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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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What SHRM's Future Insights Report Means for Engagement and HR

January 11, 2012

SHRM released its Future Insights Report on the Top Trends for HR according to SHRM’s HR Subject Matter panel.  This report highlights key HR-related topics and trends, as seen by subject matter experts from SHRM’s Special Expertise Panels. These trends are a valuable resource for any HR professional interested in seeing what issues HR subject matter experts believe will have the biggest impact on the workplace today and in the years ahead.

The report is broken down into key categories for HR, with each area having about 10 top trends. The trends indicate a promising revolution to the traditional role of  HR in the organization and how organizations interact with employees and HR’s important role in this change. Of note, however, is the distressing (but not all that  surprising to read) insight that technology and social media are seen as becoming more of a negative influence on workplace civility, manners, company information, privacy, business writing and etiquette. And their use is seen as increasing opportunities and avenues for harassment.

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The State of Social Media Marketing [Report] #awarenessinc

January 4, 2012

Top Areas For Social Marketing Investment and Biggest Social Marketing Challenges in 2012

From Awareness, Inc
Creators of the Social Marketing Hub

The definitive social marketing industry report.

In December 2011 Awareness surveyed over 320 marketers from a wide variety of industries and levels of social marketing experience. This report brings to you those insights and benchmarks to solidify your social marketing strategy, grow your social footprint and engage with your audiences for maximum return. You will learn how leaders allocate resources, discover the top social platforms and social media management tools they use,  social marketing investment priorities, and the practices companies will adopt to ensure 2012 is the year of the social business.

You will notice some underlying themes in this report:

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  • Executives and senior managers are looking for traction in three key areas – ROI, integration of social with lead generation and sales, and expansion of social presence and reach.
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Enterprise 2.0 Live Binder: A Resource You Shouldn’t Miss

August 26, 2010

I had such a tremendous response to my previous list of micro-blogging and enterprise 2.0 resources, that I thought I would research just a little bit more to see what else I could find. I came across this “live binder” of Enterprise 2.0 resources put together by Ellen Trude, a teacher by profession, and who is currently a training consultant for social media and special projects concerning collaborative platforms. Her live binder contains an immense amount of Enterprise 2.0 studies, blog posts and research that makes it one of the most comprehensive resources I’ve ever come across. If you’re putting together a presentation, post or paper on Enterprise 2.0, this is a resource you shouldn’t miss.

It is a pleasure to post the live binder here in recognition of all of the effort she put into it. If you wish to connect with Ms. Trude, please follow her @e_trude.

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Extensive List of over 40 e2.0 Micro-Blogging Case Studies and Resources

August 9, 2010

Micro-blogging is the social media buzzword that gets some serious mojo going for those of you passionate about social networking for the enterprise (myself included). There are a plethora of tools available, and if you want a quick snapshot, you should read this CIO article on “12 Microblogging Tools to Consider.” In response to my previous post, “Extensive List of over 30 Enterprise 2.0 Case Studies and Resources,” I had an overwhelming request for case studies specific to micro-blogging. So here it is. I hope you enjoy your new bedtime reading material.

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Extensive List of over 30 Enterprise 2.0 Case Studies and Resources

July 31, 2010

It’s only natural that everyone wants to know what everyone else is doing. Building an effective enterprise social technology strategy means looking into what other companies have deployed and whether or not they have seen positive results from their efforts. However, I’ve come to the realization that it is actually somewhat difficult to find a really good collection of case studies for enterprise 2.0 or information on what other companies have done to integrate social technologies within internal communications. With that in mind, I decided to put together some of the case studies and research I have found in my own search. The credit for many of the items on this list really goes to Jacob Morgan, who performed or found some of the case studies for his own blog, Jacob Morgan: Social Media Globetrotter. Please feel free to submit additional resources and I will gladly add them to this list.

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Social Media for Internal Communications Case study: Vets Now

July 31, 2010

Original Post: Using social media to improve internal communications, simply-communicate.com

As a social media agency, FreshNetworks is often asked to help clients develop and implement a social media strategy.

This was the case with Vets Now – a provider of out-of-hours veterinary care for veterinary practices across the UK. The goal was to engage internal stakeholders through social media.

Vets Now is the type of business where employees work not only alone, but also unsociable hours. By using social media, Vets Now hoped to increase communication and engagement amongst employees who don’t get the opportunity to interact with each other in person, let alone with anyone else.

Vets Now also hoped that increasing interaction among internal staff and stakeholders would help with knowledge sharing that would, in turn, help regulate and improve clinical standards and best practice across the industry. By doing this the aim was to position themselves as global experts in veterinary Emergency & Critical Care (ECC).

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Nick O'Neill: The 10 Social Media Metrics Your Company Should Monitor

February 25, 2010

Original Post: Nick ONeill, Social Media Today

Metrics IconWhile companies are starting to adopt Social Media for online marketing campaigns, and even letting employees participate, the question of ROI (Return on Investment) arises, along with doubts about what metrics to measure. How do you know how effective your social media campaigns are if you’re not measuring any metrics, let alone an overall ROI? Below, we discuss ten important Social Metrics for companies.

According to 2009 Mzinga & Babson Executive Education study, over 80% of professionals do not measure ROI for their company’s social media programs. Granted, Social Metrics and their measurement techniques are relatively new, and this might account for the lag in tracking. However, there are some organizations measuring social metrics, which enables them to eventually measure ROI. Marketing Sherpa’s survey of 2,000+ marketers shows the following three social metrics at the top of what’s being measured:

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UMass Study Demonstrates Growing Importance of Social Media with Fortune 500s

February 25, 2010

The Fortune 500 and Social Media: A Longitudinal Study of Blogging and Twitter Usage by America’s Largest Companies
Conducted By: Nora Ganim Barnes, Ph.D., Eric Mattson CEO, Financial Insite


Due to the hugely influential role of Fortune Magazine’s list of America’s largest corporations (“Fortune 500″) play in the business world, studying their usage of new technological tools like social media offers important insights into the future of commerce.

In 2009, the Center for Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth released one of the first studies of the Fortune 500′s adoption of one of the best-known forms of social media – blogging.

This new study revisits and refreshes that prior in-depth study and expands to look at the Fortune 500′s usage of the most dramatically growing new social media site – the microblogging service Twitter.

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