Finding Your Super Stance!

It's time for another TED talk.  This time I thought I would throw in some self-empowerment that will assist you professionally but also personally.  Amy Cuddy, a social psychologist and professor with Harvard Business School, shares her research regarding power dynamics.  What I found interesting is a study that Cuddy mentions in the beginning of the talk.  The study had people observe doctor-patient interactions without sound; meaning, they could only infer how the interaction went and could not hear what was being said.  Based on simple observation, they were able to predict which doctors would have an issue with lawsuits.  Basically, how well you can interact non-verbally, as well as verbally, has a high impact on employee relations (when relating the study results to a business application). 

Now....go out there and display your best Superman or Wonder Woman stance!

Hit "Delete" to "Reply All"

How much time do you spend reading emails that are of no interest to you because you were part of a "reply all"?  Well, if your numbers are similar to the average you are spending a good 5 percent or more of your workday opening and reading such emails.  Beyond being annoyed that you just received the fifteenth "reply all" response to an email on whether staff prefer chocolate or vanilla ice cream for the office party, opening these emails puts a dent in productivity.  Considering that approximately 15 percent of your day is spent on email that 5 percent can really add up.  "Spread those stats over a 10,000-employee company and you rapidly get to a pretty big number in terms of dollar cost- in the tens of millions of dollars per year" according to Bloomberg Businessweek article Re: Re: Re: Confidential.  

Some companies are taking drastic measures to combat the time waste (and interrupted concentration) that all those unwanted emails results in.  Wells Fargo's sales division head, Gene Sellers, decided that he was tired of it all and pronounced the "reply all" button dead to his staff.  The button is forboden and may only be used in special circumstances that involve the staff as a whole. Netmanners.com suggests users utilize Bcc   to remove the option of "reply all" from the receivers of your message.  

From my experience I can tell you that the majority of the "repy all" messages I have been on the receiving end of were due to simple carelessness.  These were instances were the sender was not paying attention, distracted, or just wanted to get the message out of their inbox.  Taking a moment to review, not only your response, but who you are responding to can save much aggravation and possibly avoid some nasty repercussions (for those not too nice griping emails). 

Managing Our Reputations

I recently read a very small sidebar in a weekly magazine that was focused on the "hockey mom" image of Sarah Palin.  The sidebar quoted the money spent in 2008 on clothing to ready Palin for the Republican National Convention.  The sidebar went on to state "and she still managed to look like she worked in human resources!".  Hmmm - I wasn't certain what I was to take away from that comment.  What I did know was that many employees and, in some rare cases, entire organizations still view human resources as stodgy, annoying, and out of touch with the average employee.  They also feel that human resource managers will "side" with the management team despite evidence of wrongdoing that tells another story and "protect the sham of performance reviews" in the words of one contributor to About.com.  Here, a Wharton School of Business article entitled Is Your HR Department Friend or Foe restates this rather succinctly:

"According to its critics, HR departments can be needlessly bureaucratic, obstructionist, stuck in the "comfort zone" of filling out forms and explaining company benefits, and too closely aligned with the interests of management yet lacking the business knowledge to be effective strategic partners. Dealing with these types of HR departments is like going to the dentist..."

Many employees have had only negative interactions with human resources and so - no wonder - they have formed such an opinion.  Unfortunately, sometimes human resource managers allow their department's reputation to be managed for them rather than taking an active role in forming the outward in view employees have on human resource functions and roles.  We all are aware of the push to make, and keep, human resources a partner at the strategic table.  This means pushing up change rather than letting change dictate what you will do next as in a reactive scenario.  This means using metrics to discern trends and establishing a sound case for acting on those trends when those at the top level are not reacting.  Taking an active role in the human resource department's reputation is a sure way to effectively manage it - don't let human resources just "happen" - drive it....and stop wearing "soccer mom" (or "soccer dad") business clothes...

Where's My Lunch?

Thought I would lighten things up a bit and write about a subject that, while a little light, is a sore spot for some employees. Imagine that it's early afternoon and you've put a solid few hours of work - you are ready for an energy infusion (e.g. lunch). You open the fridge and find that someone else has beaten you to your lunch and decided they needed it more. You now feel like this is not going to be a good afternoon. Other than the fact that you have to eat out of a vending machine now, you realize that there is someone in your office that has very little respect for boundaries. Maybe though, this person left you a little bit of food (you know, because they felt bad)...

What should you do? You could take the route of striking back and some passive-aggressive tactics. Some interesting ideas (culled from actual employee strike backs): 

hide your food in a jar labeled "medical specimen"

hide food in the back of the refrigerator

camouflage your lunch as in this clip at HuffingtonPost Canada

Or, you could make an attempt to instill a little guilt and peer awareness into the perpetrator by leaving a note stating "hope you enjoyed that leftover chicken and rice, maybe try bringing in some for yourself".  If lunch stealing becomes a constant issue, your office manager could try posting signs that send a clear warning to stay away from food they didn't bring.

There are several articles on the topic and even a web site, Passive AggressiveNotes.com *(note: site contains some content not entirely suitable for children) devoted to the topic of addressing (or redressing) those individuals who feel compelled and entitled to liberating your lunch. 

School is Over but the Bullies are Still Around

Within the field of education we stress a no bullying policy and make efforts to educate every student, parent,  teacher (instructional employee) and non-instructional employee regarding bullying. It is apparent why we would educate students, parents, and teachers but why educate employees who are not in contact with students? The reason is workplace bullying. When you were in school I'll bet you could name the bully (or the person that had that reputation) and you hopefully steered clear of that person and never had to deal with them. For many people, it was not too difficult to avoid the bully - that is, unless he was in your class.  You were "captive" then. An easy mark. The same goes for adults and bullies in the workplace. You must be at work and there the bully is - waiting for his/her captive target. 

Workplace bullies go by many titles: co-worker, boss, vendor. They have many pseudonyms: shark, know-it-all, screamer, snake, gatekeeper, critic, attention seeker, two-face, etc.. (of course, there are quite a few more colorful names I have left off - you know them...). Bullies intend to circumvent the typical path to making something happen (whether it be gaining acceptance for their idea all the way to promotion) and use manipulation as their means to accomplishing their goals. To confirm as to whether that difficult person you deal with at work is actually a bully - take this test adapted from Psychology Today:

1. Does your boss blame you for fabricated "errors"?
2. Are you given unreasonable job demands?
3. Does your boss threaten you with being fired?
4. Does your boss insult you and/or criticize your abilities? Does this happen in front of others?
5. Are you excluded by the bully given the silent treatment?
6. Does your boss yell, scream, or curse at you?
7. Does your boss inconsistently enforce rules?
8. Does your boss deny or discount your accomplishments and/or take credit for your success?

So...what to do? First, be professional, be professional, be professional. I can't stress it enough. Many times when an employee confronts a bully in the workplace it does not have a happy ending - for the employee. Make sure to take some time to think through the specifics of what is occurring and even take notes. Practice responses to the bully so when you are in a particular situation the next time, you are ready to be assertive (not aggressive). Know when to escalate your concerns and when to walk away.

For additional information on how to handle a workplace bully, check out these links:

 http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/867-workplace-bullying.html

 http://money.howstuffworks.com/deal-workplace-bully.htm

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-michelle-callahan/work-bullies_b_833977.html

More $$ = Less Innovation

Why have business practices seemingly stagnated over since, say, the invention of management? Notice I said invention of management.  I refer to management (or the act of managing) as an invention because I agree with Dan Pink, a career analyst and former speechwriter, who makes the point in a TED - managing is a creation of man. Business, as a whole, seems to be fixated on the traditional model of employees and manager and how compensation is structured. Most organizations, as well, like to think they are driving productivity and even innovation by offering incentives (bonuses, stipends, trips, special parking spots, tickets to a game, a private bathroom stall with the toilet paper roll guaranteed to be loaded where you don't have to spin the roll to find the starting point, you know - the usual).

Guess what - those incentives are not working. Incentives are extrinsic motivators - motivators that are unrelated to the task the person is performing or to the problem that needs to be solved. Want to know what works? Creating a business climate where employees feel their work is meaningful and where employees can make a connection between what they are working on and a larger purpose - intrinsic motivators. Yes, this is sounding a lot like your college psychology teacher's lecture on Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs but this is science supported by a large number of studies and real-life examples. Take a look at Pink's TED talk below and do a little research yourself - it's pretty interesting stuff that directly relates to how we manage our human resources:

How Not to Conduct Team-Building

I'm green and gold. I learned that I am green and gold through a team building exercise that was intended to bring insight to "an individual's pathway to self-confidence and esteem".  The pathway is part of the "True Colors" system of identifying character. The exercise was meant to be both fun and practical and it was, at least, interesting. The majority of the staff participated in the exercise fully, curious as to what their color/s would be. There were, however, some of the staff who sat in the room, arms crossed and head shaking in sarcastic disregard, who were less than fascinated by the whole attempt. While I wouldn't label the exercise a disaster, it was not altogether successful in building team togetherness and structure. Based on the MSN Careers article, The worst team-building experience you've ever had, others have had much more disastrous team-building experiences.

This comment,  regarding a ropes course that rubbed everyone the wrong way (yes, pun intended), from Rebecca Staton-Reinstetin, president of Advantage Leadership Inc sums up the main reason why a team should be well-developed prior to such an exercise: "It was an extreme example of how team-building events are mistaken for the long, hard work of actually building a team with shared goals and responsibilities". Put another way, any team-building exercise must start with a team - and a group of people who happen to work together does not make a team. Where to begin? Start by ensuring team members understand the "big picture" and the reason why their collective work is important to the organization and to each other. Susan M. Heathfield, human resource contributing writer for About.com puts it this way "You need to differentiate this overall sense of teamwork from the task of developing an effective intact team that is formed to accomplish a specific goal. People confuse the two team-building objectives. This is why so many team-building seminars, meetings, retreats and activities are deemed failures by their participants".

One of the best team-building experiences I have had was with a group I undoubtedly consider a team. We had been through forming, storming and norming and were comfortable and efficiently in our performing stage - the goal of any team. The goal of the exercise was to pass a ball between all the participants' hands within a few seconds time. We had sincere fun trying to come up with creative ways we could accomplish this goal. We first tried simply passing the ball to each other - not quick enough. We then tried lining up with our arms outstretched and having someone from the team run past us all while running the ball across the top of our hands - still not quick enough. We then, in a wonderfully symbolic show of a group of people working together, stood huddled in a circle while placing our hands clasped and in a circle and stacked on top of each other. All it took was one team member to drop the ball from the top and - tada - mission accomplished... 

Advice for the Fresh and the Seasoned

Recently I revisited a web site that I found some time ago while clicking through. The site is WetFeet and is designed to offer advice to recent college graduates on how to secure a job, keep said job, and develop professionally within or beyond said job. Although you may not feel you can identify with the intended audience, I think you will find some great tips on the site. All of us could use a refresher on things like "How to Write a Farewell Letter to Colleagues" (if you should be movin' on up) or "Rise and Shine: How to be Effective at Work". Take a look through the site when you have a little me time.  

Pinch a Penny Now, Lose a Dollar Later

What was your last shopping experience like when you ventured into a discount retailer (and, yes you have been in one admit it)? If your experience was like many other individuals' you were greeted by a retail store with merchandise strewn about, items in the wrong locations, advertised items missing from store shelves, not many employees around to ask questions of, and (if you found an employee) were met with a gaze from a tired, distracted, and overextended (or worse - a disinterested) employee. Conversely, what was your last experience when shopping at a "full price" retailer? For the most part, polls have shown that shoppers are willing to pay a small premium for better service and a better selection. People like to feel their shopping list is as important to the retailer as it is to them (after all, you earned your money, they should earn the right to take it as well). Don't worry there is a human resource connection coming.....

Let's go back to the discount store with the unhappy employees. What we know, as human resource professionals, is that unhappy employees = lower productivity, increased use of sick time, and lower ratings on customer service. So why are discount retailers (and many other areas of industry) lowering wages and shedding experienced employees? Yeah, yeah - we know - it's to be able to make those shrinking budgets. What if, though, we were actually accomplishing the reverse with our actions? Instead of steering our organization through an economic downturn we were further jeopardizing its health by driving customers away?

Professor Zeynep Ton, of MIT's Sloan School of Management, has ten years of research to back up why it might not be such a good idea to put the squeeze on your employees. In the Future of Retail: Companies That Profit By Investing in Employees at Time.com, Ton's research finds "companies that buck the status quo and invest heavily in their workforce actually are able to not only compete with their competitors on service but on price too". This upends the notion that to compete in the market as a low-cost leader, a company must have a low-cost workforce. In fact, Ton states that retail chains that experience high levels of success "invest heavily in store employees, but also have the lowest prices in their industries, solid financial performance, and better customer service than their competitors".  

What, exactly, makes successful companies successful anyway? It's in their "business card".  Remember the old standby in business - it holds true today: your employees are the face, the "business card" of your company. The experience customers have with your company is heavily influenced by their interactions with your employees. Ton's research found "all sorts of efficiencies that become unlocked once you have a highly trained, highly motivated workforce". 

So take a cue from those that are successful now, and are set to continue their success and growth once the economy turns in their favor: invest in your employees. Yes, pay them a decent wage, provide a content rich and inclusive training program, offer great benefits, and promote a culture of innovation - then, maintain as you enjoy success...   

"Looking for a Unicorn"

Staying with the theme of "unicorns", the title of this post is taken from a Wall Street Journal article by David Wessel entitled Software Raises Bar for Hiring. In the article the president of Mindbank Counseling Group, Neal Grunstra, relates the stringent and highly specific requirements that many companies have for job vacancies as akin to "looking for a unicorn". Peter Cappelli, a human resources and management professor at Wharton School, cites an email he received from "a company that drew 25,000 applicants for a standard engineering position only to have the HR department say not one was qualified". 

Okay, so it makes sense that the current plethora of candidates for the dearth of job vacancies means that hiring managers can afford to be picky; after all the current state of the economy is a result of not enough jobs to go around.  Is that what is really happening, though? Or is this issue more about a lack of candidates with the right skills? "For every story about an employer who can't find qualified applicants, there's a counterbalancing tale about an employer with ridiculous hiring requirements", Capelli states. 

What about the issue of selection software? Software used in the process of recruitment and hiring was initially intended as an aid rather than a substitution. Now, many applicants submit their resumes in the hopes that they have included enough key words to get their resume through. Most applicants never get the opportunity to speak to someone.  Does this mean that an applicant who cleverly included a sufficient number of key words in their resume is better qualified for a position? Inherently no. 

This problem has spurred new developments in selection software. In Seeking Software Fix for Job-Search Game, Lauren Webb writes that the ideal software would "read resumes intelligently, flagging a handful of truly promising candidates to recruiters and alerting job seekers to openings that are laser-targeted to their skills and background". So, if companies are really intent on finding that unicorn they need to consider more than whether the candidate is great at manipulating their software selection criteria and focus on widening the scope. "Cultural and behavioral fit is a stronger indicator of success and business performance" states Elaine Orler of Talent Function Group. Capelli puts it this way: "[employers could] back off the strict requirement that applicants need to have previously done precisely the tasks needed for the vacant job" and "see if they could do the same with some training...".

Grooming Your Unicorn

I am going to begin this post by restating something I have said in the past: happy employees = more productive employees = increased sales, etc.. Shawn Achor, Harvard-trained psychologist and happiness researcher, understands this.  Archor says that we should be looking to design programs around the outliers, the star performers (sometimes so rare they are akin to mythical beings) instead of utilizing "one size fits all" programs implemented with the average employee in mind. Think about that. Most programs are developed using the mean rather than those "odd" employees who offer unique and innovative solutions, who continuously take initiative, and who may not fit the prototypical employee in your organization. As you will see in Archor's TED presentation below, that employee is more apt to turn stresses into challenges that beg for solutions they are happy to work toward.

So go out there and benchmark your stars rather than the average and "groom your unicorns".

Making Good Health a Competition

I recently received a $50 Target gift card in the mail. I received this gift card because I filled out a health questionnaire for my organization's health care plan. Getting $50 to spend at "Tarjay" was easier than having a birthday (because I wasn't a year older). The gift card was an incentive, one of many various organizations use in an attempt to raise the health-consciousness of their employees. 

This wasn't the first attempt by my organization to form a healthier workforce. In the past we had the "Take the Stairs" challenge where employees were encouraged to use the stairs rather than the elevator. When the challenge first began there was a communication push tied to a contest on how many flights total tallied up. Since that initial push, the most that has happened is doodling on the stairwell sign-in sheets. Then there was the challenge for who could walk the most steps in a span of time. Each participant was given a pedometer and teams were formed, mainly based on the floor your office was located on. None of these seemed to make an effective, lasting impact. Was there some value in these efforts - yes. They were low cost and did lead to re-focusing attention on employees' health.

Why did my organization take the time and effort to partner and promote these challenges? Health care costs. It's a fairly straight line from the aggregated health of your employees to the costs of health care premiums. Healthy people tend to use their health care benefits less often, tend to use less sick days, and are more productive. Apparently a healthier workforce also results in less presenteeism (don't worry, I had to look it up too). Presenteeism, according to the CDC is "the measurable extent to which health symptoms, conditions, and diseases adversely affect the work productivity of individuals who choose to remain at work".

According to statistics noted in "Pitting Employees Against Each Other...for Health" and appearing the Wall Street Journal, 60% of employers polled by consultants and the National Business Group on Health indicate their future health initiatives will include online games and other competitions between employee groups or locations.  After reading this, I began to question just how effective are these methods for bolstering the health of employees? To answer, I considered the challenge for walking the most steps. After participants received their pedometers it wasn't long until word spread that you could "tip the scales in your favor" by jiggling the pedometer (no walking needed). I'm afraid the message on health was lost on some employees. 

How do you ensure participants in health games are not cheating? You could require they use "tamper-proof" devices like digital pedometers or heart-rate monitors like those used with Humana's incentive program HumanaVitality. This may cause other issues, though, like backlash from employees who feel their privacy invaded. "The more you make it formal, the more burdensome it might feel", states health and welfare benefits leader Carolyn Plummer.  

I guess we will stick with our small, low cost efforts for now....

A Beta You

Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, has written a book titled The Start-Up of You. In this interview, Hoffman speaks to Time.com about how putting the effort into developing yourself can payoff in your career. What I especially liked was the statement to consider yourself as the beta version.  You are out there, working and learning but at the same time you should be in a state of constant development and improvement: a "permanent beta" state. 

Lessons in HR Courtesy of the IRS: People Are Not Widgets

Its April and its tax time - you know, the time of the year when procrastinators say "oh ____ (insert favorite expletive)". I know, the IRS is not your most beloved of U.S. institutions right about now but I thought I would take the opportunity to share something positive about the IRS with you (and yes, there is a connection to human resources). 

Nina Olsen is director of the little known Taxpayer Advocate Service and charged with helping taxpayers in disputes with the IRS - yes, you read that right - they actually work on your behalf and they are funded by the U.S. government - go figure!   Here's the HR connection: according to Businessweek article The People vs The IRS, Ms. Olsen is attempting a change of culture within the IRS. As Olsen states (referring to taxpayers who contact the IRS), "Don't think of these people as widgets". Lesson one. Lest anyone forget the basic foundations of human resources, Olsen's statement reminds us that we are dealing with people. People that have unique life experiences, unique work experiences, and unique strengths. I'm going to give you another quote from Olsen and we are going to play a game we have played before on The HRR: word replacing. Replace the word "taxpayers" with "employees" and replace "IRS" with your organization's name: "For the majority of taxpayers, the IRS has become faceless, nameless, with no accountability and no liability".  

If saying that sentence above made you feel a bit uneasy - good.  Lesson two: human resources is a partner in the success of the organization. Say it out loud.  Human resources is not to be considered "a necessary evil". People are our business and people can make the difference between an organization's successful rise and growth or the freefall of all that shareholders hold dear. Last quote for you from Olsen (just to bring it all home): "No business could stay in business behaving the way the IRS does towards its people".  Now go out there and make sure this last statement does not apply to your organization.

Professional, Personal, or Puerile

Have you chanced upon an employee viewing family pictures from Aunt Sadie or found them chuckling at the latest Internet video sensation while at their desk? My educated guess is that you have and likely have on more than one occasion. Do you think these employees would be shocked to know just how much time they actually spend clicking on every link sent their way? I think so and, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article there are applications that will serve to assist them. Employees, Measure Yourselves author H. James Wilson offers up a few such apps designed to do anything from measure how much time users spend on various websites to those that requests the user enter what tasks were accomplished each day.

Benefits to self-tracking and monitoring include understanding individual habits and productivity and devising the most productive task schedule. For example, some employees may find that they switch to social media, etc... when they feel a lull in their creativity and may find a boost of creativity after an off-task break. Don't believe this? Take a look at this article based on a University of Copenhagen study (the title says it all): Why Wasting Time on the Internet at Work Makes You a More Focused Employee. Others, may find that the pull of social media sites too enticing and find out they are much less productive on days where their YouTube viewing escalates. How will employees feel about being encouraged to utilize web sites that they may view as the company looking over their shoulder? Wilson offers this advice:

   "Many workers might be reluctant to track what they do if they think the company might get access to the information, or use it against them. Companies should emphasize that this type of software usually comes with lots of privacy controls. Workers can often store their data in the cloud, for instance, or locally on their machines. In some cases, they can pause tracking and delete pieces of personal data they choose. Likewise, they can also create a list of sites that they want to track by name and label all the other sites they visit as generic."

Human Resource Gardening

I have a single rose bush in my front yard. It had a twin that, due to my water 'em and forget 'em style of gardening, did not fare well. The rose bush that is left is doing wonderfully and greets me with a bounty of beautiful white roses. What did I do that enabled the remaining rose bush to grow and produce? Well, I read that rose bushes must be "dead-headed" (not my choice of term but that was the term used). This means that you should cut the area where a rose has blossomed and died - in this way the rose bush will produce even more blossoms in an effort to be a successful progenitor. Sounds harsh but it worked. What does this have to do with human resources? 

Well, to get to my point I want you to do a quick mental exercise. Think of all the members of your staff and assign a ranking to each staff member where 1 defines the lowest level of performance and 10 the best. I'm guessing you may have a small number of people below a five who you may be in the process of documenting. I believe I'd also be right in assuming you have a few star performers near or at the ten mark. Now, how many people did you assign a middle-of-the-road number to? If your organization is like many, that particular number may be more than you realized. In fact, it may even comprise the majority of your staff. 

Now, I want you to ask yourself what you do to push these middle performers up? What do you do, after you've worked through coaching and counseling, find that it just did not work with a particular person, to "weed" them out?

Check out The Dirty Little Secret of Successful Companies from Jay Goltz, a writer for the New York Times small business blog. Although the piece is written by a small company owner, Goltz, its message applies to companies of all sizes. This point, for example, provides a compelling case for working with your middle ranking staff:

"How can you spot the sixes? You know who they are. You might even like them. They can seem capable, but they can also be unreliable. They make too many mistakes, they aren’t good with people, they are sloppy, they have trouble separating their personal time from work time, they aren’t honest, they don’t accept responsibility, they waste time and they can be disrespectful of co-workers. Here’s the real test: What would your visceral response be if they quit? Relief? I think that says it all."

Bears, Porcupines and Those In-Between

Maintaining relationships takes skill whatever the circumstance. The ability to get along with others is no less important in your professional life than it is in your personal life. Considering the fact that the majority of your time is spent with your co-workers it simply makes sense that the cultivation of strong interpersonal skills be addressed.

• Be a good listener. It's hard to gain a clear understanding of the point someone else is making if you are already forming your response to what they are saying the moment they open their mouth.
• Stick to non-controversial topics. Although it may make for some interesting conversation, topics such as religion and politics are best restricted to personal forums. The workplace is not the place to get into a heated argument about which political platforms are best for the country.
• Respect individual differences and diversity. We all come into the workplace with our own set of past experiences and personality traits. Just as there are traits of others you may find difficult to work with, there may be qualities you exhibit that are equaling difficult for others. Look, instead, to the value that varying backgrounds brings to the organization. You are in it together, you have to make it work.
• Manage your reputation (e.g. r-e-s-p-e-c-t yourself). Always keep in mind that the actions you take and the words you use paint a picture of who you are. Don't let everyday annoyances escalate into a reaction that you will regret.

This video from video-sharing site Daily Motion will provide you with a few more tips, specifically on how to manage a difficult co-worker.

HR's Female Domination

In the U.S. it's at 71%, Canada 75%, and the United Kingdom 79%. What is "it"? The percentage of human resource professional roles filled by women. You could label this The Feminization of HR as Julie Cook Ramirez does in her recent article for web site Human Resource Executive Online. It wasn't always this way - the figure has roughly doubled in the last thirty years. Should this come as a surprise? Many experts say no. It seems more a natural progression of sorts. Looking back at the thirty year period past, many of the women who filled clerical and supportive roles within human resources and related areas were plodding through the ranks. These women were already in the pipeline (and knowledgeable) and so were promoted. This is the simple explanation. 

A more complex explanation dips into what qualities and skills women bring to the human resource table versus their male counterparts. The article sites these, very translatable, skills:

• emotional intelligence
• the ability to multitask effectively
• an innate capacity as a teacher
• a nurturing nature

This certainly is not to imply that males are lacking in any of the above skills - what the above list points to, though, is that females tend to have more developed skills in these areas. One could also make an argument that overuse of these same skills can make a terrible human resource manager - and you would be correct. It could also be pointed out that many female human resource professionals have gone in a completely different direction and exhibit terrible employee relations skills in a misguided attempt to be seen as "not like a woman". 

In the end sex should not be a determining factor when it comes to filling a human resource position. What should matter is what skills the individual brings and how well they fit into your organization's unique culture.

A Pinteresting Resume

Okay, so you've updated your profile on LinkedIn, networked with your contacts on Facebook and tweeted about your greatest accomplishments in the hopes that a prospective employer will notice you. There may be another social media resource you haven't though to use, though - Pinterest. In case you've not read any business or lifestyle news stories in the past week you may have missed the latest social media darling. Pinterest describes its web site as an "online pinboard" where users can place pictures and videos they find interesting that relate to a particular topic or theme. According to a Vault blog article, job seekers have begun using Pinterest to tell the world in a creative way about their interest in securing a job. Below is an example of one user's resume (posted by a helpful(?) spouse) that compares his body of work to human evolution:

Unfortunately, Pinterest has yet to catch up with the expanding use of its site and currently does not have a separate category for resumes. This, of course, makes it difficult for job seekers to be discovered. In addition, the theme of the site makes a good fit only for those seeking a position in areas where creativity is one of the foremost skills required. Perhaps a good argument can be made, however, that all positions could benefit from at least a little show of creativity. What would your creative Pinterest resume look like? For my fellow human resource managers: Would this peak your interest and lead you to further explore an applicant with a Pinterest resume as a calling card?

I'm Too Productive to be Infected

Whether tis nobler to suffer the coughs and runny noses of productivity, or to take arms against a sea of germs - that is the question. Classical literature aside, sick employees in the workplace is nothing to sneeze at. Although a large number of companies have paid time off policies which include paid sick leave, a "2010 study by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago found that nearly 40 percent of workers whose companies gave them paid sick days still reported going to work with a contagious illness such  as the flu" as stated by Rex W. Huppke in his I Just Work Here column for the Sun Sentinel. 

To make matters worse, 80 percent of food service and hotel workers are not covered by policies allowing paid sick leave - so, that means you can safely assume a great many of them are heading to work with the sniffles on any given day. Well, the question of why the second group of employees goes to work while sick is easy - they need the pay. Why, though, does the first group - employees with paid sick leave - arrive at the workplace carrying their germy baggage? The answer is stigma. The stigma attached to calling in sick. The fear of being labeled an unproductive, disloyal employee who is not a team player and, worse, is a "goof-off". 

The flip side is the organization's concern: a dip in productivity (assuming from employees who just wanted an unscheduled day off). Some organizations have implemented formal incentive programs to both reduce call outs and reward employees with compensation for unused leave. Such programs often act to protect productivity by stipulating consequences for employees who use all their sick leave, according to the 2010 SHRM study Examining Paid Leave in the Workplace. 

Let's go back to the employees who are actually sick and who feel compelled to share their rueful state with fellow employees? Perhaps that can be addressed by the organization as well  - through company culture rather than formal policy. As Huppke states: "A worker should never feel like he has to drag his weary body into the office just to be marked present for the day. And a manager should be able to trust the workers he or she oversees and believe that when they call in sick, they're truly sick, or have a sick child to tend to". 

  

Application over Calculation

This week I had the pleasure of attending a leadership seminar presented by Dr. Bill Daggert of the International Center for Leadership in Education. The seminar itself surrounded a belief that our present education system is not asking the right questions and is afraid to make the real changes required to meet the demands of future (and present, really) business workforce needs. To summarize: we must focus what Dr. Daggert terms "rigor and relevance". During the wrap up of his presentation, Dr. Daggert mentioned the unique web search engine Wolfram Alpha. Actually, Wolfram Alpha is more a computational engine.  Conrad Wolfram, the man behind the Alpha, feels about math instruction much the same way that Dr. Daggert feels about education in general: application should trump calculation.  

I mention all of this because what both Dr. Daggert and Mr. Wolfram are so passionate about has implications in any field - certainly within the field of business and human resource management. In fact, business has been behind much of U.S. education policy. Why? Not preparing students for the skills they will need now and in the future will have a deeply negative impact on the future of U.S. businesses - and, because human resource managers are partners in making their organization successful - we must pay attention to this as well. 

Take a listen to the TED talk where Mr. Wolfram outlines why the educational system should embrace computers and stop forcing an industrialized society mentality on students. Listen to what he says and take away how you can apply these concepts to your profession (and maybe affect an impact on the future)...

Selective Selection and the Picky Parley

Matthew Swyers, founder of web-based law firm the Trademark Company, is a picky interviewer if his Time.com article is any sort of indicator. Resumes received with spelling errors overlooked by the dubious "spell check" and cover letters received without resumes attached are not easily forgiven. Swyers even goes as far as to speak with law firm employees prospective candidates had contact with just to gain a larger picture of the candidate's mettle. 

I am going to say, I have to agree with Swyers. While I have certainly made some spelling mistakes (having relied on Mr. Paperclip, the ubiquitous Microsoft Office "helper") in my history I have learned the value of proofreading old style - just read over the darned thing! The article "5 Things To Look for in a Great Job Interview", gives one (very) embarrassing example from a law school professor involving a very important missing letter in a PowerPoint presentation - no doubt a result of an assistant's reliance on spell check. It is also a display of good judgement, and just plain good practice, to be cordial to others you come into contact with. Don't discount those that you feel are not directly connected with the hiring process - these are your potential fellow employees, treat them respectfully. Case in point: I recently had a neighbor's friend ask if my organization "had any positions better than the ones posted since she has a degree" (referring to our entry-level/clerical positions). Well, I am certainly not inclined to assist anyone who belittles our employees (regardless of their position or training).

The article lists the five things as:

1. Attention to detail
2. Proofread
3. Preparedness
4. Phone and email correspondence
5. Honesty is overrated (trust me - it will make sense when you read the article)

Now excuse me, I must run the spell check on this post before it hits the blug.....

Step Into My Cubicle

Can I speak to you in private? Come right over here into my cubicle. What, you don't feel that is private because my walls don't reach to the ceiling  and anyone can hear our conversation (unless we whisper sweet nothings into each other's ear)? Okay, how about this conference room over here. It's empty for the moment and has walls that reach the ceiling. Yes, I know, the walls are made of glass but maybe the other employees won't start any rumors about why your speaking with human resources (uh huh..).

The scenario above may remind human resource managers, general managers, and anyone who has attempted to hold a private meeting in an "open" work space of an uncomfortable situation. There is no disputing the benefits of open floor plans and work spaces designed for collaboration, creativity, and unobstructed views. Let's face it though, wide open work spaces are not conducive to privacy in the human resource realm. David Lewis, president of human resource consulting company OperationsInc, recounts in the article "Indecent Exposure: The Downsides of Working in a Glass Office" a situation in which he had to hold a conversation in his car with a client after a first attempt in a stairwell. The client worked in a cubicle and no rooms were available that would protect the client's privacy. 

The article also points out that glass walled offices and conference rooms are not great at suppressing sound. "Even when soundproofed, glass walls allow 50% to 100% more noise to pass through, compared with soundproofed drywall" according to the article's author Sue Shellenbarger. In addition (and this is, admittedly, a little funny) there is what is termed "the bird factor - people slamming into walls". Companies address this by adhering decals on the glass at eye level.  

What is your perfect office design? You may want to consider the type of work being done and the relationship between various tasks and positions. You may not be able to perform a full remodel of your work area a la HGTV, but you may be able to mitigate issues by adding a tabletop water fountain (muffles low conversations)  or by finding creative ways to hold private meetings (Mind if I walk with you on the way to that meeting on the other side of the campus?).  

How Would You Do on a Google Interview?

The December 24, 2011 edition of the Wall Street Journal contained an article entitled "How to Ace a Google Interview". The article mentioned the fact that it is harder to secure a job at Google than it is to be accepted into Harvard. Past Google job candidates recount being given interview questions that are, to be succinct, just plain odd. The article highlights one such unorthodox interview question involving a blender and a reduction in mass and points to the reason why Google makes candidates squirm: "Google isn't looking for the smartest, or even the most technically capable, candidates. Google is looking for the candidates who will best fit Google". The idea, in any interview, is to make sure the candidate is the right person for the position and for the company culture. My favorite interview question cited in the article is the one asked of candidates at Zappos. What would your response be to "How weird are you"? Zappos preferred response is that you are somewhere in the middle. What would your answer be? I'll have to think about what animal I am or what color best expresses my personality. This is all interesting stuff to ponder but how beneficial are these types of questions in the interview process? 

I was reminded of the Wall Street Journal article when today's edition of the Journal contained a letter to the editor from Martin B. Robins of Barrington, Ill. that was given a title which concisely sums up how Mr. Robins feels about Google-type interview questions: "Smart-Aleck Drivel in Job Interviews". Questions like "What do you think of garden gnomes" purport to "find a connection between...drivel and job performance" according to Robins.

Does your organization utilize any unorthodox interview questions? Have you posed those questions to the top performers in your organization to benchmark desired replies? Check out glassdoor.com's list of "Top 25 Oddball Interview Questions of 2011" and answer a couple yourself...