Teamwork At Its Finest

I read an article this morning about ESPN's new intranet. All I can say is, "wow".

Not only did they accomplish something amazing in a short amount of time, they did it using all of the tactics that I admire:

• They asked employees what they wanted
• They responded immediately and decisively
• Disparate departments worked together as cohesive teams
• They promoted from within
• They trusted their employees and allowed them to truly own the project
• They weren't afraid to look beyond the obvious for team members
• Last, but most important, the C-suite fully engaged in the project

Even ignoring that ESPN is huge, with lots of resources, the core of the message is that great things can happen when people truly work together and share information effectively.

Are You A Closet Introvert?

I've finally been moved to add a new post. I've vowed to be less lax in the future...

I was at the ASTD Cascadia regional conference last week and was socializing with some extroverts. (some of them were really extroverts) We got to talking about personality types, Myers Briggs, etc. When I told the group that I was an INFJ, most were surprised and only one said "of course you are!" He doesn't count because he takes the assessment annually and knows too much for his own good.

So, this got me to wondering why my colleagues are often surprised to hear I'm an introvert. I decided to attempt to view myself from their perspective and see what they might perceive. Here's what I came up with:

• I seem to genuinely enjoy interacting with other people
• I appear relaxed when I'm teaching/training, and am able to engage most audiences
• In networking/social situations I'm generally surrounded by a knot of people - often talking rapidly, gesturing wildly and laughing a little too loud.

All of those statements are true. I guess I can see where they might not get the introvert thing. So, I took a closer look from the perspective of my friends and family. Here's some additional qualification:

• I seem to genuinely enjoy interacting with other people. I do. I truly do. Until I don't. The blinds on the front of my house lower from the top so people can't see in. I don't answer the door without looking through the peephole, and I always screen my phone calls. If it weren't for my husband, I might not even know my neighbors. Thank goodness for him because they're really nice people!
• I appear relaxed when I'm teaching/training, and am able to engage most audiences. I love training. I know what I'm going to say ahead of time, I know who my audience is, and I have control of the entire session. If I get tired, I ask a question or get the audience to do an exercise. In the end, we all enjoy ourselves and learn something. It's so great that most good teaching techniques require the audience to do a lot of the hard work.
• In networking/social situations I'm generally surrounded by a knot of people - often talking rapidly, gesturing wildly and laughing a little too loud. Yes, but did you notice that I haven't moved from my spot the entire time? Extroverts love me because I can make contact and be receptive from afar - and they come talk to me. I'm really really good at that part. Once I'm surrounded by extroverts, I can use that INFJ empathy to adjust to the mood they're projecting.

Now you're probably wondering what the heck I'm doing in HR. Me too! Just kidding. I have actually found that although INFJs account for only 2% of the population, a lot of us wind up in "people" professions. I have two close HR colleagues who are also INFJs.

Does this post have a point? Not really, it's mostly just reflection. But, if you're a closet introvert, or an extrovert who has to live with one, drop a comment.

For all you extroverts dealing with us, here's a little something you might enjoy: "Caring For Your Introvert"

Attention: Small business owners, Startups hiring employees, Non-HR professionals in HR roles...

Is this your company?

Rob hired his best friend to be the COO of his new company. At first, things were great – his friend worked long hours, was willing to share the risk, and was supportive of Rob’s vision. Rob couldn’t have launched the business without him. A year later, the business is doing great. The only problem is Rob’s friend. He doesn’t have the skills or business acumen to grow with the company. Rob’s biggest asset is now an anchor holding the company back.

Shirley’s company just had its first workers comp audit. She discovered that some of her salaried employees were actually eligible for overtime. Now she’s faced with thousands of dollars in unpaid wages, back taxes, and penalties.


“Small Biz HR: Do You Know What You Don’t Know?”

Find out about…

3 common “honest” mistakes businesses make
Compliance requirements for your business
2 critical tools to manage risk, save money, and reduce frustration

Meet Pamela Moore, SPHR

Pamela Moore, SPHR is the founder of Compass Human Resources, a consulting firm focused on providing personalized human resource services to small businesses. She has 20 years of human resource generalist experience in a wide range of industries. Her areas of expertise include everything from tools and systems to long-range strategic planning.

Pamela has applied her broad expertise to help businesses build human resource functions that reduce risk, support company culture, engage employees and provide a foundation for growth.


Date: June 25, 2009
Time: 10am Pacific Time
Cost: $67
Register

Webinar: Resume Essentials for Today's Job Market

June 11, 2009
10am Pacific Time

Getting noticed in today’s job market is tough. If you’re using the same resume techniques that you used even a year ago, you’re behind the curve.

Your resume is your marketing “brochure”. It should convey your worth to prospective employers. It should tell them at a glance what value you can bring to their organizations.

Join us for this 60-minute webinar and learn the best and latest resume development strategies.

You should attend if:

You’ve been out of the job market for a significant amount of time
You are currently unemployed
You are employed and looking for your next opportunity
You want to take a proactive approach to managing your career

About Your Presenter

Wendy Kent, Principal, On-Site Financial Inc

Wendy joined On-Site after a career as the District Sales Manager of DBM, a global human capital management and transitions firm. Her professional background includes 18 years experience in sales management, training and development, change management, career counseling, recruiting and selection.

Wendy has worked with a diverse group of organizations in a variety of industries including: high tech, finance, public sector, retail, telecommunications, transportation and healthcare.

She is an active member of the Portland Human Resource Management Association (PHRMA), and Co-Chair of the Recruitment and Selection Special Interest Group.

How to Attend:

At $37 this webinar is a tremendous value. Register today!

Webcast: Your Sustainable Job Search - Inside Info and Practical Strategies

Finding a job these days is tough enough. Finding a job in the sustainability arena has its own particular quirks.

It takes more than a nice resume and good experience to get noticed.
This webinar will give you:

- Insights into how the sustainability job market works
- Inside information from an industry recruiter
- Practical strategies for positioning yourself ahead of the hiring curve
- Valuable resources to help you customize your search

About Your Presenter:
Pamela Moore is the founder of Compass Human Resources, a consulting firm specializing in providing customized human resource services to small businesses. She has 20 years of human resource generalist experience in a wide range of industries. She also provides one-on-one job seeker assistance and job search strategy.

Pamela also provides her expertise to organizations in the sustainability arena. She is co-developer and co-host of the annual Green Professional’s Conference, and a speaker at the 2009 Achieve Green NW conference. She is dedicated to helping the industry grow by connecting great talent with sustainable organizations.

How to Join:
To join our webinar on May 28, 2009 at 10am PST, visit our Registration Page
This 60 minute session is just $37. Register today!

Contact Us:
www.CompassHumanResources.com
info@CompassHumanResources.com

Pandemic Preparedness - Is your workplace ready?

There have been a ton of articles, blogs, etc about the current swine flu pandemic. How can you wade through that mass and find what's really useful? Well, I might have saved you a lot of work.

I recently read a fantastic article from Ogletree Deakins that includes:

• Overview of the pandemic
• Definitions of the various phases of pandemic
• Tips for preparing your workplace
• Employment law considerations
• links to many valid online resources

I highly recommend reading it. It also offers a pdf copy that you can save on your own computer, which is great.

To see a US map with case and fatality information, visit http://www.pandemicflu.gov/

Steve Earle: "Six Days On The Road"

Free Workshop in Portland

Managing The Generational Mix
Hosted by Compass Human Resources
Presented by Kate Wildrick, Human Capital Development Specialist

Join us on Tuesday, April 28, 2009 from 10am to noon, for this complimentary seminar.
Location: PSU, 1515 SW 5th Ave, Suite 1053, Portland, OR
Limited seating is available. To RSVP, please send a request to
info@compasshumanresources.com or call 503.281.1528.


More and more organizations are realizing that generational miscommunication and
friction is impacting the bottom line. As many companies gear up for the massive exodus
of the Baby Boomer generation, they struggle to incorporate, retain and develop the
younger generation who are next in line to assume these roles.

Currently, there are four (4) distinct generations that make up the workforce.
Each generation’s communication style and value system are unique as they
have been influenced by a variety of historical events, social trends and
technology. Undoubtedly, as each of these generations interact with one another
in the workplace, issues of job hoarding, entitlement and iPods arise and
ultimately affect productivity and morale.

This unique seminar is designed to equip business owners, managers and
human resource professionals with the tools to manage intergenerational
workforce dynamics.

We’ll cover:
• Generational trends affecting the workplace
• The “Generational Identifiers” that make each generation unique
• Recognize and diffuse generational miscommunication
• Leverage the strengths of each generation

Monday Music Video

George Thorogood: "Get A Haircut (and get a real job)"

For all you non-conformists out there.

Navigating the Quirks of the Sustainability Job Market

In a time when most job markets are shrinking and companies are hunkering down to weather the recession, the sustainability job market continues to grow. And it's growing for many different types of positions - engineers, architects, program managers, contractors, and support positions like accounting, HR and marketing.

Seems like it should be easy to get a job then, right? Not if you aren't already working in the industry. The sustainability market, especially here in Portland, OR, is extremely relationship-based. Up until now, the same people stayed within the industry and simply moved from one organization to another. New employees generally came directly from an environmental studies program.

Now that the industry needs "new blood" it has to hire people from many different backgrounds. However, most recruiters still use a networking approach to filling positions.So, if you're simply responding to open job postings, you are behind the curve to get the position.

The best approach to getting a job in the sustainability sector is to determine how you want to apply your skills and target organizations that use them. Then you have to find ways to develop an interaction with people in those organizations. If that sounds daunting, it is.

One of the best places to find contacts currently is LinkedIn. There is a group called Green Professionals that is growing dramatically and it's a great place to learn about the industry, let people know about your job search, and get informational meetings with key industry professionals.

Portland is home to numerous sustainability-oriented events, and the more you can attend, the better. You will begin to see familiar faces. The good news about sustainability professionals is we love to network, talk about the industry, and share knowledge. Once you get connected, great things start to happen!

You can contact me for more information about job search strategies in the sustainability sector.

Good luck!

Monday Music Video

Johnny Paycheck: "Take This Job And Shove It"

...but only after you've found the next one!

Employment Branding - Build an Image That Brings Candidates to You

There’s a catch-phrase whizzing around the human resource world these days – Employment Branding. What the heck is it? And how do you get it?

If your company has employees and former employees, you have an image as an employer (whether you like it or not). Employment branding is simply the concerted effort of perfecting a positive image in the marketplace as a company that is great to work for.

Most of you are already familiar with corporate branding. It’s a marketing method of deciding how you want your customers to view your company, including all of the creative methods that you use to persuade them to come to you rather than your competitors. Employment branding is similar, but aimed at a different audience.

There are some differences between corporate marketing and employment branding. Marketing efforts generally use an advertising approach – the organization promoting itself to the public. It consists of slogans and headlines thought up by teams of creative folks. Employment branding, on the other hand, is more closely related to public relations. Employees and former employees promote the organization using anecdotal information. Most people will believe information if it is presented by another person in a story-like format.

The first step in developing an employment brand is determining what your current image is, and what areas of improvement need to be addressed to make that image even better.

Interview your star performers.
Your best employees could easily leave and work for someone else. So why are they staying? Ask them what keeps them coming in every day. They will provide you with a wealth of information about what makes your company a great place to work. Some of those things may even surprise you, so don’t skip this step!

Let employees tell you how to improve.
Ask all of your employees what would make your company an even better place to work. Now, naturally, you won’t be able to do everything, but you should see some common themes. Once you’ve identified those themes, take action to improve. So many employers gather this information in one way or another, but never really commit to doing anything about the issues. Don’t make that mistake. Remember, you’re hoping to persuade people to leave perfectly good jobs to come work for you!

Now that you know what your core strengths are as an employer, and you have employees and former employees who are willing to endorse your company, it’s time to figure out how to get the public in the loop.

There is no shortage of ways to promote your brand to candidates. The trick is to assess your audience and hit them where they live, so to speak. Ask yourself these questions:

Who are our desired candidates?
Where do they work?
Where do they play?
How do they network?

Don’t just think about ways to connect with these people during work hours. Take a 24/7 approach. A majority of the people in the current workforce are used to receiving a barrage of information from multiple sources at any time in any place. Use that to your advantage.

Your mission is to get your employees “talking” to the public about what a great employer you are. Here are just a few ideas:

Have employees give presentations at conferences or trade shows. Even if the topic is industry-related, their enthusiasm for what they’re doing will show through.

Put employee testimonials on your web site. Structure your site so that team information includes real anecdotes about working at your company.

Get your employees published in industry or trade publications. People will see your company name in the byline.

Participate in “best to work for” polls. The act of going through the process will help your company improve even if you don’t make the final list.

Start an employee-run blog to communicate happenings that demonstrate what a great company you have.

It takes time to build a brand and get people aware of your organization. Start now and keep working at it. Eventually, people will be calling and emailing to request informational interviews. Before you know it, you’ll have a “fan club” of qualified people just waiting to work for you.

Monday Music Video

Rose Royce: "Car Wash"

If you're a child of the 70's (or even if you're not) you'll get a laugh out of the video clip.

Monday Music Video

Pink Floyd: "Money"

It's why we're here, so cheer up and get to it!

Monday Music Video

Huey Lewis: "Workin' For A Livin"

I dare you not to dance.

Job Seekers: Ideas and Inspiration - Our favorite links this week

Here are some articles that I liked this week. They offer up some food for thought, a little inspiration, and possibly some chuckles in the face of what can be an aggravating process.

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Will Hand-Delivered Resumes Help Me Stand Out?
As the unemployed ranks continue to swell, I find it is becoming more and more difficult to set myself apart.
Wall Street Journal - March 12, 2009
The comments on this one are every bit as interesting and informative as the article itself.

Reinventing your career in a tough economy
For starters, identify your transferable skills or go back to school.
MSNBC - March 12, 2009
Working from transferable skills in addition to experience can open up more opportunities.

Career Couch - Getting Up in Years, and Getting the Job ...If you are over 55 and looking for a job, will potential employers be leery of hiring you because of your age?March 1, 2009 - By EILENE ZIMMERMAN - Job Market

Punk Rock HR Myth #1: Perfect Job
Laurie's posts are always fun, give a different perspective, and the comments are worth the read.

HR-Bashing, A New Trend?

Ok, I'll be one of the first to admit that the HR profession can certainly do better at being a more strategic business partner. But, I've been reading quite a few articles this week that are making some huge generalizations about the overwhelming incompetency of HR. All of these articles were written by professors, mind you.



As an individual HR professional, I am really ticked off. There are a huge number of us out here who "get it". We know how to put metrics in place and analyze financial data. We know how to connect HR initiatives to strategic goals. And we understand good workforce planning.

In my experience, some of the roadblocks that HR comes up against are from the very people that are complaining about us. The state of the business world today is horrible. And we didn't get here just because HR sucks. We got here in large part because the various groups within organizations are operating as islands and adversaries. The only way for an organization to succeed over the long term is for those groups to work together.



So, if HR needs to up their expertise in metrics and analysis, what if the Finance group stopped bitching about HR and offered themselves up as a resource? After all, they do this for a living, right?



What if each department manager actually sat down and figured out what they are going to need for talent and skills to accomplish their goals, and then worked WITH human resources to develop a plan. It's not HR's workforce, it's the organization's.



What if the same amount of money were spent to develop the expertise of the HR group as is spent to develop sales?



My suggestion to the professors is - you're teachers, put your money where your mouth is and start helping in some real way instead of pontificating at your speaking engagements.

Is Your HR Functions Really Supporting Your Business?

The following post is an exerpt from an article that I wrote some time ago. Given the current state of business, it's worth a second look:


Strategic vs Transactional HR

There are two kinds of HR functions – Transactional HR and Strategic HR. They are very different and both are necessary for your business to succeed. Having only one or the other is like hiring an employee with only half the skills to do the job. It only ends up costing your business time and money.

Transactional HR

Transactional HR deals with all of the traditional things that most people think of when we refer to Human Resources:

Policies and procedures
Compliance and legal issues
Employee benefits
Recruitment

The life of a transactional HR professional is filled with forms, lines of employees outside their office, and a lot of stress. Processes are largely reactive rather than proactive.
Strategic HR

Strategic HR, on the other hand, is always proactive. It is intimately familiar with the company’s business and the business environment. It has a seat in all of the meetings pertaining to business planning and objectives.

The role of the strategic HR professional is to ensure that the HR function is prepared to support the objectives of the business. If the business needs to grow, move into a new area, revamp its customer service or image, Strategic HR is there to help. It provides workforce plans to support growth, skills assessments and recruiting methods to raise employee skillsets, and develops incentives to motivate employees to follow the company vision.

Human Resources is an integral part of the internal operations of your company. When partnered with Finance and IT, the resulting group touches every part of the day-to-day business. When that group is focused on meeting business objectives, as opposed to isolated department objectives, it can bring about large changes very quickly.

Transactional HR will always be part of Human Resources. It is necessary and not going away any time soon. However, it must be streamlined, and sometimes outsourced, to make way for the additional scope that HR must provide.

For your HR function to meet the needs of the future, it must participate in the following areas:

Understanding your company’s industry
Understanding your company’s business
Helping to set business objectives
Developing HR initiatives that serve company objectives

Every business objective your company has will be met (or not) by the human beings who work with you. Requiring that HR be part of the business planning, and requiring that it have business-related goals, will put your company in a strong position for future success.

Monday Music Video

Devo: "Working In A Coal Mine"

Happy Monday!

An Introspective Friday

This morning I was doing my regular reading on SHRM's home page. I got stalled at the headline about US employers laying off 651,000 workers in February. It's a little hard to be upbeat and motivating after that bit of information.

It's not that I'm unaware of the numbers, but for some reason that just hit me today. It got me to thinking about my family, my friends, and my colleagues. So far, those close to me are still doing what they do and earning a living - some even prospering. But, how far are any of us from being in dire straits?

So, here's what I'm contemplating today...

How can we all pitch in and help those close to us, and in our communities, cope and survive with some dignity and some optimism? I'm not talking about donating to charities (although we should do that if we can), but real, hands-on, personally-involved help? This isn't someone else's problem. It's personal.

Tell me what you think, what you do, and what others you know are doing...

Is Your Handbook Tying Your Hands?

I've been doing a lot of handbook work for my clients lately. First quarter is the time to incorporate the new regulations, and just generally update things.

There's something I've been noticing with a few clients who constructed their handbook themselves, or have added on to it without having a comprehensive review - hyper-detailed policies. They've attempted to cover every foreseeable situation and how to deal with them in the handbook. Or, every time they have a situation come up that results in management action, they add that scenario to the handbook. Sometimes the hyper detail results from management trying to be generous.

Whatever the case, the result is a handbook that is long, confusing, and unintentionally restrictive. And, in most cases it ends up being restrictive for management rather than employees. Once you put something in writing, you are obligated to follow that policy.

I've also noticed another interesting side-effect of being overly specific: employees are compelled to start looking for loopholes. Often you wind up with someone who is skating along just outside of the actionable parameters that you've put in the handbook. Now you can't discipline them because they haven't technically violated the policy in question.

Your handbook should not be managing your employees for you. You should be doing that. And, you should have enough flexibility to deal with behavior and performance that is detrimental to the company.

Lay out your expectations clearly, but but broadly enough to leave managers room to maneuver. State that related behavior which results in a negative impact on the company or the team may result in disciplinary action, including termination of employment. Make it clear that managers will determine when discipline is necessary. Provide some broad subject areas that will be taken into consideration in making a determination.

Once your handbook is written, make sure your managers have the leadership skills to make appropriate determinations. Teach them how - and when - to document their actions. Don't compensate for lack of management skills by using your handbook as a band aide. Train your managers instead.

True or False - Salaried Employees Don't Get Overtime?

The answer? True and false. The fact is, whether an employee gets overtime is not determined by whether you pay them on a salaried basis. This is one of the most common misconceptions employers have. And misclassifying employees can result in large amounts of money paid in backpay and taxes, not to mention interest and penalties.

Each employee has two status labels: pay status (hourly or salary) and overtime status (exempt or non-exempt). If you pay a person on an hourly basis, they are always eligible for overtime. If you pay a person on a salary basis, then you have to evaluate job duties to determine if they should receive overtime or not.

Only a person's job duties determine overtime eligibility. And, on top of that, there is a very specific set of criteria that employees have to meet in order to be considered exempt from overtime. The FLSA Home Page has detailed information to help make that determination.

The single most useful tool in determining and justifying overtime status is a written job description. It will also be the first thing that you are asked to produce if an overtime dispute comes up. Your job descriptions should contain the following information:

• Job title
• Supervisory status
• Essential job functions
• Additional job functions
• Pay status
• Overtime status
• Date of last revision

Job descriptions should be reviewed annually. Taking the time to put them together and keep them current is well worth the effort.

Avoid Overqualified Applicants? Really?

Today I was reading one of the many e-newsletters that I get every day. And there was a snippet that caught my eye. It was about how to avoid overqualified candidates applying for your positions.

Now, I know there are reasons that overqualified people are traditionally not considered for jobs:

• They'll expect to be paid more than the position warrants
• They'll expect to be promoted right away
• They'll be bored and end up performing poorly

While those things may indeed be true, I don't believe that you should discount these applicants based solely on their resumes. That doesn't give them much credit for being intelligent human beings, does it? They did apply for the position, after all. They must have had a reason. Maybe you should ask what the reason was. You might be surprised.

In my capacity as a recruiter, some of the hires I'm most proud of are the ones that were overqualified for the position. Why? Lots of reasons. Here are a few:

• I want to switch industries and understand that I need to step back in rank in order to do that and learn what I need to learn.
• I am making a life choice: simplifying, reducing stress, changing focus.
• My spouse got a nice promotion and I now have the luxury of not worrying about climbing the career ladder any more.
• I am extremely interested in your company and would like to work here in any capacity.
• (and don't forget in today's market: I'm qualified and I need a job to support my family. I'm happy to work in this position)

Sure, you have to talk to these people and ask a lot of questions to determine what their objectives really are. But, if you give them an accurate view of what the job is, what the work environment will be like, and what the realistic advancement opportunities are, then they should be able to make an informed decision about the job. If they choose to move forward with the recruitment process, then you may have just hit the skills and experience jackpot.

My advice is not to avoid overqualified applicants, but embrace them.