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 …
The Office Halloween Party Rules!
Is your office dressing up for Halloween? Mine isn’t. It’s not that I wouldn’t. Okay, I wouldn’t. But if others wanted to, I wouldn’t say “no”. I mean everyone has that one person in their office that’s a little way too excited over Halloween. I get it. I have kids. They lose their minds at the thought of free candy and dressing up. But you’re …
Sweet Lies About Work and Other Final Thoughts from HR Tech 2019
Editor’s Note – FOT Contributor John Hollon is on the ground this week reporting from the HR Technology Conference & Exhibition in Las Vegas How do I know I’m at an HR conference? I know when I hear Marcus Buckingham giving a keynote speech. To put it another way, if Josh Bersin is everyone’s favorite HR technology analyst, Buckingham may …
Confessions of a Serial Work Spouse
“Work spouse” is a phrase, mostly in American English, referring to a co-worker, usually of the opposite gender, with whom one shares a special relationship, having bonds like those of a marriage. I know this phrase is still considered taboo, but let’s be real, we’ve all used it, and maybe have even had a work spouse. In fact, 23% of …
Warming The Bench
A quick prelude to my discussion today: Enes Kantor, the former NY Knick center rode the bench almost all of this NBA season before being traded to the Portland Trailblazers, who had him play significant minutes during the playoffs. It’s a little hard to feel too sorry for him receiving $17 million in compensation to keep his seat warm until …
It’s Okay for You to Fail
It’s time to discuss improving employee engagement. Or is it employee experience? Who knows anymore? All I know is we continue to work our butts off to find that secret sauce that will ensure employees connect with the company and pledge their eternal soul to you in HR, the department they work in, and the organization as a whole–yet nothing …
Want Employee Engagement? Just Ask.
Employee engagement continues to be a challenge for organizations of all shapes and sizes. The road map to tackling this challenge is right in front of you if you are willing to involve your employees in the solution. But what should you be asking your people to get that answer? What they value, of course. Pretty simple, but nearly impossible …
Are You Useful? The Ultimate Management Question.
I started today’s post with the idea to riff on JTBD (that’s “jobs to be done” for those in Rio Linda), a point of view pioneered by Harvard business professor Clayton Christensen. JTBD is the idea that people don’t buy what you sell–they hire out a job to achieve an objective. Approaching your business in this way opens up additional …
Wag The Dog in HR
As I think back on my career and recall the times I had the best work experiences—where I was connected and engaged the most—it almost always involved a crisis or a pressure-filled project. I can vividly remember working on a big Chrysler account or a huge GM Parts incentive program. We worked 24/7 for weeks. In one case, we slept …
The Ultimate Answer to Employee Engagement is Self-Direction
I’m not going to do my usual screed on why employee engagement is a Sisyphean effort, and almost every intervention is at best a short-term fix to a long-term problem. I believe 90% of the interventions we talk about are like handing out sandwiches to starving people and thinking you’ve fixed their food-acquisition problem. Employee engagement has never been a …