engaged workforce that performs above the norm? How can I find the right talent for open positions and predict if they will become disenchanted or unhappy and will begin to think about leaving? How can I connect my talent initiatives and investments to tangible business results?

PeopleFluent-Launch-Logo-trans

What should be obvious to anyone with an HR pedigree is that traditional talent management practices are the solution of a bygone age – they are far too often obsolete and irrelevant. But with an astonishing 70 percent of the typical U.S. workforce disengaged[1], where do businesses go from here?

Our goal? Design a next-generation Talent Management system for the person, not the HR process. We want to transform day-to-day talent management processes into highly configurable and collaborative engagement experiences infused with social, video, and analytic capabilities. This is the future of talent management.The answer is to tailor and configure talent management to each employee, treating them as individuals. This radical idea was validated when we spoke to over 5,000 talent executives, and led us to develop the new PeopleFluent MirrorTM, which we invite you to discover during this week’s launch.

At PeopleFluent, we work with thousands of customers from a range of industries, including 80 percent of the Fortune 100, to hone in on what talent executives really need. We have a unique viewpoint about talent management as we understand that everyone is different – people work differently, are wired and motivated differently and are actively engaged through different means. Today’s priority for talent executives is employee engagement and to find the right talent strategy to fit the modern workforce reality or risk getting left behind by the competition.

PeopleFluent Mirror Launch Events

I invite you to join PeopleFluent this week at a number of engaging events to discuss this approach further.

Throughout the week, we’ll be hosting events that look at the future of talent management and the future of work to discuss the important topics that matter to you most.

Here is what we have planned:

 

 

Monday, April 28, 2014 – 11:00 a.m. ET live from Washington D.C.

  • This session will include a keynote from Carly Fiorina and an Expert Panel moderated by PeopleFluent CEO Jeff Carr on PeopleFluent’s Mirror Suite, benefits of deeper workforce engagement and how this impacts business outcomes. Participants include Michael Fauscette and Lisa Rowan of IDC and Carly Fiorina. Register

Tuesday, April 29, 2014 – 1:00 p.m. ET via online event

  • In this session, Elaine Orler of Talent Function will speak to the value created by PeopleFluent’s Recruiting Mirror, the importance of the candidate experience and the role of social and video in recruiting. Register

Wednesday, April 30, 2014 – 1:00 p.m. ET via online event

Thursday, May 1, 2014 – 1:00 p.m. ET via online event

Friday, May 2, 2014 – 1 p.m. via online event

  • Bryan Pena of SIA will discuss how to manage a growing contingent workforce and the value of PeopleFluent’s VMS Mirror. Register

Feel free to check out our brand new video news site at http://network.peoplefluent.com, our new corporate branding, and an overview of our new Mirror Suite for more details. We look forward to your feedback!

jeff carr
About the Author: Jeff Carr is President and CEO of PeopleFluent, a leading total workforce HCM technology company, that reduces productivity loss and improves financial results by building solutions around people instead of processes and redefining employee engagement through a single Talent Engagement Cloud.

[1] Gallup, 2014