Executive Yak

Did you know that pandemics can increase very drastically and exponentially is as little as a few weeks, they often come in waves, each successive wave being more serious. In fact, our businesses in today’s global, ”just-in-time” economy are more vulnerable than at any time before in human history. Just imagine that 40 percent of your employees are absent due to illness and another large segment is gone to take care of sick family members and/or volunteer in the community to provide essential services.

While many disasters impact primarily things like telephones and telecommunications, a pandemic flu uniquely requires a strong HR response: the pandemic flu would primarily impact people, and staffing.

What does this mean for your company? Has your HR executive been involved in developing a business continuity plan to deal with the impact of a pandemic on your workforce and provide education/advice to staff? Such a plan would need to address a range of issues from how to deal with potentially huge absenteeism and loss of productivity – at a time when your company might already be stressed due to the economy – to the need for specific policies not only pertaining to sick leave for  employees but also for dealing with employees that are absent to care for family members, parents that need to stay home to care for children when their schools are closed, staff involved in volunteer efforts to deal with the crisis, and staff that may simply be too scared to come to work. You also need to make sure you have a plan in place for how to proceed if your key employees become sick or even die. Do  you have a scalable telecommunications policy in place and criteria for what employees can effectively work from home (this may also entail preparatory work by your IT staff to ensure that you are technologically set up to allow employees to log in from home). What about flexible working hours and staggered shifts? Do you have videoconferencing technology in place (in case of a pandemic, there will be rush for those services, so may want to think about getting ahead of the crowd now)? Will the impact of a pandemic on your company be severe enough to force layoffs or even closure because your services will be in less demand, or will you see a huge surge (for example internet, videoconferencing, and healthcare)?

Here is a link to CDC’s web site providing businesses with an important checklist: http://pandemicflu.gov/plan/businesschecklist.html

What is your company doing?

Earth Day is almost over and I promised myself I would write a blog posting to add something of value before I leave the office. So, here I go….

What did you do today to support the environment? Is your company a leader? Are you making a difference! I promise your employees will feel better if you can find ways for them to contribute, even a little bit.

Here is a brain-storm list of to do’s a group of HR and Marketing executives I met with some time ago came up with. These are specific things you can do right now to demonstrate you care about the effect you and your company are having on the environment:

Energy:

• Use auto off lights
• Shut off all computers at 7pm
• Use double-sided documents
• Use two monitor screens to save printing
• Use compact florescent lights
• Get rid of unnecessary exterior lights
• Dust lights
• Shut off computer monitors
• Use sleep functions on electronics
• Use energy star office equipment
• Use certified recycled paper
• Use soy ink  

Waste:

• Remove disposables
• Reuse things
• Recycle
• Compost
• Ask for product take backs
• Use real dishes, not paper

Transportation:

• Subsidize public transportation
• Encourage flex car use
• Provide guaranteed rides home
• Combine trips
• Set up internal intranet information for carpools
• Encourage flex time
• Provide telecommuting options
• Subsidize or pay for bikes
• Use video conference equipment/reduce travel
• Offer lockers, showers, onsite bike tune-ups, shuttles  

Remember to think about the effects in the long term. Look at your ROI and brand strategy.  Look at employee engagement!

Add tips to this list! What else can you think of?

In a few days I will be meeting with a group of senior HR executives to discuss talent management strategies in a down economy. One could argue that in an economic downturn talent management becomes increasingly important; nevertheless, it can also quickly become a lower priority in the minds of some businesses that are faced with pressures to cut costs and do more with less.

Here are some of the questions we will be exploring together:

·         What does talent management mean? Is it just a trendy phrase -  repackaged traditional HR strategies – or something new, more strategic and integrated?

·         Is talent management more or less important during a down economy? If it is more important, what exactly do you invest in? How has the recession changed your approach to talent management?

·         What are some of the talent management strategic opportunities that have opened up as a result of significant job losses from large employers?

·         What are you doing to retain and develop critical and high potential talent? What’s the consequence of not keeping your talent engaged? What will happen when the economy improves if you treat people badly now?

·         Do you understand what matters the most to your critical talent? Why is that important?

·         How is the recession impacting the relationship between employers and Generation Y?

·         Are companies trying to understand their workforces better in light of the changing economic climate? Are we becoming more methodical and strategic about looking at what skills we need and actually have?

·         What are the results/outcomes of effective and sustainable talent strategies?

Do you know how to answer these questions for your organization? Do you have a strategic HR leader advancing an executive-level discussion?

What other questions can you think of that we need to ask ourselves vis-à-vis talent management in this environment?

Stay tuned for an update next week.

A group of HR executives recently shared  a list of tactics they use in their on-boarding initiatives to get new employees integrated more quickly. All new employees:

·         Are brought into the corporate office to experience the company culture. Big $ commitment.

·         Are set up to do business their first day of work. When they arrive they find everything they need, from business cards and a nametags to a desk. You name it! Kind of a like a “goody box.”

·         Are given a book about the company’s informal network: “how you really get things done around here.”

·         Do a scavenger hunt on day one: self-guided tour. They may need to go get signatures from three directors, get a sign-off that they have talked to a non-accounting person about how to update your budget with accounting, and so forth. Or, do an on-line scavenger hunt to get critical information about the company.

·         Have lunch set up with  someone new every day the first week at work.

·         Work one level down for a week to see how their work impacts others downstream.

·         Have their pictures taken and posted along with employee events on a big screen monitor in the reception area.

·         Have their name and photo posted in the elevator on their first day of employment.

·         Get three letters: an offer letter, a letter of welcome sent to their home from HR, and a personal letter from the CEO talking about the company goals and values.

·         Get a welcoming card from their department signed by all team members.

·         Receive “Get To Know You” sheets that ask about what activities they like and how they would prefer to be recognized.

·         Get paired up with a mentor.

·         Get invited to a lunch with the Board.

·         Get to see a very personal video featuring the founder of the organization (the video was put together in response to a contest in which employees were asked to submit video ideas).

What other ideas do you have? Add to the list!

Do you have any crazy stories about on-boarding “gone awry?”  Share your story anonymously at http:HRUndercover.com. Or share it right here in the Comments section!!!

Some time ago I met with a group of executives to discuss their personal leadership journeys. In the course of “yakking”,  a list of behaviors and traits emerged that they felt effective leaders today exhibit. They:

• Mentor, coach and grow others
• Care about people
• Know the right questions to ask
• Are credible
• Have courageous conversations
• Are human and authentic
• Manage by influence, not status
• Admit they are not perfect
• Are eager to grow and learn
• Make work fun
• Are approachable
• Understand that leadership is a journey, not a destination
• Do not stand in the way
• Build trust

Almost all the executives participating in this ”yak” had experienced some personal “leadership epiphanies” that importantly impacted their own leadership journey. For example, one HR executive  resigned from a well-compensated position with a reputable company  to be true to her values when she was unable to influence unethical practices of her boss. Are you willing to give up your job to stand firm on your principles? What leadership traits do you think are missing from the list?

Have you had “a leadership epiphany?” Share your personal story anonymously at http://HRUndercover.com

Human resources executives are telling me employees are showing more signs of stress. For example:

• More loans out of 401K plans
• More referrals to Employee Assistance Programs
• More requests to employer-sponsored charity funds
• More requests to add a spouse to health insurance (spouse has lost job)
• More employee relations issues and complaints addressed to corporate offices
• More employees deciding to not watch the news based on  “doom and gloom” messaging

What else are you seeing?

How are marketing executives responding to the down economy? Is this the time to “hunker down” or “build share”? These are some of things marketing executives are telling me they are doing:

• Mining current customers and focusing on retention.
• Doing competitive analyses.
• Paying attention to internal marketing.
• Re-evaluating marketing mix.
• Getting house in order. Tightening the message.
• Building out networking sites.
• Offering incentives to do business.
• Thinking “guerilla marketing”
• Breaking the “rules.”  Getting “out of the box.”
• Negotiating with vendors. Shopping around.
• Looking for acquisitions to help company grow.
• Relying more on social media and online marketing.
• Attending fewer industry tradeshows. Hosting smaller, private events.
• When cutting budgets, finding ways to make sure cuts are not strategically significant.
• Innovating on the product side.
• Retooling and reviewing the brand.
• Focusing on building strong, consistent internal cultures that will resonate with customers.

What are you doing?