Lance Haun
Lance Haun is a Human Resources Generalist practicing in the field for the past five years. He has worked for small start ups, large, bureaucracy laden companies and government institutions. Through it all, he still had the audacity to stick with HR.
Hiring The Best Is A Big Mistake
Too many companies hire the best candidate from their shortlist.
No, I didn’t make a typo in that sentence. Hiring the best candidate—the most qualified, the one with the highest levels of each sought-for skill, the smartest, best track-record, stand out candidate—is almost always a mistake.
Don’t get me wrong. “Best” is, you know, a worthy goal. In their quest to be best, some people accomplish a great deal. I like best as much as the next guy.
But best what?
How smart are you?
I know a company (well, I know more than one, truth be told) where hiring the “best” means hiring the smartest. Score a big-number IQ and move to the head of the class. Best and brightest are, for them, the same. The consequences of this policy include a worryingly high incidence of “out” during the “up or out” career cycle and too much senior executive time spent managing problematic prima donnas.
Managing Layoffs Right
this week. Nobody likes them. But for those of us operating any kind of enterprise in this tough economy, burying our heads in the sand is not an option. Yet that’s exactly what companies sometimes do when it comes time to make tough staffing decisions. Why?
Hiring is usually approached as a core business process with policies and procedures behind it, but staff reductions simply don’t get the same rigorous treatment. Companies tend to view them as a “one-off” event rather than part of the ebb and flow of business. But organizational change, whether in times of growth or in times of retrenchment, is a constant that must be continually managed. And it requires not only having the right information, but having the processes and technology to act on information effectively.
Imagine going to the doctor for a pain you are experiencing and he doesn’t examine you, take your temperature or blood pressure, ask you a single question or run any tests before writing a prescription. How much confidence are you going to have in his diagnosis and treatment plan? The same goes for layoffs. If cuts seem arbitrary, poorly planned and inconsistent, the employees affected will feel they’ve been treated unjustly, and those remaining will feel anxious and uncertain (could they be next?). Similarly with any kind of pain, personal or professional, you would want to know that the remedies are actually “treating” the problem rather than exacerbating it. If a layoff is needed, it’s critical to know if the proposed staff reductions could cause further damage like driving away valuable talent, exposure to lawsuits or regulatory penalties, or increased costs that offset the financial belt-tightening intended in the first place.
Why Employees Don’t Complain
Isn’t it comforting to have employees that come to work every day, do their jobs and go home without an unpleasant word to say? It must mean they are happy and that you as an employer are doing everything perfectly. Right? Umm, yeah, not always…
The funny thing about some employees is that sometimes they sit on their misery. They keep it to themselves, complaining to friends, family and Facebook about the reasons they hate their job. They may even gossip together as co-workers bemoaning management, workloads or even the brand of coffee the company buys. But nothing stays a secret forever; sooner or later a boss is bound to over hear a break room diatribe. And when that happens, they may wonder, “How is this the first time I’ve heard this complaint?” The truth is, quiet employees aren’t always satisfied employees, and sometimes their silence is just the well trained practice of long-term tongue biting. So why don’t more people speak up? Well there are plenty of reasons, and many of them are roadblocks any boss can address.
Fear
The biggest reasons an employee will take their lumps in silence is straight up fear. Many people fear for their job safety on a daily basis, and reasonably so. We are still in an economic downturn in spite of rhetoric to the contrary. Times are hard, cuts need to be made. So even though in business the squeaky wheel gets the grease, often people feel that in the case of employee dissatisfaction, the squeaky wheel gets the axe.
Some of you more evil overlords out there may wonder what’s wrong with a healthy dose of fear. Well, granted too much security can lead to laziness and distraction, but too much fear leads to an unhealthy level of paranoia. When you keep employees living under an umbrella of fear you may quell complaining, but you may also find yourself stifling your own growth. An employee that is afraid to voice their criticisms is also most likely terrified to offer up new ideas. And that is just a shame. In any business, the best solutions to problems and even innovations often come from the front lines. The guys who are in the trenches every day, and if those people feel like they could be fired for looking at management the wrong way, they will never feel comfortable bringing the full force of their creativity to the table.
Social Recruiting Isn’t For Everyone
This poster is hanging about ten feet from my desk at work. The first time I saw it I was stunned.
Many of you know that my day job is as an HR Specialist. What you might not know is that I also have the illustrious title of “Assistant Facility Security Officer.” As a government contractor, we are required to provide security training and comply with various regulations that don’t apply to other employers. While at lunch the other day, I was speaking with a friend at another local defense contractor about using Twitter for recruiting purposes. He’s been running into some seemingly insurmountable roadblocks.
Whoa! You can’t say that!
Apparently it’s virtually impossible to do social recruiting in a meaningful way in our industry. See, recruiting via Twitter/Facebook isn’t just about saying, “Here’s a job. Here’s a link. Apply for it.” It’s about building trust and value for followers so that they are actually interested when a job becomes available. It’s about sharing (via social media) your employer’s brand and culture. At this point, it looks like we defense contractors aren’t going to be able to do that kind of thing.
Welcome to Paranoia. Population: You
Why Can’t We Be Friends?
I’m a friendly guy.
When you come to Portland, I’m there. We can grab a McMenamins beer and chat about talent whenever it suits you.
When you e-mail me, I usually respond within a few days if your request isn’t out of the ordinary.
If you call, I pick up unless I’m on another call or I’m in my writing zone or it is 4am.
But if you are a stranger to me and you friend me on Facebook, that ain’t happening. And I’ve tried to be helpful to the people who have messaged me to say it’s rude to not accept a friend request on Facebook or follow back on Twitter but I think where I stand on this issue might be useful to others in the same boat. Read the rest of this entry »
How-To: Using Social Media To Attract Employees
You could almost set a watch to it: every time I talk about social media for employer branding, someone wants some sort of tactical, useful information that they can use to get started on their efforts.
The nerve!
In all of my presentations, I try to include reasonable steps that companies can take to start exploring employer branding. There is only so much you can cover in an hour or so though so I needed something else.
My friend Chris Ferdinandi of Renegade HR has published an e-book called Culture Convo that does exactly that. It walks you through, step by step, everything you need to do to get started on branding your organization and attracting future employees.
I’ve read through it. I’ve talked to him personally throughout the development of the book about some of the concepts. It’s a solid piece of work with over 50 pages of tactical information along with a wealth of resources that Chris has created specifically to support the goal of getting employers online and talking. In it, you’ll learn about:
- What to talk about online
- How to sound like a human being rather than corporate PR pitchman
- Using photos and videos effectively
- Using tools like Twitter, Facebook and blogging
- What metrics you should be measuring
Confusion About The War For Talent
I was at a family reunion this last weekend and we were talking about recruiting issues. They were mentioning that despite unemployment numbers, they still had a hard time finding the right people for the most critical positions that were open. And it isn’t a question of technique, or pay or anything along those lines. It’s a situation where there is a genuine labor shortage. Only a few people could do this job in the country. They’ve done research and it is under 1,000 people.
This company has spent millions of dollars on talent acquisition alone in this one critical area of their business. Their problem isn’t going away anytime soon. And they are doing things to help but it isn’t enough.
So I asked who is going to blink first: the people that need to hire or the people that need the jobs? Whose will is going to break in order to make the tough decision that maybe it is time to retrain the workforce since many of the positions that existed a decade or two ago aren’t coming back.
No response.
Just Do Your Job
I love all of the discussion centered who should report to which department. Whether it is a HR department arguing they should be reporting to the CEO and they should have a seat at the table to recruiters arguing that they should be in any department except HR, it gives me a broad smile. Someone is building excuses for performance deficiency.
Now some of my colleagues who specialize in organizational development will tell me that bad organizational design will ultimately lead to performance deficiency. I won’t completely dismiss that point but ride with me for a second because it is more than that.
Where I hear the excuse more than anywhere is when someone is going after HR or recruiting for not doing something they are supposed to be doing.
So I’ll ask why they aren’t following up with candidates in a timely matter, they point to an ATS and pine for a place under marketing where they can get respect and budget to implement a better one.
Or I’ll ask why employee relations is completely reactionary rather than proactive and they’ll mention that managers don’t respect them because they report into finance or operations so their hands are tied.
Making Employees Career Competent
Every day, it seems like a new depressing story pops up about the unemployed. Some employers won’t hire them or think being unemployed is a scarlet letter. Others who are disproportionately impacted because of their age, race, disability or veteran’s status tell stories of months without an interview. Still others who are stuck in the never ending cycle of submitting a resume, interviewing and not getting the job. Not because they aren’t qualified or aren’t doing it right but because there are hundreds of qualified people too.
Then there are harder stories. People selling houses, losing things and even marriages and other family ties being dissolved.
There is a lot of hand wringing that happens in HR circles over this stuff. I don’t think a meeting of HR people has gone by without talking about how many people have been laid off. HR people sharing war stories of prepping layoff papers. As if we need another personal reminder about how grim the picture is for some of these people. What it feels like to layoff a guy who is 50 years old when you’ve heard the stories about what many of them have to do to find work. Or single mom’s. Or young people. Or minorities.
I consoled myself with the fact that we offered severances, that I would offer to look at their resume or help connect them with people in my network. But it’s not enough. A pat on the back and a reassuring smile worked in good times. You know the guys and gals who worked hard and were smart would get picked up. Not anymore.
We need to do more. As a group of people who know what it is like out there, we have to do more. The people that read this blog, the HR pros, the business leaders and the folks in the know, we all need to do more.
Now some of you may be stepping back and thinking, “Hey, wait a second. This isn’t my responsibility. Remember you said HR is all business. How is this business?”
This is all business, baby. This is about going from the dying/surviving cycle to thriving. It’s about believing in something greater and seeing the bigger picture. You want to talk about some stupid seat at the table? Get out of here. That singular focus on ladder climbing has made HR people lose sight of their biggest customer: employees. If you want to talk about getting strategic and thinking about the future of your workforce, the key will be folks that know how to learn and apply new knowledge, have vision for where they want to go and have the fundamental skills to do both.
Career Competency
An administrative assistant who can type 75 wpm and answer a multi-line phone but can’t do a page layout in Microsoft Word or know how formulas work in Microsoft Excel has little chance of getting a job later down the line if he or she doesn’t up their skill level in these areas. A mechanic that has no idea about the computer based tools that can be used in his or her field needs that opportunity to learn about it. In some instances, they simply just need to know about something bigger than their day to day jobs.
And it isn’t just about teaching raw skills. That’s the fundamental part that HR folks should all be doing anyway (for our own company’s benefit if nothing else). It is about teaching people how to investigate new things, research their careers and other interests and learn about the world outside of their cube, workbench or corner office. It’s about thinking that the way to personal fulfillment might not be through their career at all but (gasp) the things outside of work. And if they are looking for career fulfillment, helping them achieve it (whether it be at your company or the next one down the line).
Pie in the sky? Of course it is.
Being better educated about themselves, about their career and about the learning skills that make a person employable in the 21st century is a lofty goal. And putting that on employers is a tough sell. But you’ve seen it out there in the field if your employees have to leave. It is brutal.
Your employees deserve to know that it is brutal. And instead of fear, they have to be empowered by someone who knows what they need to be successful.
Why HR Pros Should Pursue a MBA
Editor’s note: Today’s guest post comes Benjamin McCall. He runs ReThinkHR.org and is an OD, T&D and business strategy specialist (who incidentally is for hire). In this post, he tackles a hot button topic: why HR pros need to focus on business intelligence over HR specific intelligence. You can follow Benjamin on Twitter @BenjaminMcCall
We all come from an interesting place
As a whole, those of us within the profession come from many backgrounds. From what I have read and the data I have seen, very few of us within Human Resources come from a background of finance, accounting, operations or business administration. While not a fairytale, it is rare to see. This is not bad. Not being born and bread in the education of business can allow us to step outside of the typical ‘numbers’ and ‘quotas’ that often are focused on by the business and pay attention to the people that essentially drive the ‘numbers’ and ‘quotas’ of the business. The funny thing – if you see someone going into HR from an area of business – the reaction given are often puzzled faces and questions. Ummm why??
Overcoming HR Myths and Stereotypes
Note from Lance: Today I have a guest post from Art Brooks of BeneTrac about HR myths and stereotypes and how to cut through some of the BS to deliver results. It is technical and a little longer than my normal posts but take a read through and leave your comments below.
What makes the best in HR the best? Human resources is a complex field. Practitioners have to juggle priorities and excel at tasks, ranging from strategic to tedious. They have to know what to hone in on and what to delegate, stay on top of the latest trends, and keep a finger on the pulse of employee relations. And, often, with so many misconceptions about HR, practitioners need to stay ahead of the curve to drive home what HR’s role should entail for the company. Being in HR requires a number of talents and is not for the faint of heart. HR can make a big impact on the lives of individuals working for the company—its most important assets. But the role can also leave managers feeling less than appreciated, when their contributions to the bottom line are questioned, or not recognized at all. Here are just a few of the stereotypes and myths HR must overcome to be most effective.
HR as a cost center
This perception of HR may be one of the hardest to overcome. How executives view HR and its role often plays a huge part in the organization’s perception of the role’s function. This includes whether the job is managed in-house to begin with. HR should take every opportunity to be its own proponent in educating the company on the value of its offerings.
Employees Don’t Know Jack About Their Benefits
Employees don’t know jack about their benefits. They really don’t. But first, a quick bit of history to get you in the mood. In the 1940s employers began offering health insurance to their employees as a way to be more competitive when the US government imposed a war-time freeze on wages, and since then benefits plans have been getting exponentially more complicated. And hemlines, well they’ve gotten more complicated too, but that’s for a different post.
The problem is that benefits communications haven’t caught up with the complexity of plans; leaving legions of employees (at least two-thirds by most accounts) flat out bewildered when it comes to their benefits. Even with all the “flashy” comparison charts and 5 color brochures, people still don’t get that socking money away in an FSA is just about a sure fire way to save nearly 30% .
When your employees aren’t properly educated on their benefits
- You lose out on the FICA tax savings of elective benefit participation
And We Wonder Why HR Gets A Bad Rap?
I’ve spent time on this blog both defending and mocking human resources (mostly deservedly though I may have been at times too harsh or too lenient).
If you’re looking for a defense of HR, today is not going to be your day.
Something caught my eye on the front page of Reddit today. It is the story of a guy who was “double fired” (comments are not safe for work). The image of the offending letter and his response (which is safe for work) confirmed what I had feared when I read the headline: HR screwed up. Better yet, this was a Portland company so it immediately grabbed my interest.
Five Not-So-Easy Steps For Smooth Career Transformation
So last night I was finishing up my taxes for 2009 (I know, I know, procrastination) and I was looking back at my income for the year. I came to the conclusion that it is going to be hard to beat the up and down of 2009 (to which my wife happily applauded). I know that Jason Seiden would say that a career path is a myth and given my path (or lack thereof), I am inclined to believe him given that…
- I started off the year gainfully employed
- I was let go unexpectedly mid-year
- I was picked up a couple of weeks later and worked as a contractor
- At the end of the year, I was told I needed to find steady income
- In between all of that, I did consulting, web work, writing and sold a social network on eBay
Where have I ended up? At a great company, with great people, doing amazing, challenging things.
My cool little HR career track was derailed and I’m now pursuing another career altogether. What’s that career called? I call it marketing for my parent’s understanding but it is obviously very different than a traditional role. How’d I get here?
The .Jobs Problem in 60 Seconds
Why just 60 seconds? Because you’re busy but you need to know if you want to invest time in commenting or caring about this issue. Here’s the 60 second rundown:
In 2004, SHRM and EmployMedia wanted to add a .jobs top level domain. The stated goal was to essentially legitimize the process of distributing .jobs domains only to a company’s name (so, for example, Google could get google.jobs but not sanfrancisco.jobs or technology.jobs). SHRM regulated policies for the .jobs domains while EmployMedia handled the business end (sort of a checks and balances thing).
