From the category archives:

Human Resources

Nobody Puts HR in a Corner! (The invaluable role of HR in organizational strategy)

April 13, 2012

Image courtesy of KnotworkShop on etsy

I know I’m dating myself, but I still get a little faint when I think of the scene in Dirty Dancing where Patrick Swayze comes into the room, finds Baby and says “Nobody puts Baby in a corner.” Although often overshadowed and overlooked, she was integral in executing the talent show, where she brought together the entertainment staff and the resort guests.

I can’t help but think that HR is often placed in the same role as Baby. Human Resources, the ambiguous partner to marketing and communications,  has always been a point of some confusion, as companies struggle to discover the best ways in which to utilize such a vague, although invaluable, function. I came across a post by compareHRIS.com which illustrates the need for HR to take action in not only conceiving but in actually implementing strategy, and offers a fantastic guide to help HR professionals in doing so.

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Putting Social HR in Its Place: The Employee Lifecycle

March 27, 2012

Social HR and the Employee LifecycleWhen I present social business as my passion, the typical listener assumes I’m talking about Yammer, Facebook or Sharepoint. It’s interesting to see how they can easily confuse social platforms as the same as being a social business. But it’s not.

It’s easy to become distracted by shiny, new tools and platforms, but these are just delivery channels. As I’ve learned, and I’m sure as you have as well (if you’re reading this post), being a social business is so much more than that. Social within a business may have began with Marketing and IT, but let’s face it… we’ve reached a point where it’s clear that Human Resources is the GLUE in creating social programs that are not only relevant and adoptable to employees, but ones that transform your organization and its culture. If you’re truly looking to transform your organization through social tools, then your purpose should be based on the human ingredients necessary to drive that change: employees.

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The Measurable Value of Human Resources

March 13, 2012

I am not good at math. Never have been.

And I confess that I became an HR and Internal communications professional because I don’t like statistics and I don’t like analytics. In fact, there is a running joke among the people who know me that [insert inappropriate stereotype here] I’m the only Asian they know who isn’t good at mathematics. So, when it comes to return on HR and engagement efforts, I’m more of the “it feels right” versus the “how much did it cost me” school of thought.

Unfortunately, as we all know, this train of thought doesn’t work in business. And measuring the economic value of Human Resources is not as black and white to measure as, say, in Marketing. In fact, it’s not uncommon to overhear someone wondering what’s the value that Human Resources provides. We actually do need to show and prove that our efforts not only have a return on engagement but also a return on investment.

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Become an Employer of Choice by Recruiting from the Inside Out

February 10, 2012

Original source: Inside Out Recruiting, Recruiter.com

The job of the recruiting department today has become somewhat of a business generalist role.  They are measured in terms of typical recruiting metrics, but they really have to be astute in every facet of the business.  Marketing is one of those skill sets that a progressive recruiting department must add to their list of skill sets.  You’re no longer just recruiting for the marketing department, but you are literally doing marketing for your company in order to attract and retain top talent.

Marketing you ask?  Yes, you must become kings and queens of messaging as it relates to conveying your “employer brand”.  This starts on the inside of your organization.  It doesn’t do much good if your recruiters know that your company is an employer of choice but nobody on the inside of the organization knows that.  Once you “market” your key messages inside of your organization, your employees begin speaking with that same vernacular and hopefully recruiting great candidates along the way.

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Why You Should Attend The 2012 Social Media in HR Seminar

February 8, 2012

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The 2012 Social Media in HR Seminar
Tapping into the Power of Social Networks

April 17-18, 2012
NYSSA Conference Center
New York, NY

Some argue that human resources professionals are late-adopters when it comes to anything technology related, including social media. But the popularity and possibilities that social recruiting have brought to the profession are causing HR pros to take notice.

While part of HR’s role is to mitigate legal risks, another very large component is to help support and cultivate the corporate culture. As social media becomes more defined in the business world, human resources professionals will have a significant opportunity to leverage this powerful medium in many aspects of the business. [The Future of Human Resources, Mashable]

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Aligning Performance Management with Business Strategy (and Where Social Fits In)

November 10, 2011

In the October 2011 edition of HR Magazine UK, I was interviewed regarding my thoughts on integrating social technologies with performance management. Below is the article in its entirety. My contribution to this article is highlighted in red (note: I’m all the way down at the bottom!).

Original source: Energised and Positive, HR Magazine UK, October 2011, Rob Gray

performance

In challenging economic times, amid market volatility, certainties are thin on the ground. But when the going is tough, one thing we can be sure of is that employers will need to maximise the return they get from their staff.

Recent Hay Group research among 1,660 senior decision-makers in large organisations across more than 30 countries – including 100 in the UK – found on average employers were looking to achieve ambitious growth levels of 5.4%. As this outstrips GDP rises in most markets, it is clear leaders are seeking to boost employee productivity. However, given that many workers are already stretched, this is quite a tall order.

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Talent Communities: Incorporate Social Networking into Your Recruiting Strategy

April 13, 2010

Original post: Developing a Social Media Strategy, By Ryan Leary, Kenexa

As the saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. For corporate recruiters, the need to attract qualified talent in an effort to build a talent pipeline is the same. But how recruiters build talent communities and connect with both passive and active candidates is changing. There’s no denying that recruiting is experiencing a powerful paradigm shift powered by Web 2.0 technology. Web 2.0 is a new category of Internet tools and technologies that includes blogs; social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter; and content communities such as YouTube and Flickr that encourage collaboration and communication. According to a recent McKinsey & Company survey on Internet technologies, two-thirds of respondents view Web 2.0 as an important part of maintaining their company’s market position, either to provide a competitive edge, match the competition or address customer demand.

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Introducing JIBE: the Epitome of Social Recruiting

March 22, 2010

Social recruiting gets a kick in the pants with JIBE, a platform that uses the power of your friends to get hired.

I got my invite today to try out the newest platform for job seekers and recruiters alike. Currently in private beta, JIBE is the epitome of leveraging social graphing for finding candidates as well as positions — job listings are ranked by how often they are viewed and employers can “unlock” applicant profiles and then see who that applicant is connected to. The whole premise builds on how we’ve seen social media used for recruiting thus far and takes it to the next level. And it’s pretty freaking exciting if you ask me.

First off, I created my profile and immediately connected it to my Facebook and LinkedIn accounts. JIBE is supposed to integrate with your Twitter account as well; however, I haven’t been prompted or seen how this is done yet. Completing your profile builds your bank of credits, which you will need to apply for positions (additional credits can be purchased as well).

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