Articles tagged 'HR values'

Classic TLNT

Job Titles Gone Wild – Why It’s Silly to Call Yourself ‘Director of Fun”

by on May 24, 2013, 8:03 AM  |  No comments yet
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Editor’s Note: Sometimes, readers ask about past TLNT articles they may have missed. That’s why on Fridays we republish a Classic TLNT post some of you have asked about.

“Director of Fun.”

That was the title I was looking at on a resume for a marketing director position. As I read through the applicant’s accomplishments and responsibilities, I could see that it was clearly a marketing-type position. It stuck out, just not in a good way.

What may have seemed like a great little thing to have on a business card as an attention getter had now turned into a liability. Nobody knows what a “Director of Fun” does. And sure, maybe “Marketing Director” isn’t all that specific on its own, but give me some context (industry, company size and market) and I can pretty quickly figure out what you’re doing.

Using these fun titles externally is a mistake. Read more…

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Talent Management

Why You Shouldn’t Judge a Candidate by Their Background Check

by on May 22, 2013, 7:00 AM  |  1 comment
Jobcandidate2

Imagine that you have one opening you’re trying to fill, and 16 eager applicants aged 17 to 22 — all with more than adequate skills for the job — awaiting their second interview.

Before the interviews begin, you discover that among those candidates are five recovering addicts, two pregnant unwed teens, three who are on probation, eight high school dropouts, four who have earned only a G.E.D., and one who’s recovering from a traumatic brain injury.

And those issues are just the ones listed on the background checks of the young people you are about to meet. There are many that aren’t listed, to be sure. Read more…

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HR Insights, Leadership

Survey Says Helping People, Not Profits, Is Primary Driver for HR

by on May 17, 2013, 9:05 AM  |  1 comment
HR is all about showing the executive team the value you bring.

I was chatting with some talent acquisition leaders at the recent ERE conference when I mentioned an innovative application being demo-ed by one of the vendors. It uses automated voice analysis to screen and help select customer service reps.

Almost instantly came OFCCP (Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs) and EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) objections, and near unanimous declarations of opposition to the tool. This is before anyone knew much about it.

What reminded me of this conversation was a report I came across a while ago. HR professionals chose their career, the report says, primarily because they “want to help people grow and develop.” Next, and way down the scale, was business growth and development as a career choice driver. Read more…

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HR Insights, HR Management

Here’s Why Bullies Are Taking Over Your Organization

by on May 16, 2013, 8:10 AM  |  9 Comments
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Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve heard plenty about bullies in the workplace.

You’ve heard how bad it is. You’ve heard about the missed work days and the increased medical costs and the disability claims and the lawsuits. You’ve heard about the disruption and the drama and the colossal waste of hours employees spend managing others’ aggression instead of producing. Instead of creating. Instead of innovating.

You may have even read the statistic that workplace bullying costs U.S. employers nearly $250 million annually.

And you’ve decided that you don’t give a crap. Read more…

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Culture

When Your Marketing Message Gets in the Way of Your Company Values

by on May 16, 2013, 7:00 AM  |  No comments yet
Cookies

Last week on an upgraded flight between Denver and Orlando, I was given a warm cookie after the meal service. This is a nice touch United Airlines does and has done for first class passengers for years.

But as I examined the little brown paper sack the cookie came in, I was amused by the sentence printed on the bag: Made fresh, especially for you.

Something about that woke up the stand-up comic that resides deep within me as I began to imagine how Jerry Seinfeld might relate this story on stage. Read more…

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HR Insights, HR Management

The Model HR Leader? Maybe It’s an Orchestra Conductor

by on May 14, 2013, 10:25 AM  |  6 Comments
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I have been thinking a lot about my profession – human resources – lately. I have come to the conclusion that there is no other field or discipline in organizations that is as complex and varied as the field of HR

Those in Finance, Marketing or Operations may disagree, and certainly that would be an interesting dialogue. But I would like to explore this idea of the complexities of HR just a bit.

What strikes me is that those aspiring to become HR leaders must have a reasonable grounding in: Read more…

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Culture

Dealing With a New Company Culture: Do you Compromise, or Adjust?

by on May 13, 2013, 7:00 AM  |  1 comment
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How are you going to deal with a new culture? Do you think the leadership style in another country will make a difference? I know that you can be very opinionated, but you may need to tone it down in another country.

Questions about workplace culture have always intrigued me. What is a successful model so that you are accepted into a new environment?

What if you are rejected? How can you get a sense up front to make the changes to increase your chance of success? What will you have to give up — and what will they have to give up?

These are all interesting questions, and they are all relevant. Read more…

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HR Insights

Why Do We Seem to Hate All the Things That Make HR Great?

by on May 9, 2013, 9:12 AM  |  19 Comments
Humanresources

There’s a disturbing trend I’m seeing in the HR profession.

Call me dramatic, but I think HR has a self-hate problem.

What do I mean? Well, think about this question — “Why aren’t more HR people getting degrees in finance?”

Or, consider these statements —

  • “I’m a business person, not an ‘employee advocate.’ If it makes sense for the business, I’m an advocate for it. Period.”
  • “If you ‘like people,’ then HR’s not the job for you. Go work for a union instead.”

Hmmm… Read more…

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HR Insights, HR Management

3 More Key Predictions For the HR Department of 2020

by on May 8, 2013, 10:20 AM  |  1 comment
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Second of two parts

Editor’s Note: For Part 1, see 3 Key Predictions for the Human Resources Department of 2020.

4: HR will utilize analytics and Big Data to augment its value

In-house HR professionals will need to embrace analytics and “big data” to become strategic leaders in their companies. Gyutae Park, head of Human Resources at Money Crashers Personal Finance, predicts that:

In the coming decade, the career trajectory of HR professionals will be determined more so than ever by the analysis of data and metrics. Although HR already uses some metrics such as turnover ratios and employee engagement levels, you can expect to see new metrics tracked and used in HR, such as the average timeframe for staff to be ready for promotion, or percentage of top candidates to be hired within the organization.” Read more…

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HR Insights, HR Management

3 Key Predictions For the Human Resources Department of 2020

by on May 7, 2013, 8:10 AM  |  15 Comments
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First of two parts

The human resources department is doomed.

There is no viable future for the HR function, and HR professionals will inevitably be replaced by software. At least that’s what some are saying.

They’re wrong.

Without a doubt, software is changing how HR functions. But rather than spell the end of human resources, the nine experts I interviewed predict these changes will provide growth opportunities for HR professionals. Read more…

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