Tag Archives: hr

Finally an App to gauge Employee Morale

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morale.meWe’ve heard for several years now that employee morale is at an all-time low due to cut backs, cramming more work on our existing employees and employees are all like “I just want to be heard. This place sucketh.”

Unfortunately, we’ve been thinking that a $5.00 gift card was the answer to all of our problems (How’s that working for ya?). Let’s face it, giving your employees a gift card to Target or KFC isn’t the end all to your dilemma. We are insane to think that if we keep doing the same thing over and over one day it is bound to work. It’s not – it’s just not.

Smart folks are consistently looking for the best ways to solve problems especially in the way of technology. I love keeping these alerts on my radar so I can share them with you when I come across them.

One of my online connections Joel Cheesman, who I met a few years back at the Talentnet Conference in our fine city of Chicago, announced this past March a new tool for helping HR (among other managers) gauge employee morale by his new mobile app morale.me. Joel has been in the Recruiting/HR space for a zillion years and knows the ins and outs. He understands that this has been a real issue with getting crucial feedback and his new app is genius.

hangout with joel cheesman

In fact, I hit Joel up on Facebook and asked  if he would join me in a Google+ hangout to discuss employee engagement,  morale and his new app morale.me.

Here is the recording from the Hangout, in case you missed it (and I’m pretty sure you did).

I can’t wait to hear how this app explodes into our workplaces and changes our levels of engagement. After all, who doesn’t want to be heard and to know that somebody gives a crap about how they are feeling at work?

Now, hop on over to morale.me and check em out.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., then and now (Watch This)

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martin-luther-king21Huffington Post did an outstanding job yesterday on their site with the post “Martin Luther King’s Dream still not a reality” and I suggest you go check it out. As much as we blab that it has, the stats in the above post are very disturbing. But I’m not gonna go in that direction.

This past weekend I happened upon a movie I had never seen called “Hart’s War” with Bruce Willis, Colin Farrell, Terrence Howard and Marcel Iureş which is primarily a prisoner-of-war movie focused squarely on the human condition during wartime, examining the willingness to sacrifice for others and the issue of moral courage under pressure, or lack thereof.

(Bear with me)

The historical setting for the film is December 1944 during the Battle of the Bulge, when the Germans launched a surprisingly successful offensive against American troop positions in Belgium. As the movie begins, Lieutenant Hart is captured by the Germans and is then taken away for interrogation. Hart, a Yale law student who comes from a privileged background, tries to only give his name, rank and serial number to his Nazi interrogator. But Hart is weak and can’t hold up for long under the intense psychological pressure. He caves in and reveals the location of an American fuel dump to the fuel-starved Germans.

This is Hart’s major failing and it haunts him. When he arrives at his assigned POW camp, fellow American officers know right away that Hart cooperated with the Germans due to the brevity of time he spent in interrogation. The American officers in the camp, led by McNamara, decide to shun Hart and place him in a barracks for enlisted men.

Hart gets along OK with the enlisted men until two new American POWs arrive. They happen to be African American fighter pilots, and are immediately made to feel unwelcome by the all-white prisoners, egged on by deeply prejudiced Sgt. Bedford, played by Cole Hauser.

One thing leads to another and eventually Sgt. Bedford winds up dead. The Germans find one of the African American pilots, Lt. Lincoln Scott, played by Terrence Howard, at the murder scene. Under normal circumstances in the camp, the Germans would simply shoot him on the spot and forego any trial. But here is where the movie changes course radically from other POW flicks. Col. McNamara asks for a trial and then assigns Lt. Hart, a second year law student in civilian life, to defend Lt. Scott. So now we have an interesting courtroom drama combined with the usual tunnel-your-way-out POW tale.

Here is one of the most moving scenes from the trial titled “We Served Our Country” (click photo)

harts war

It’s sad to think that folks had to endure this kind of nonsense, and still do – to this day.

Thank you, Dr. King, for your dream and all you did to fight for your fellowman. May your dream become a reality in every facet of our lives.

Social Media at work; The new smoke break

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Hey guys! I’m on vacation and trying to unplug (YEAH RIGHT) from the Webs this whole week. I thought I’d share a few previous posts for your enjoyment. Here’s a good one from my blogger friend Buzz Rooney. She is a fantastic writer and HR pro and this post is exceptional. Enjoy!

Photo Credit: Jamacians.com

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I recently overheard someone compare employees using social media sites to taking breaks for smoking at work.

As someone who has spent HR time in production and manufacturing environments, I am all-too-familiar with the battle employers face over smoke-break abuse. I remember when our company installed a card-reader on the smoking area door so employees had to swipe to get back in the building. We pulled the records to find one employee was visiting the smoking area an average 17 times daily for 7 – 10 minutes each time. That’s almost 3 hours per day of smoke breaks — while ON the clock!!! Unbelievable … And of course, we addressed that issue with that employee. But that’s not the point of this post.

The point is, after overhearing that comparison, I wondered: Is Social Media (SoMe) use at work the NEW Smoke Break (SBs)?

Yeah, it kind of is.

  • Like SBs, SoMe can create division. Employees connecting with some co-workers and not others may lead to hurt feelings, gossip and the appearance of impropriety or favoritism. Your workforce may divide into SoMe cliques, just like with Smokers and Non-Smokers. However, there’s also a lot of learning going on through SoMe that can help people be better at their jobs. Blog articles, free webinars and online networking groups are great things for employees to participate in.
  • Like SBs, SoMe can be a distraction and hindrance to productivity. Employees spending 5 – 10 minutes per hour perusing Facebook and Twitter can add up. The time away from the actual work area is more limited with SoMe because employees can check sites without leaving their desk. This makes multi-tasking easier — but it also makes it easier to goof off undetected and make errors.

Knowing this, I still say employers should allow Social Media use by employees. Just like Smokers are given a designated area and generally allowed extra breaks, Social Media users should also get consideration. Neither habit is going anywhere – so employers have to manage it.

Here are a few things to remember:

  • Forbidding and blocking SoMe sites is not a management strategy. It is estimated 60% of cell phone users have smart phones. If sites are blocked, employees can just use their phone or tablet instead. Instead, leave sites open — but protect your network with good antivirus software and firewalls. Another option is to provide wifi and open computer stations in your employee lounge so employees can take SoMe breaks.
  • Have a Social Media usage policy. Yes, another policy. When text message, Facebook and Twitter conversations are being used as evidence in workplace disputes, you need to have guidelines for employees’ online behavior. The policy cannot forbid and should not discourage SoMe use – but it should definitely remind and encourage employees to be mindful about what they post and to guard their online reputation. And it should let employees know that online behavior in violation of the company’s standards of conduct or policy on harassment, bullying, etc may be grounds for disciplinary action.
  • Address abuses directly. When an employee is spending too much work time on SoMe sites — even if it is for their betterment — you should counsel them about it. Work with the employee to better manage their time.

Social media is here to stay, whether your organization has embraced it or not. Until the company decides its own strategy, there should be a way to ensure employees can use it — without abuse, overuse or misuse.

This post was originally posted at TheBuzzOnHR.com and a big THANKS to Buzz for allowing me to share it with you all. 

About the Author:

Buzz Rooney is a practicing HR Professional with over 10 years experience in the production, manufacturing and retail industries.  She currently works for a large retail franchise in North Carolina. Buzz also consults in the areas of management coaching, process improvement, resume writing, and HR compliance.

Buzz has a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies with a focus in Organizational Communication and Leadership as well as a Master’s Degree in Human Resources Management. Buzz is a devoted single mom with two young children. When not working, she enjoys mindlessly watching television, spending time with friends and family, reading, eating and sleeping. You can read more of her writings, connect and contact her through her website The Buzz on HR.

#FF @CarolynMWalsh – Outstanding HR Leader in Transition

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Hello friends. Hope this Friday is being good to you. I’ve wanted to share this special #Follow Friday edition for a few weeks now and have finally gotten around to it.

I always love highlighting fellow Human Resource professionals whether they are TrenchHR folk, Consultants, or in transition and looking for that next opportunity to share their fabulous skills and knowledge. Today is no exception with one of favorites who not only lives 20 minutes from me, has a fabulous pedigree (I mean that with all due respect) but is also a friend.

Who is this famous person? I’m glad you asked.

Carolyn not only is a vital member of our local HR Roundtable but has become a part of our Discovering Social team helping Job Seekers in their job search strategy. She brings so many things to the table that make for such a complement to our team.

She tells us in her own words that she’s a strategic, versatile Human Resources Professional who has taken the road less traveled to HR and has acquired early management trainee rotations and management experience in Accounting and Operations.

She has a background in organization effectiveness and responsibilities for HR strategy, performance management, employee relations, compensation and benefits, recruiting and training. She has key insight into  integrating talent management processes to move business strategy forward, and on a tactical level consulting with leaders to bring those processes to life on a daily basis. She makes it happen, ya’ll.

When she steps away from the HR highway, you’ll find her conducting one on one coaching sessions at a local career center, consulting with nonprofits, or delivering job search training for Illinois Worknet clients.

Carolyn was also a key volunteer for Illinois SHRM this last year in that she helped me create the first ever mobile conference app, sharing countless hours of her time assisting me with not only the app, but anything else I needed her to do. She is always willing to help when asked. I appreciate that about her and she always does what she says she will do. Very thorough.

Her Specialties include:

HR Strategy & Planning, Talent Management, Organization Effectiveness, Change Management, Project Management, Employee Relations, Performance Management

Check out her certifications (I bow down)

Certified in MBTI, DISC, Strong, Firo-B and Rowe Career Assement Inventories; Course work toward Six Sigma Greenbelt and CCP

I don’t even know what some of those mean and yet I’m totally impressed :)

The bottom line

So here’s the thing. Carolyn is not only in transition at the present, but is expanding her brand on social media and YOU need to connect with her. Not only cause she’s one.smart.cookie. and a great person, but to see how you can help her with a possible career fit within your network for her next career move. I know you can do it – you are all so well connected and always willing to help a brother (sister) out.

So connect with her HERE > @CarolynMWalsh (the Twitters), LinkedIn.

Let’s give her a warm, online welcome. Shall we?

Photo Credit: BusinessBraggerBlog

I’m not that amazing, but I portray it, Online!

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Hey all! Today’s guest post comes from my gal pal and HR Consultant Kimberly Roden over at UNconventionalHR.  To find out more about her, check out this cool video interview we did awhile back! You’re gonna dig it, I know it. Take it away Kimberly. You’ve got the goods!

You’re not a guru.  You’re not a god or goddess. You’re not a rainmaker.  And no, you’re not a rockstar either.  Not seeing many Steven Tyler-types traveling in the HR and career circles.

Be flattered and humbled if a colleague uses one of these words to describe you to others but when you use these descriptors in your LinkedIn, Twitter or other online profiles, ask yourself this: “How is my character being perceived by others? How am I being perceived by others?”

I wrote about the perception of recruiters and hiring managers on wearing diamond rings on a job interview to make the point of leaving only your skills, qualifications and character to be evaluated.  In other words, don’t let yourself be vulnerable to someone else’s (potentially false) judgment about you.  The same applies to your resume and online professional profiles.

Confidence vs. arrogance
There’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance.  Be confident and proudly share your expertise using real words that quantify the accomplishments and results from your skills and experience — words that people can relate to.  You may not be arrogant but if you call yourself a guru or rainmaker, how do you expect to be perceived?  These words scream “arrogance!” and that’s not an attractive character trait.

The successful mix
Whether you’re in a job search or just great at what you do, be real!  People want to work with folks who are on top of their game professionally but people also want to work with folks who have upstanding character and integrity.  Nothing beats authenticity and confidence with a splash of humility.

So please, I’m begging you!  Lose the narcissistic jargon and let folks get to know you for who you are and what you bring to the table.  Always remember that perception is reality.  If your online persona is perceived to be brash and egotistical, then you are brash and egotistical.

This post was originally posted on Kimberly’s blog “UNconventionalHR” titled “Hate to break it to you but…”

Photo Credit: WeHeartIt.com

About the Author:

Kimberly Roden is an HR pro turned consultant and the founder of Unconventional HR.  She has 25 years of progressive experience as a strategic HR and business leader in a variety of industries.  With a passion for start ups and organizations with an entrepreneurial spirit, her hands-on and innovative approach allows her to create and deliver personalized HR solutions to meet business challenges by managing human capital, talent acquisition and technology.

Your Employees Can’t Retire. They’re Broke!

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Today’s guest post comes from my fellow HR Blogger, Mike Haberman of Omega HR Solutions. This is definitely a hot topic, as we have so many Boomers in the workforce. I love this guy Mike. Off to the races……

I read an interesting combination of articles. The first described the very poor outlook for older workers who have become the majority of the long term unemployed. The second was the results of a survey called the 13th Annual Transamerica Retirement Survey which showed that many workers don’t plan on retiring. So the result is that workers are opting to work longer, the issue is staying employed.

No money to retire

The first article, Sustained Unemployment Rises, shows that the ever increasing numbers of the long-term unemployed are older workers. Because they are exhausting any and all saving they will not be able to retire if and when they do become re-employed. Imagine the pain of being 57 years old and moving back into your parents’ home in order to be able to live?

Not ready to retire

The second article dealt with the retirement survey. Some of the results of that survey include:

  • The 13th Annual Transamerica Survey found low levels of ‘retirement readiness’ among workers, and for many, saving enough to retire by age 65 may be unrealistic.
  • 69 percent of workers agreed that they could work until age 65 and not save enough to meet their retirement needs.
  • Most workers plan to either work past age 65 and/or work part-time in retirement.
  • Few workers (20 percent) have a back-up plan if they are forced into retirement sooner than expected due to life’s unforeseen circumstances.

These two situations are adding up to be a societal disaster. I am part of that Baby Boom generation that did a poor job of saving for retirement. I have been making up for lost time but I know that without work that would be very difficult to do and without work what was saved would rapidly disappear.

One other result of that survey was that many workers would change jobs for a better retirement plan than they currently have. You may want to review what you are offering; it may become the key to retaining your employees. You also may want to offer education to your employees on the value of that retirement. Many employees are very uneducated about what they have or will have at retirement. For many that is a real eye-opener.

About the Author:

Michael (Mike) D. Haberman, SPHR is a consultant, writer, speaker and co-founder of Omega HR Solutions, Inc.  He has been in the field of HR for 30 years as both practitioner and consultant. He specializes in compliance issues for his small business clients but happily discusses many HR subjects. He is the author of the blog HR Observations which can be found at http://www.omegahrsolutions.com and he has been writing blog posts on a full spectrum of HR topics for over six years. He is an active user of Twitter and can be found at @mikehaberman or @HRComplianceGuy. He has been an instructor in HR for 14 years and has helped many people achieve their PHR or SPHR during that time.

The Ultimate gesture of Respect

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I know many of you watched the 20120 Summer Olympics because I saw your gazillion postings on Facebook. I’m good with that. I don’t get into them that much though I loved the opening ceremony with Rowan Atkinson aka Mr. Bean. He cracks me up.

I do, however, watch the Winter Olympics and especially love snowboarding. It’s probably due to the fact that there’s nothing else to do in Chicago in Winter except hibernate. I kid.

While the Summer Olympics shenanigans were going on I had to hear about it from everyone else and one such case was that of Olympian Oscar Pistorius, the first double amputee ever to run track in the Olympics. Here’s a guy who at 11 years of age had his legs amputated and yet has kept the dream of one day running in the Olympics.

Oscar’s dream was to compete against “able-bodied” athletes in the Olympics, and the man also known as “The Blade Runner” was able to do just that in the 2012 Olympics in London.

Not only did Oscar compete in the men’s 400 meters, he qualified for the semi-finals, which was his personal goal.

Let me first say, that before the Olympics I was somewhere, out and about, and overheard a conversation where someone said, “Yeah, but if they let this guy participate in the Olympics, the rest of them are going to feel entitled.” Ok, this burned my butt. What? And this was in America where I heard this statement. Land of the free, home of the brave, equal rights for everyone. I was appalled.

Entitled? Shouldn’t everyone, no matter their circumstance or disability, be entitled?

I love stories of folks, against all odds, fighting their way to the finish line. They inspire me to go beyond what I feel, think or am going through.

You can read more of the back-end of the story HERE and how he had to fight to be allowed to participate. Some agree that he had the right and some don’t.

Though there are still naysayer’s rambling about shoulda, coulda, woulda’s, yet this story has inspired people from all over the world, including fellow runner and World Champion sprinter from Grenada, Kirani James. Watch what he does at the end of the race:

As soon as the race was over, James, who finished first in the heat and is a favorite to win the gold, walked over to Pistorius, and traded nametags with him in the ultimate sign of respect for all he has accomplished. I love that. And when James was asked about this gesture afterward, said:

He’s an inspiration for all of us. What he does takes a lot of courage, just a lot of confidence. He’s very special to our sport. He’s a great individual and it’s time we see him like that and not anything else.

For Oscar, he leaves London having fulfilled a lifelong dream and saying:

“It just felt really magical. If I could predict what it would feel like or imagine beyond my wildest dreams, this was probably 10 times that. To step out in front of a crowd this massive, it’s a mind-blowing experience. I’ve had support in the last couple of days like I have never felt before.”

This is truly a story of perseverance on the part of Oscar, and adding Kirani James’ inspirational gesture, a story of great sportsmanship. It shows great love and respect for humankind. One without barriers.

Isn’t that, not only the Olympic Games, but what life is truly about?

Now, if we could put this into practice with work, home and our everyday lives.

Photo Credit: BeaumontEnterprise

The problem with “FREE”

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I’ve been dealing with giving stuff away for FREE for years now and thinking that sometimes, it’s just not a good idea.

Here’s why:

Point #1 – Let’s say you give away a book that you’ve written to someone that’s not even interested in the topic or what you had to say about it. Chances are, they’ll throw it away or stick it in their next yard sale for a nickel.

Point #2 – If you’re hosting an event in your local area and you decide to “GIVE AWAY” all your tickets, people are more than likely going to register and then become a “no show.”

Point #3 – You decide to continue giving your teenager/young adult every new thing that comes along. They never had to work for it, do chores, or make an investment so they may or may not, take care of the darned thing. Maybe it’s tires on their car, and they run the wheels off, cause they didn’t have to pay for them. Things change when they have to start paying for it all.

My point is, if folks don’t make some kind of investment (mostly monetary) then there is no value in it for them. They don’t have anything invested in it, so they don’t have to show up (like they said they would – after you held a spot for them and so graciously agreed to participate), and they can chunk all your hard earned blood, sweat and tears you put into that fabulous book, webinar, or whatever – because they didn’t ask for it and never wanted it to begin with.

Now, that being said, their certainly are times when giving away freebies come in handy and are totally appreciated.

Let’s say you have someone who has loyally read your articles, commented on your posts, been an all around cool guy in your circle of trust, or perhaps are a new subscriber. Having ebooks or short project giveaways can be a great way of getting your message out there to your connections.

Or perhaps, a connection asks to purchase your book and you decide to give them the book instead. They are already willing to support your work, find it interesting, and want to support you in your endeavors. This happened to me recently while at a conference.

I love supporting my friends and connections in their work and one of the ways in which I like to do this is to PURCHASE their shit (no offense by the shit comment). Their shit, is actually – good shit.

It’s cool to invest in the amazing stuff that your friends and contacts are putting out there. We shouldn’t always want FREE stuff. Chances are, if they gave it to you, you’d throw it in the pile of the other free shit given to you and never read.

Support your connections. Buy their shit and pay for their conferences. (Unless you can get in on it as a blogger) :)

Share the love – New HR Blogger – HR Roots

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I always love helping other fellow bloggers and especially those within the HR sphere.

I recently connected with a fairly new HR blogger on Twitter and found out she is actually part of our Illinois SHRM and fellow Midwesterner. I’m referring to Nicole Och (of HR Roots) and I’m looking forward to meeting up with her at ILSHRM12 in a couple of weeks.

I love that Nicole writes about social business and how to incorporate from a newly Human Resource point of view, and she really gives great advice on getting started in social media and how to connect to others online. In fact, her Twitter Bio reads:

HR Professional with a passion for the use of Social Media in Business. It’s not a fad, it’s a way of life! 

And her tagline on HR Roots says “Cultivating and Nourishing the Garden of HR” - and she truly does. She gets social and is not only writing great content but engaging with her connections. That’s what I love about her. She gets what it’s like to be a social newbie and she targets her message to those are just getting started. So many of us have forgotten those folks and I give her kudos for keeping it simple and for having a passion to help those who are experiencing the same things we’ve all experienced in our social media beginnings.

Make sure to connect with Nicole and show her some love online and off. Have her guest post for you and make sure you get a chance to meet her IRL at the upcoming ILSHRM12 conference. In fact, make a point to do so. Oh, and she’s always welcome to guest post here at the Cafe.

About Nicole:

Nicole Ochenduski, PHR, is a Human Resources Professional, Speaker, and Trainer with a passion for the use of social media in the workplace.  The sole purpose of this blog is to help folks make intentional connections both online and IRL (in real life!).  Everyone was a newbie at one time in our lives, now it’s time to pay it forward!

You can connect with her on:
LinkedIn : www.LinkedIn.com/in/nicoleoch
Twitter: www.twitter.com/nicoleoch