HRM Today is proud to announce that we’ve been selected as the official blogger for the 7th Annual Internal Communications & Situational Messaging Conference, a marcus evans event. The conference will help attendees design, launch and drive internal communications and engagement strategies to deliver optimal results within various organizational situations.

This informative conference will be held from November 30 to December 1, 2011 in Boston, MA. Read the rest of this entry »

Continuing its Talent Development and Leadership Planning in Business Strategy series, marcus evans invites you to attend the 7th Annual Talent Management & Leadership Development Conference. Case studies from leading experts in Talent Management, Leadership and Organizational Development will include insights on how to successfully developing and managing talent and leadership programs to enhance competition while driving business goals. Read the rest of this entry »

We’re proud to announce that HRM Today has been selected as the exclusive blogger of the upcoming Strategic Talent Management & Leadership Development Canada Conference - July 21 – 22, 2011 in Toronto.

Continuing its Talent Development and Leadership Planning in Business Strategy series, marcus evans invites you to attend the Talent Management & Leadership Development Canada Conference. Case studies from leading experts in Talent Management, Leadership and Organizational Development will include insights on how to develop, manage and grow a multifaceted Talent & Leadership Management program that best fits within the organization aligning to the culture and business goals.

Hear from your peers first hand as they outline some of the operational strategies they are employing to ensure optimal succession planning into key positions and how to retain valuable talent to ensure competitiveness all while contributing to the organization’s bottom line.

By attending this conference, you will:

1. Set the talent and leadership planning strategy in line with the corporate business objectives
2. Harness a recognizable talent development culture
3. Develop valuable and competitive talent
4. Transform talent programs and renew commitment
5. Learn effective communications for commitment to success
6. Plan for future talent

This is not a trade show; our Talent Development and Leadership Planning series is targeted at a focused group of senior level leaders to maintain an intimate atmosphere for the delegates and speakers. Since we are not a vendor driven conference, the higher level focus allows the delegates to network with their industry peers and speakers.

Previous companies that have attended our Talent Planning series include:

• Microsoft Corporation
• Pitney Bowes
• Intel
• GM
• Goodyear Tire & Rubber
• Sony
• W.W. Grainger
• USPS
• Staples
• Phillips
• Best Buy
• Volvo
• American Airlines
• Verizon
• Waste Management
• Wal-Mart
• Cardinal Health
• Whirlpool
• McDonald’s Corporation
• Nordstrom

Want to know more?

• Visit the official website for more information and registration.
• Join the Talent Development LinkedIn Group to be able to start networking with other industry leaders before and after the conference.
• Follow the conference @MEHumanResources with #TalentEvent. We will provide periodic updates and it’s a great way to network with your industry peers!
• Hear from Deborah Peirce, Director of Global Talent Managent at Baxter International at last year’s 6th Annual Talent Management & Leadership Development Conference as she outlines the critical role of talent management in supporting a growth trajectory. View the interview here.

The Terminator mythology aside, it looks as if the machines are indeed winning out over humanity … at least as far as corporate spending investments are concerned.

It also seems that, regardless of how many times we repeat the mantra “people are our most important asset” and how many politicians say their top priority is getting the American people back to work, we’re still not ready to actually light the fuse under the glutted job market and invest in people.

An article published on Bloomberg.com last month gave me the answer I’ve been looking for as to why the jobs market has yet to heat up to the degree I thought it should be by now. Based on the report Man vs. Machine, published by Bank of America Merrill Lynch, the Bloomberg article details how current tax breaks offered to businesses aren’t supporting job creation, but are instead promoting investment in capital spending for equipment upgrades. Add to that a low rate on borrowing and it only makes sense for the recession-timid (and soulless) business world to build capacity cheaply without adding year-over-year cost in the form of personnel. Score one for the machines.

Top that off with uncertainty in the realm of health care spending and, well, it really seems better to not spend money now on employee salaries that could end up costing more than expected as new aspects of health care reform come into effect. Wouldn’t it be cheaper to just launch an AI control satellite into space to make our machines more efficient? Score two.

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While it may be some time before the extent of the devastation in Japan – both in human life and economic impact – is fully determined, police have already confirmed over 8,600 deaths and more than 13,200 others who are missing, according to Japan’s Kyodo news service. All told, the number of deaths estimated by the Japanese government may exceed 18,400.

Currently, concern is focused on fuel rods at three nuclear reactors at the Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, which are believed to be in various stages of melting. Also, a container for spent fuel at a fourth reactor has been damaged and is leaking radioactivity. Japanese authorities have ordered the evacuation of a 19-mile radius around the plant while they work to restore power in hopes of bringing cooling systems back online. The U.S. has recommended that its citizens living within 50 miles of the plant evacuate the area or take shelter indoors. More than 452,000 people are staying in temporary shelters, while millions of others are without power or clean water. Transportation and communications within the most affected areas is spotty.

Truly, disaster on this scale is something nobody wants to think about, but which organizations have to be prepared to deal with. Safety and security protocols for employees as well as company assets and business continuity are critical to plan for in advance and maintain, even to the extent of planning for the totally unexpected with scenarios that can utilize multiple flexible contingencies and guidelines.

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This week’s mail brought something that I believe is truly a rite of passage – an invitation to my 30th high school class reunion. My first reaction was, “Good Lord, I really have gotten that old, haven’t I?!” As I thought about how my life has played out – especially in contrast to the comments that my friends wrote in the margins of my yearbook – I realized that the path my life has taken is far from the one I thought I would lead when I was 18-years-old and living in Appalachian Ohio. I never dreamed I would live in New York City, work every day with leaders of businesses that span the globe, or actually have a tapas restaurant on my block (frankly, I never knew what tapas were … or is it “is”?) when I was growing up.

On the other hand, I realize that I have arrived where I am and, more importantly, become who I am because of where I’ve traveled and perhaps even more importantly, where I started. In the community where I grew up, people had a common phrase for this appreciation for valuing your roots – “Dance with the one what brung ya.”

I was reminded of this a few days ago as I listened to a fascinating interview on NPR with Howard Schultz, President and CEO of i4cp member-company Starbucks. He described his journey from the early days of Starbucks, his rise to CEO, his departure from the organization and his decision to return to the company at the height of the recession in 2008 to help it find its way. In his new book Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul, Schultz describes how he left Starbucks in good hands in 2000 but, as the pressures of global expansion and the recession hit the company, it began to stray from its original, central mission of providing great coffee and great customer service.

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How did we get to a point where the term performance management instills fear and dread at its mere utterance? Employees tend to loathe the process, which is commonly perceived to be little more than a vapid popularity contest that does nothing to recognize their work, yet determines their pay for the next year. Managers see it as a huge time suck that culminates in a series of uncomfortable conversations and confrontations they would rather not endure.

At its core, the concept of managing performance makes complete sense. Any organization worth working for wants to ensure that its employees are focusing on the right things, achieving strategic goals and improving their performance. All of these factors directly affect organizational performance. Giving employees feedback on how they are doing helps them improve, offers managers insight into their teams and provides leadership with an overview of the talent they have at their disposal.

So what happened?

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Here’s the asinine question of the week I received from someone in the HR department in my company: can we free up budget dollars to invest in a Facebook-like application internally?

Talk about a career-limiting question.

Let me get something off my chest: if you are a heavy Facebook user, you might as well put a big “L” on your forehead. Why? Because in my opinion there are only 3 kinds of Facebook zealots: the Lonely, the Lovers of self (otherwise known as narcissists) and those who are Looking to get Lucky (I could have used another “L” word there, but this is a PG site). In many cases, it’s a combination of all three.

And, just so you know, I’m on Facebook. I signed up several years ago because I felt I had to. I was under the impression that, if I was going to be “with it” from a social network perspective, I better be on MySpace, LinkedIn, Plaxo, Twitter and yes, Facebook. I also signed up for a bunch of others that have probably gone out of business by now.

I haven’t posted anything on FaceBook other than my basic information when I set it up. The problem is, once I created a page on Facebook, all of these so-called “friends” came out of the woodwork. I couldn’t believe the requests I got. Most aren’t my real friends; they’re people I may have met at some point in my life, but not people I want to hang out with. If I did, I would. But I “friended” them anyway. I’m not sure why; I guess I felt obligated or thought that it would be rude not to. The upshot is, I haven’t talked to or even thought about the vast majority of these “friends” in years; probably because they fit one or more of my 3 “L” categories.

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Two bits of compensation news caught my attention recently. The first was a Wall Street Journal story reporting that Fortune 500 CEOs are once again raking in multi-million dollar bonuses, a tribute to their lone struggles in coming up with the brilliant strategies that have miraculously restored the nation’s economy and brought their companies back to profitability.

The second bit of news is that, while merit raises are slowly coming back for the minions who’ve been under pay freezes for the last three years, the rate of those increases will likely not reflect the cost-of-living increases and diminished healthcare benefit coverage that average workers have shouldered during that time. Also, it will be up to the individual to prove their worth when asking for a raise – with average performance not being good enough for a 3% increase anymore.

I’ll start by saying that, in fairness, many of the CEO’s cited in the WSJ article have quite publicly forgone bonus compensation over multiple recessionary years and are only claiming their added booty now that profit margins and stakeholder payouts are looking up. In fact, the new financial-overhaul law that took effect this year requires that every business whose stock-market value exceeds $75 million must let investors weigh in (to whatever effect) on rewards for the top brass at annual meetings. So if a company agrees to millions in bonuses for a top exec based on certain preset goals, I certainly think they should pay what they promised.

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3M Corporation (http://www.i4cp.com/c8DOle was awarded the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) 2011 Member of the Year today during a presentation at the i4cp 2011 Annual Conference. This award is presented annually to an i4cp member company that has demonstrated unique and successful programs to increase workforce productivity within their organization.

Karen B. Paul, Ph.D., Manager, Talent Solutions, received the award.

“3M is incredibly honored to receive i4cp’s Member of the Year Award,” said Paul. “Given 3M’s continued commitment to maintaining an engaged and innovative workforce, it’s great to be recognized by the Institute for Corporate Productivity for our accomplishments and dedication to high performance.”

3M, a longtime member of i4cp, was awarded for its focus on developing engagement and innovation over the last five years. During the last few years, 3M has rekindled its creativity and reinvigorated its innovation engine. Engaged 3M employees around the world are using the company’s vast technology platforms to develop innovative solutions.

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Fears about retention have been mounting for months, and it’s likely that you and others in your company are seriously worried about losing that special someone – that high performing or high-potential employee that hasn’t received a raise in the last couple of years and could, at any moment, decide to move to greener pastures.

Turnover is going to happen no matter what. And it’s going to increase as the job market improves.

But you already know that.

You may even have strategies in place to deal with inflated turnover. But once the fence-jumping begins, how will you know your efforts have paid off? The money you invested to improve engagement and retention… was it spent wisely? Your boss will want to know. Your CEO will want to know. You‘ll definitely want to know.

But you already know that, too. The challenge is: how do you actually measure the success of your retention efforts? And how do you stem the cascade of attrition that threatens to take your most valuable employees first?

That’s where quality of attrition metrics come into play.

Throughout 2010, several member companies worked closely with i4cp as participants in the Talent Management Exchange (formerly Talent Management Accelerator) to address the challenges of talent management measurement. Quality of attrition was one of four key metrics the peer-driven working group decided to focus on.

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I just returned to the office from the i4cp 2011 Annual Conference and my head – and heart – are full. You would think that the combination of hanging out for three intense days in a stunning setting in the Arizona desert with fantastic HR colleagues and some of the best conference speakers I’ve seen in my career would, in themselves, be reason enough why I’m still sorting through all of my thoughts about the experience.

Mind you, how could a conference featuring the likes of Kevin Wilde, CLO of General Mills; Paul Humphries, CHRO of Flextronics; or Grammy-winning country artist Billy Dean be anything but a terrific experience?

But something else happened for me that transcended the great people, great food and great weather.

Let me put it this way…

I’m self-aware enough to know that I can be irritating and now I can feel good about it. I have Paul Fama from General Electric to thank for that.

Paul led a discussion on the final day of the conference about his experience at GE in developing a more business-focused and impactful role for HR. He concluded with advice for HR practitioners and one particular piece of that counsel clearly struck a nerve among the audience members. He suggested that HR practitioners consider that they serve their organizations best by functioning as a “positive irritant.”

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High performance organizations are three times more likely to devote resources to analyze how an inclusive culture leads to business productivity.

Striving for an inclusive culture is a part of most companies’ people strategies, but pinning down inclusion success – and what that means to the business as a whole – continues to be a challenge. However, new research just published by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) shows that the best market performing companies are looking to make an analytical case for an inclusive business culture.

Tying inclusion success to business performance

While two-thirds of companies surveyed indicated that inclusion is a part of their people strategy, few companies are actually searching for a connection with business performance in an analytical or meaningful way.

However, i4cp research shows that higher market performers are three times more likely to devote the necessary resources to exploring the linkage between inclusion measures and the overall productivity of the enterprise. These companies are going beyond their intuition about this connection to establish an analytical case for inclusion.

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In the wake of Japan’s massive 9.0 earthquake, the resulting 23-foot tsunami and ongoing uncertainty about the compromised nuclear reactors, many corporations – including numerous i4cp member companies – have pledged support to both general relief efforts and to their own employees affected by this series of disasters. Many are not only making outright donations, but are matching employee donations, and/or making in-kind donations of products and services to help with the recovery efforts.

Microsoft, for instance, activated their disaster response protocol early-on to determine exactly where their support could provide the greatest assistance. They have initially pledged $2 million, including $250 thousand in cash as well as other in-kind contributions. They are also sponsoring employee donation matching programs with Microsoft Asia Pacific and U.S. employees. Other Microsoft response efforts include:

• Reaching out to customers, local government, inter-government and nonprofit agencies to support relief efforts.
• Working with customers and partners to conduct impact assessments.
• Providing free incident support to help customers and partners impacted by the earthquake get their operations back up and running.
• Offering no-cost temporary software licenses to all affected customers and partners as well as lead governments, nonprofit partners and institutions involved in disaster response efforts.
• Making a cloud-based disaster response communications portal, based on Windows Azure, available to governments and nonprofits to enable them to communicate between agencies and directly with citizens.
• Providing Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and Lync Online at no cost for 90 days to business customers in Japan whose communications and collaboration infrastructure may be affected.

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The i4cp 2011 Annual Conference has officially started. For those of you not in attendance, follow us on Twitter @i4cp or on Facebook. If you’re at the conference and are like me and can’t just sit still and do nothing else, feel free to tweet along with #i4cp2011.

The event formally began yesterday with three highly received workshops on evidence-based HR, talent management metrics and strategic workforce planning. Following those workshops, attendees were greeted to an interactive concert by three Grammy Award-winning songwriters Anna Wilson, Billy Dean and Monty Powell.

Known as Song Sessions, the three singer-songwriters helped write a song about the themes of the conference in real-time – with attendee input, of course.

Stay tuned over the next several days for more updates both on Twitter and here at the Productivity Blog!
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