Paul Houle talks about his company Boom at the HRPA Annual Conference in Toronto, ON, Canada.
Archive for January, 2010
Walking the exhibition floor at #HRPA2010
Saturday, January 30th, 2010Session speakers at #HRPA2010
Friday, January 29th, 2010Michael Bungay Stanier talks about his upcoming book “Do More Great Work” at the HRPA Annual Conference in Toronto, ON, Canada.
Walking the exhibit floor at #hrpa2010
Friday, January 29th, 2010Stacey Haygull talks about EmployeeFirst at the HRPA 2010 Annual Conference in Toronto, ON, Canada.
Walking the exhibit floor at #HRPA2010
Friday, January 29th, 2010Loretta White talks about The Coaching Edge at the HRPA 2010 Annual Conference in Toronto, ON, Canada.
Walking the exhibit floor at #hrpa2010
Friday, January 29th, 2010Dave Gillen talks about T.E. Wealth at the HRPA 2010 Annual Conference in Toronto, ON, Canada.
Volunteering @ #HRPA2010 – A Selfless Act?
Monday, January 25th, 2010When I signed up to volunteer at the HRPA 2010 Annual Conference and Trade Show I have to admit it was for selfish reasons. To me it meant a change of scenery, mingling with my colleagues and of course the great food. Anything to mix it up, and find a new perspective!
I’m really very fortunate; volunteering at the conference gives me the opportunity to meet fascinating people who understand my world. A world of job sharing, terminations, salary caps and hiring freezes; or at least that’s what it has become during these tough economic times. I look forward to talking with fellow volunteers to learn how their organizations have weathered the storm and overcome the obstacles we all faced this year.
Volunteering offers me the opportunity to be in the presence of industry influencers when many others may not have the budget to attend this year. As one of only 250 selected from a whopping 600 who applied I know I’m privileged, so I’m going to make the most of it and try to be the eyes and ears for those that could not attend. However, seeing that I am scheduled to volunteer each of the 3 days, I of course can’t be in all places all the time. Fear not however, I have a fool proof plan to keep us all connected. With my trusty blackberry and the power of Twitter, I will be everywhere! (with your help of course). If in my travels walking the Trade Show I discover a exciting offer (I hear there is a free Smart Car give away at Booth 410) or I sneak into an early session to listen to an interesting Speaker (Ali Velshi Friday at 1pm – don’t miss it!) you can follow me at @sandragallacher and I’ll do my best to keep you up to date on what I learn. You can also see tweets from hundreds of others at the show by visiting www.armorpeoplelink.com/talenfindr. If you’re fortunate to be attending like myself, get in on the action by including the hash tag #hrpa2010 in your tweets. Your message will appear in real-time on our TalentFindr blog! There is nothing worse then feeling like you are missing out so get on board!!!!
Although volunteering is typically a selfless act, I have to say I think I‘ll profit tremendously from my experience at this years HRPA Conference and Trade Show. With many world renowned speakers sharing their insight on HR, how it has evolved, and what changes we can expect to see in the future, I anticipate I’ll walk away with priceless knowledge and a new perspective. Not to mention the fabulous people I’ll connect and engage in the process. Such valuable insight and experiences demands to be shared, as such I pledge to share with you all my travels from beginning to end; because ultimately it really is about giving back.
Follow Sandra @sandragallacher
What employers can learn from the Jay Leno – Conan O’Brien succession plan!
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010If you don’t know about the employment war at NBC, where have you been? Quick recap to catch you up if you are not in the know. In the fall, The Tonight show torch was passed on from Jay Leno to Conan O’Brien. NBC, at the final moment unsure of it’s ‘career succession plan’ which was years in the making, decided to ‘make a new job’ for Jay, doing the same thing.
Now comes the problem. Jay, the older wiser, long loved employee, is not doing as well as thought in his new role. His overall productivity (jokes and parodies) just isn’t working in his new role, and hence his profitability (measured in ratings, and advertising dollars) are sliding as well.
Conan on the other hand, has spent the last few years preparing for his new role, and now replacing the older employer (Jay) he is constantly being measured against the success of his predecessor – who is still working for the company! People being people, always expect the ‘newbie’ to be and do the work the same as the ‘old guy’ did it, and it doesn’t help to make a mark when the old guy is still around to compare too.
So, NBC has a real employee nightmare or quoting from a recent tweet I saw, a real ‘Tonight-mare!”.
In the ‘real’ world, companies can’t afford to behave this way. Companies need to be smart in today’s economy. We’ve had tremendous change over the last year, and we will continue experience workplace change, from now until 2018 when the remaining baby boomers are predicted to retire. As a successful company, now is the time to set the path for those qualified people you recognize as ‘Top Talent’. Succession planning is a great idea. As an employer, you want to be sure that you have the right person in place for the job, who is ready, knowledgeable and capable, when your current key person retires.
Start evaluating what your current top talent is doing. Before your key person is set to retire, say 18 months prior, ask them to keep a few notes on what they do well, and what they think would be challenges for a new person to take on in that role when they retire. As an employer keep detailed performance reviews so you have a good picture as to the extent of the skill needed to fill those shoes, expertise that you likely take for granted! Also keep notes on things you’ve recognized you need moving forward. Discuss with your future retiree if they see anyone internally as potential candidates – sometimes this is obvious, other times, not so much. Take time to begin to mentor that person, allow them to take on a few tasks that your current top talent does, allow them to slowly be involved in the decision making and problem solving as well.
You aren’t able to identify someone for succession planning in your company? Not to worry. Top talent is out there! Keep notes and detailed performance reviews as mentioned above, and work with your retiree to find that perfect replacement.
Follow Andrea @andrea_duggan
Painting a Rosy Picture
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010Do you remember when you were young and your dad promised to take you for ice cream if you behaved? You tried so hard to play nice with your younger sister and did everything in your power to listen to your babysitter in order to get that delicious chocolate dipped cone at your local Dairy Queen. If he did not follow through with his promise (and those times were few and far between), you would be disappointed and let down. How could he do this to me?
Making false promises or withholding pertinent information to potential employees is a costly issue in the workplace that should be avoided. Employees need to be given a realistic description of the role they are accepting prior to joining an organization. If they are not, you will find yourself dealing with a disengaged workforce resulting in high turnover and increasing recruitment costs. Sure painting a rosy picture in the interview process may be a sure fire way to attract the best candidate, however it also creates a shaky foundation on which to start a career in your organization.
As a Hiring Manager, it is important that you portray a realistic view of what is expected at your company and more specifically the role the candidate will assume. For example, if yours is an organization that encourages (or demands) overtime, it’s to your benefit to make this well known from the get go. This will prevent future disappointment, resentment and frustration as the employee has been fully informed of your expectations prior to accepting the role. Highlighting both the positive and the negative aspects of a position will weed out candidates early in the recruitment process and make for a more effective hiring strategy.
Employee engagement and retention is critical to the success of any organization. Misleading candidates or failing to be upfront is not only unethical but it can damage the company’s reputation. Those who maintain an honest and upfront approach from the start will find themselves ahead of the pack with a loyal and productive workforce.