Eventually, all leadership teams come to a realization that if they “win” in attracting higher caliber people than their competitors to their company then they will also “win” in their marketplace. Having a better team of people in place than your competitors is a sure-fire way to create a sustainable competitive advantage. But doing so is tricky. Why? Look no …
Welcome to the Circus, HR
HR, welcome to the proverbial circus of politics in the coming year. HR and Talent folks will be hard pressed to ignore the firestorm created by our politicians in our country the past few months. It hit a crescendo this past week as Presidential Impeachment proceedings took center stage. We always have been dealing with politics, specifically legislation and to …
ickelback For Christmas
Some of you are getting ready for (or already had) the Christmas gift exchange at your office holiday party. You know the drill – buy something worth $20, then if your location is really wild, you do the white elephant or dirty Santa thing where you either pick a wrapped gift or take something from someone else. Humanity ensues, and …
What Does It Mean When a Tech Analyst Talks About People More Than Technology?
I’ve been attending a lot of talent management-related conferences recently, and that means that I’ve gotten a heavy dose of hearing everybody’s favorite HR technology analyst, Josh Bersin, speaking here, there, and everywhere. This has been an enlightening experience. As someone who has been covering the talent management space for a long time, I’ve heard Josh speak quite a bit …
Hello 3-Day Weekends!
If you’ve been in the workforce for 20+ years, you probably grew up thinking working longer hours meant you were more productive, or helped you advance your career. I spent many years arriving at and leaving an office in darkness. Microsoft has put a bit of data behind the fact longer hours do not equate to higher productivity (or happiness). …
Adjusting Your Attention Is The Key To Getting Great Results
If you run a coffee bean company (which I do), expect more bags of beans to be sold and when Barry complains about doing more work (e.g. more bags of beans to fill), you will need to listen. If you recruit and hire people (which I do), expect that someone (e.g., other Barry) at your client company will spam your …
EB Champion or Cheerleader? There’s Only One Choice
I realized today that I have been looking at the part I play in promoting a company’s employment brand all wrong. I believed this years ago, that one of my skills as a sourcer was to be head employment brand cheerleader. And whether working for a staffing agency or a corporate entity, my role was to always chat up how awesome …
Coming in 2020: Worst Company to Work for Awards
Well it’s time for me to lighten up just a little and introduce the 2020 Worst Companies to Work for Awards. A quick disclaimer – this is not an FOT sponsored program, however I just might ask a few of my brethren on FOT to serve as judges. If there is a vendor in the HR space that would like to …
Supporting Employees in Crisis – A Hidden Gem in Retention Strategy
Companies have long sought actions they could take to increase engagement and retention and keep good people. Among these strategies – above market compensation, stock options, long term incentives, work flexibility, work from home, lunch subsidies, comprehensive and fully-paid benefits packages and a really cool and hip workspace – all these help support retention efforts. But one overlooked strategy is …
Leaders: If You Are Not A Great Listener, You Are A Great Pretender
Being an active listener is hard. I work as an HR consultant/trainer for some incredible firms (including KinetixHR, Recruiting Toolbox, and naturally, Dawn Burke HR). Whether conducting training for corporate leaders, HR pros, recruiters, hiring managers, or coaches, there is one significant obstacle all face and struggle to conquer – active listening. My eight year-old-niece would say, “a-doy.” My husband …