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Thursday, July 29, 2010
Why Did We Ever Go Into HR?
http://hbr.org/2008/07/why-did-we-ever-go-into-hr/ar/1
I went into HR because my first two jobs out of college were at small companies who did not understand how to retain their employees. Both companies felt that high turnover was just the nature of business and they were only concerned about making money. Investing money to retain and develop their employees was never considered. They did not have talented, strategic HR staff to show them investing in their employees would actually increase their profits. I want to help companies understand that if they invest in their employees, their employees will invest in them.
Similar to Matthew and Daisy’s encounter of fellow Harvard grads thinking they went into HR because it’s easy, I once went on a date with an Engineer who asked me what my job was and then responded with “Oh so you like administrative work”. Needless to say, our first date was also our last. I agree with the authors of the article that HR is becoming a strategic partner to guide management on how to attract, retain and develop talent. There are 3 Sr. HR Generalists (also referred to as HR Business Partners) at my 700 employee company and they are very busy with management coaching , conducting 360 assessments for the executive team, employee engagement surveys, evaluating exit survey data to share with management, etc.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Monotone Kutik
I watched Bill Kutik's most recent podcast and while he was pretty monotone, his guest Dave Ulrich was engaging to listen to. Ulrich has authored 23 books and his most recent is a best seller. His new book, The Way We Work, discusses how work can help us find meaning in life. Kutik did make a good point by saying Gen Yers typically demand the most meaning from work, but meaning is sometimes difficult to find in entry level jobs out of college. Ulrich states that college professors teach you things you may need to know as an executive of a company, but then you start out doing what I think he referred to as "skudwork" (that might be wrong because I googled it and it said "did you mean studwork"). I agree with this because it seems that most of my friends are searching for meaning in their jobs, but it is still difficult to find even 5 years out of college. It does take time to discover where you best fit in this crazy world of work. I do believe that Gen Yers look for more passion, entertainment and meaning in work, which may be a result of watching our parents work so hard and stress over jobs that seem less than enjoyable.
Ulrich stated that the highest suicide rate in North America is men ages 65-70 because they retire and are depressed since they don't have their identity through work anymore. This came as a huge shock to me because I can think of many reasons why retirement would not depress me! I guess I can see how this may be if your entire life only revolves around work. I don't think Gen Yers will have that problem when they retire as life outside of work seems to be so important. Retirement for Gen Yers will hopefully bring relaxation and travel.
According to Ulrich, business leaders model what employees need to do and should own the meaning of work. HR employees are the architects of a variety of processes, but business leaders need to lead the way. Ulrich's statement "if you and I think alike, one of us isn't necessary" reminds me how important it is to bring unique and innovative ideas to the table. Ulrich ended the podcast by discussing why he is excited and scared about technology. The scary part is that people will do and say things online that they wouldn't in person, such as nasty blogs (I probably wouldn't tell Kutik he is monotone in person). It is important to be careful to use technology for good.
Monday, July 12, 2010
HR in 2010
In the article "Top 10 Predictions for HR in 2010", Jason Averbrook, CEO of Knowledge Infusion, states that master data management will be vital in using HR data to assist the company. I completely agree with him. Our recruiting system and HRIS are separate and it would be great if one employee's information was located all in one place that is easy to search. I would like to see a profile page for each employee, like Averbrook suggests, that provides information on where the employee has worked in the past, the skills and education they have, what they would like to be doing in the future, and how they are currently performing. This would give Recruiters and Managers one location to find very pertinent information on current employees applying for open positions in the company.
The article also talks about how most companies who laid off employees with the recession did not evaluate who should be laid off, but just laid off blindly. I can see how this will be a learning experience for HR professionals, especially those that had not been involved with layoffs before. My company actually did a little of both. Some of our layoffs were very targeted and allowed us to keep the more vital and productive employees. Some layoffs were across the board because an entire segment of the business was no longer needed, however many of the strong performers in those groups were eventually re-hired in other departments. It is always important to remember those employees when a new position opens up.
The article also talks about how most companies who laid off employees with the recession did not evaluate who should be laid off, but just laid off blindly. I can see how this will be a learning experience for HR professionals, especially those that had not been involved with layoffs before. My company actually did a little of both. Some of our layoffs were very targeted and allowed us to keep the more vital and productive employees. Some layoffs were across the board because an entire segment of the business was no longer needed, however many of the strong performers in those groups were eventually re-hired in other departments. It is always important to remember those employees when a new position opens up.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
No cubicles, ladder climbing, or pensions?
In the Time article "Future of Work", the story "Training Managers to Behave" discusses the debate of the obligation of business schools to teach ethical values to students. Some believe they are not responsible for teaching this, but like the President of Thunderbird, I think they are. Business ethics is a big topic at my company. Not adhering to ethical standards can be a big deal for some companies and their clients, especially when you are dealing with the personal information of customers. In the story "We're Getting Off the Ladder", the idea of a career path being like a lattice, rather than a ladder, is great because not every employee is interested in promotion after promotion. For some, work life balance is more important. The story "Women Will Rule Business" states that women are less competitive than men. I feel that women in management actually are often just as competitive as men because they think they have to be to succeed and compete with men management. The article also states that companies that give employees freedom see an increase in productivity, which I completely agree with. Most employees will be happier with less rules and micro management, which will inspire them to do more for the company. The story "The Last Days of Cubicle Life" states that actually going to work to do work will soon be a thing of the past. Yes, many jobs can be done remotely, however I don't see how all jobs can be. It seems to me that there will always be weekday traffic and cubicles for the many jobs that need face-to-face interaction.
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