Category Archives: General

The Purpose of Human Resources

What is the purpose of human resources in an organization?

Have you ever wondered about the purpose of human resources? Does the stereotypical HR person represent you? Are we working to make sure everyone is “playing nicely” and that every rule is being followed to the letter of the law? Are we planning picnics and making sure that nobody’s feelings are hurt whenever a decision is made?

Lord, I hope not. 

I see the purpose of human resources as something else entirely, and some of the brightest people in the entire human capital industry do as well. Check out this phenomenal quote that made me stop in awe–it encapsulates well the true purpose of human resources.

HR departments should focus both on talent (getting better people) and organization (building stronger capabilities). If the focus is only on talent, the organization may be a disconnected group of all-stars who don’t play well together and don’t win over time. Line managers need to find great people, but then create great organizations for the people to work in. The strongest HR departments help secure talent and shape organizations.

And that, my friends, is a great example of what HR should be about. When you’re looking at your “to do” list, the major items should always map back to those two key components: getting better people and building stronger capabilities.

Everything else is second.

Because at the end of the day, your leadership team is going to pat you on the back not for the great cake you baked or the employee whose hand you held when they had a tough time, but for the talent and the culture that will sustain the business through good and bad times. That’s your true role. That’s the purpose of human resources.

Are you living out your purpose as an HR pro? Why or why not?

5 Things to Do After You Get Certified

Recently I had a friend get the PHR certification. We were talking about the process and what she should do after she got the official “pass” notification from HRCI, and here’s what I suggested to her.

  • Update email signature-some people see this as silly, but it’s one of those little details most of us overlook. Go ahead and declare your certification and be proud of it!
  • Notify your manager-let your manager know that you officially got the “pass” and what that means for you. If you discussed a raise after getting certified, this is the time to bring it up. If not, start thinking about how you can make the case for one (what do you know now that will make you better at your job and worth more money?)
  • Update your LinkedIn profile-get your shiny new PHR/SPHR/GPHR label out there for the world to see. Sometimes if you don’t update things right away you forget to do them!
  • Update your resume-take a few minutes to update your resume to be sure that it reflects your certification–small updates here and there make it easier to manage your resume over time.
  • Get started on recertification.

What else should someone do after they complete their certification?

20 Most Popular Posts of 2012

I say it every year, but WOW the past 12 months have flown by. This has been a year of growth and learning as well as loads of fun and friendship. I launched my first study course, and the 5th HRevolution event was a smashing success. Somehow we managed to cram that into one year, and if you were hoping for a break, let me clue you in: I don’t expect next year to be any slower!

That said, let’s take a look at the most popular posts of 2012. These were the posts that received the most traffic (and helped the most people) this year, though not all of them were written in 2012. Have a favorite? See one that looks interesting? Feel free to share with a friend!

  1. How to Get a Job In HR-perennial crowd favorite
  2. How to Create a New Hire Welcome Letter (barely edged out its sibling below)
  3. Crafting a Welcome Letter to New Employees
  4. How to Write Job Postings that Don’t Suck-this guest post from my friend Dr. Daniel Crosby is still going strong
  5. Corporate Culture Examples-looking at how some companies use culture
  6. How to Ask Questions During an Investigation-HR. Employee Relations. Investigations. Need I say more?
  7. HR to Employee Ratio-looking at how many HR pros you need at different employee base numbers
  8. 4 Things Great HR Pros Know-strangely enough, this is found by people googling “4” more than anything else!
  9. Benefits of Performance Appraisals-looking at how these tools can help businesses and people
  10. 50 Human Resource Challenges-a great list of ways to get your HR team fired up to kick off 2013
  11. Comments for Performance Reviews-what do you say on those things, anyway?
  12. New Hire Orientation eBook-the free guide to onboarding and new hire orientation
  13. Employee to HR ratio-close cousin to the other post above with a similar name
  14. How to Get a Press Pass as a Blogger-probably being searched by PR and newsy-type people, but it’s a neat tip
  15. Entry Level HR Jobs-the first ultimate guide and one of the most requested pieces of info by new HR pros
  16. How to Establish Credibility-because we all need it, and we could all use just a little more
  17. How to Run a One Person HR Department-funny that I wrote this before I actually did it, and now that I do it I haven’t written anything on the topic (anyone interested???)
  18. How to Stop Nepotism at Work-a great question and some phenomenal support from readers
  19. Should I Get an MBA or a PHR or SPHR?-The timeless question for those of us with limited time, money, and patience
  20. PHR Study Materials (Cheap and Free)-Because we’re not all rolling in cash
  21. Employee Retention eBook-free guide covering employee retention best practices
  22. Employee HR Portal-what to put in an employee HR portal, how to build one, etc.

So you got just a bit more than 20, but I’m all about exceeding expectations.

Did you have a favorite post in 2012? What was it? Why?

Better Communication at Work-Fluff ‘n Stuff Matters

If you’ve been thinking about having better communication at work, but you’re not sure how, here’s a quick tip from a former manager that has stuck with me.

better-communication-at-workEvery year when we held our annual kickoff meeting to prepare for the hurdles ahead, she walked us through a quick presentation of her expectations for the team. It touched on responsibilities and ideas for better communication at work, among other things. And every time, without exception, she would mention “fluff ‘n stuff.”

One example of better communication at work

A manager emails you asking for an idea of how the recruiting is going for an open position in his department. You have two ways to respond. Both ways get the same pertinent information across, but one way involves slightly more effort on your part.

  1. Hey, Tom! It is going well. We are scheduling two candidates to interview later this week. You’ll see the calendar invites shortly. Thanks!
  2. Hey, Tom! Thanks for reaching out. It’s going really well. We actually have two candidates that we’re scheduling to interview later this week. I will be sending the calendar invites to you shortly. Hope you guys are doing well up there. Let me know if there is anything else I can do in the meantime. Thanks!

Clearly option two is what I’m referring to in terms of adding the “fluff ‘n stuff.” Even though it took an extra 15 seconds to write the additional words, the feeling of the response is more friendly and personable.

It’s not a revolutionary, world-changing avenue for better communication at work. But it’s the little things like this that make you and your department the resource that all staff come to when they need help. I’m not saying that the first response would be wrong, and there are times when the time crunch forces a shortened response. But over time if I’m sending a significant number of those, I will take the time to send a longer, more detailed response once in a while.

That’s one solid tip for better communication at work. Do you have one? Do you use “fluff ‘n stuff” when you respond to your staff? Why or why not?

HR and Talent Management Book Club

How to start an HR/Talent management book club

I’ve talked with our local SHRM chapter in the past about possibly setting up a HR/talent management book club since it seems like it would be fairly easy to initiate and manage. Then a few weeks ago our 2013 president reached out to me again about the possibility of starting this group for real.

I’ll share the info I have and the meeting outlines for anyone who might be interested in starting their own HR book club.

For those of you who were wondering, this is different from the Company Book Club alternative that I discussed a while back. That’s a different concept and while I touch on book clubs there, this post is exclusively focused on the concept. 

HR management book clubHR management book club basics

We’ll look at books on how to manage people. We’ll look at books on managing change. We’ll look at books that laugh at the dumb things employees do that we have to deal with on a daily basis (yes, really!).

The group meets once a month at 8:00am on the third Wednesday morning at a local coffee shop for one hour.

I’m still trying to determine the number of books. One per quarter seems too low; one per month seems a bit much for some people.

Anyone is welcome to come; however, there will be a limit of ten or fifteen participants per meeting to meet space limits and encourage participation/discussion by the group members.

HR management book club agenda

Here’s the agenda I plan to work from:

  • 8:00-8:10 welcome/socializing
  • 8:10-8:50 book discussion (I can develop questions to bring or let the conversation roam; I’ll be prepared for either avenue)
  • 8:50-9:00 prep for next meeting, closing thoughts/feedback, etc.

HR management book club selections

My first rule is this–all of the books should not be HR-related. Some should be, because we can all stand to be stronger in our area of expertise. However, we also need to expand beyond the HR arena into other areas of the business.

I’m a fan of mixing prescribed and self-selected books to ensure the experience is more targeted to group interests while still expanding beyond “comfortable” book choices. 

So how do you let the group pick self-selected books? Using the principles I outline for developing a 5 minute survey with free tools, you could set up a quick voting system to allow anyone in the group to vote for their own favorite options. Just pull a handful of titles from this page and let people vote on what sounds interesting.

Generating interest in your HR management book club

It’s easy to find book lovers. It’s much harder to get people who are on the fence or are crazy busy (who isn’t these days?) to commit. Here are a few tips for creating a book club that engages better than the traditional events:

  • Encourage fluid commitment-people can attend on/off and only when they find the particular book interesting.
  • Offer discussions via a LinkedIn group to allow for greater interaction between meetings.
  • Have ways for people to interact even if they can’t attend meetings (LinkedIn, alternative meetups, etc.).
  • Collect minutes/main ideas and distribute to all interested parties to spread the ideas further than the group and generate further interest (like the HR Roundtable Discussions).

And if all else fails, drop this classic line from selling expert Brian Tracy on the undecided:

To gain a competitive advantage in your career, read at least one hour per day in your chosen field. One hour a day will translate into approximately one book a week. One book a week will translate into approximately fifty books over the next twelve months. If you read an hour a day, one book per week, you will be an expert in your field within three years. Through continuous learning, you will be a national authority in five years, and you will be an international authority in seven years. All leaders are readers. Source

Love to hear some thoughts/feedback. Anyone have a book club they’ve participated in previously? What did/didn’t work?

Adverse Impact Analysis: A Practitioner’s Guide (Book Review)

statistical adverse impact analysisStatistical Analysis of Adverse Impact: A Practitioner’s Guide by Stephanie R. Thomas

I know, adverse impact analysis is not my usual fare.

However, I’m working on a new project, and I need to expand my horizons a bit. To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect from this book. I thought I might pick up an idea or two, but I wasn’t prepared to be sucked into the world of statistics and how they can be used to prove (or disprove) a claim of adverse impact.

Being in the government contracting industry, I have the OFCCP and the EEOC to think about, which means the topics in the book were exactly what I need to know to do my job better.

Highlights from Statistical Analysis of Adverse Impact Continue reading →

Lesson Learned-The Easy Way that Wasn’t

HR zombieI was rocking right along, knocking out items on my To Do list and feeling pretty good.

Then it hit.

I thought I had made the right choice. I thought it was going to be the “easy way” to get things accomplished.

Apparently not.

Despite knowing–knowing–that the quick/easy way is really just a house of cards that won’t stand up to a little turbulence, I tried it anyway.

Tomorrow I get to start cleaning it up, piece by piece. The process will be littered with frequent, poignant reminders that what I know in my heart is true–the “easy way” rarely is.

The zombie isn’t really relevant to this post, but he makes me feel better.