Piece it Together
There’s always something to talk about, so pull up a chair and let’s Piece It Together. Through articles written by our consultants, we share with you our take on the latest news, trends, and changes in HR, leadership and the workplace.
Read our latest posts or peruse our past articles. Please let us know if you have any comments or want more information on how we can help your organization.
Unwrapping the True Meaning of Respect in the Workplace
I’ve spent the last several months facilitating respect in the workplace training to various organizations, discussing strategies to prevent sexual harassment and discrimination. I’ve extracted some incredibly rich lessons from the employees and managers who participated in these trainings which I believe are useful guidance for HR professionals moving into the New Year.
Every training was kicked off by asking a simple question, “What does respect mean to you?” The majority of time I was met with silence and blank stares. While occasionally someone would break the ice by launching into Aretha Franklin’s Respect, most of the time the participants would look uncomfortably at one another unsure how to […]
Your Organizational Culture – Naughty or Nice?
This fall I attended the MBTI Users Conference and the Influence Factor where Josh Bersin, a principal at Deloitte, spoke about the company’s 2015 Global Human Capital Trends Survey. I left his presentation thinking about many issues that HR stakeholders should be contemplating as they begin planning for next year, most importantly, organizational culture.
Earlier this year, Bersin wrote an article where he shared that “culture” was the most popular word in 2014. This year, it continued to grow in popularity in leadership circles and boardrooms. This actually didn’t surprise me because when created, sustained and communicated properly, the culture of an organization actually drives employee engagement. What […]
The key to managing change? Look inward towards your people.
With the year on its way out, one of the things that I’ve been reflecting on lately is how organizations and individuals manage change. I’m no stranger to change, it’s been common throughout my career as a HR professional and a business owner.
Some of the biggest things I’ve personally dealt with?
- Being on a defined career path and hitting some career road bumps
- Being on a defined organizational path and dealing with challenges with projects, clients, personnel, and the economy
Change can be difficult, both personally and professionally. We often have expectations for one thing, which when change occurs, we have to let go of in order to grow […]
Building the Best Teams – The Ultimate Recipe for Success
I’ve been extremely fortunate over the years to find great talent. I don’t mean to brag, but we have one of the best teams in the business, some of whom I’ve been working with for close to 12 years. Truthfully, I consider these individuals to be part of my family. I’m often asked by clients, partners and colleagues how we built this close family of HR professionals, and what were the traits or characteristics I looked for when building our team.
While there’s no one size fits all approach to building good teams, we’ve tried for the most part to remain consistent in finding the right talent by emphasizing […]
Fall into a Healthier Workplace
With the tress exploding with color and falling temperatures bringing the season’s first frost, I’m constantly reminded that fall is here and winter is just around the corner. While I love this time of year, I dislike the inevitable decline in my activity levels. With the holidays almost upon us, so too are the additional calories to my regular diet. Sitting behind my desk all day, I find a real lack of motivation to exercise since it’s dark and cold by the time I get home.
I know I’m not alone when it comes to this issue. So, what can organizations do to help their employees maintain a healthy […]
No More Traffic Cops…in HR
We’ve been helping many organizations with HR Leadership searches over the past year and I have been pleasantly surprised at how all of our clients are using the words “strategic,” “big picture,” “value” and “progressive” when describing how these job functions align with HR and the overall business.
I can remember earlier in my career when the words to describe the HR profession and responsibilities were “hire and fire,” “police officers,” “compliance,” “personnel department”, etc. Fortunately, there has been a current shift towards words such as “counselors,” “human capital management,” “human potential,” “talent acquisition,” etc.
Some may say that these are simply the latest buzzwords or flavor of the month, […]
Using a #SocialHR Prism in the Workplace
Social Media in HR – it’s one of the most important tools in an HR professional’s belt for recruitment, retention and communicating within your organizations.
Social Media is here to stay and there are two key points that I see the value for HR. First, social media is a two-way channel and it’s important to listen to your audiences and not simply use it as a one-way broadcast. Secondly, it’s critical to recognize that social media is not a one-off project, it’s important to build sound communications planning and strategies around it and elicit help of internal or external resources to manage it.
To build effective social media plans into […]
The Joys of Fall – Pumpkin Lattes and Benefits Plan Renewals
Summer is over and fall has arrived, for many HR professionals it’s not all apple picking and pumpkin lattes, but managing the often painful process of their organization’s benefits plan renewal and open enrollment period. The ever-changing landscape of healthcare often leads to many questions for organizations. Is this the right plan for our employees? Are we getting the maximum value for the company? Are we in compliance? Could we be doing better? These are all legitimate questions and can make the process stressful, particularly for small employers.
Rather than looking inward, organizations should redirect these questions to their benefits broker. Whether you are a large firm or one […]