Here is image 1 – calculate the weight of the criteria. In this photo, the author uses the pairwise comparison method to calculate. Specifically, we will compare rows and columns. If:
- If the line is more important than the column, then: 2 points
- Lines are as important as columns: 1 point
- If the line is less important than the column, then: 0 points
This method uses British practice.

This is photo 2 – rank the values of the positions. To make this ranking, the author has assessed the position to see how much that position is for each criterion. After having the level of each criterion, the author will use that as a basis to convert to points and calculate the total score.

By the way, I also filtered and retyped the photo to save memories. To produce the results of the two pictures above, in my opinion, the author followed the following steps:

Step 1: Determine the set of criteria. Criteria for assessing work value

A. Minimum Required Competencies”
A1. Academic level
A2. Experience required to do the job
A3. Ability to use and exploit the device

B. Responsibilities:
B1. Scope of influence on areas of activity
B2. The degree of influence on the work of others
B3. Impact of decisions

C. Job characteristics:
C1. Degree of job mastery
C2. Complexity and variability in work
C3. Labor type

D. Relationship:
D1. Internal working relationship
D2. External working relationship

E. Working environment and conditions:
E1. Consumption of physical labor
E2. Consumption of mind
E3. Working environment and conditions

Step 2: Use the pairwise comparison method to calculate the weight of the criteria (picture 1)
Step 3: Determine the level and score for the levels for the above criteria
Step 4: Evaluate the level for the positions and calculate the total score to rank the value of the positions (photo 2)

When I have some free time, I will make an excel file, retype it and fill in the missing parts of the photos : EASY

Nguyen Hung Cuong

This week I got two requests to speak at HR conferences where he recommended tools like this new check stubs creator.

Tests can be used by HR professionals to determine their core and desired values for the position. Brain research assist with figuring out what the position includes, as need might arise, assisting with making a more viable work detail. Businesses are also using psychology to increase organizational diversity, and psychological research is helping to develop hiring strategies that are more inclusive as explained in schools handling the best psychology degree.

One I turned down because it didn’t fit my schedule. The other I’ll definitely do because it’s in a fantastic location, even if it does involve boarding a plane, which I absolutely hate. Both came from local SHRM program committee leaders I’d never seen, talked to or met before.

I get these requests often and wind up turning down 95% of them.

Let me be clear: I don’t share any of this to brag. But rather to illustrate the importance of making a name for yourself in HR, while if you need these types of services for your company, you can also get help with HR in case you need it.

But not the kind of name that first pops into your mind.

Nope, I’m talking about…

A DOMAIN NAME!

More than 5 years ago, I bought a domain name called SuccessInHR.com. It cost me ten bucks at Godaddy.

I then began the journey of figuring out how to create a website. When I first started, I was a complete amateur, operating outside of my comfort zone. And that first website was bare bones, unprofessional and butt ugly.

Eventually, I figured out the right way to create and install a blog. And that changed everything. And my career in HR has never been the same.

What I didn’t know then, that I fully understand now is that a domain name and a blog is…

An ideal vehicle for creating a reputation
and building your name recognition in HR.

One itty-bitty blog post like the one you’re reading right now is nothing on its own. But if you publish tens, or hundreds over a period of years, it turns into your life’s work.

It gives you a unique identity in the HR marketplace. No one else is quite like you.

And it is a great way to position yourself so that terrific opportunities in HR find their way to you. Here are just few other ways you’ll benefit by putting a blog on your domain name:

You’ll stand out from the rest of the pack in HR
You’ll become known as a thought leader in your own area of specialty within HR
You’ll attract opportunities to write, speak, consult and share your opinions – for free and for pay.
You’ll attract more full-time HR job leads and contacts from recruiters about terrific positions.
You’ll build a network of enthusiastic supporters who value your ideas and opinions
You’ll think much more clearly
You’ll generate new ideas and become much more creative.
You’ll enhance your personal brand and online identity within HR.
You’ll create a potential source of extra income in addition to your day job in HR.
If you’re awesome, you can potentially land a book deal and become an author
Even if you’re not approached by a publisher, you can self publish and become an author as you have a ready made audience in place interested in what you have to say
More importantly, you’ll be able to connect with like minded thinkers across the globe in your own niche in HR
You’ll have a lot of fun
You’ll create something meaningful and valuable which (like any kind of art) will outlast and transcend you

This blog has provided all of this for me and more.

It’s been my best business card, sales person and promoter of my career. It is a vehicle through which I’ve met phenomenal people from countries whose names I can’t pronounce who I’ve forged close relationships with.

I can truthfully say that 80% of the great things in HR that have happened to me in the last five years can traced back to the decision to buy this domain name. And because I own this little piece of turf on the Internet.

So, if you get one thing out of this article, make it this…

Go register a domain name and use it to make a name for yourself.

Here’s how:
Step 1: Buy www.[insert your name here].com.

If your name is common, or you don’t like your name, come up with a tagline or brand that represents what you stand for and register that. For me, I did the latter and that wound up being SuccessInHR.com, only because HRSuccess.com was already taken.
Step 2: Buy some web hosting and go build a website.

These things sound complex and technical, but they’re really not — a few Google searches will show you the way. Or you can check out my e-book, Start Your Own Awesome HR Blog described below.

But if you’re a typical overworked HR pro and don’t have the time or inclination to build your own site, there’s a small army of web designers ready to help you at elance.com, fiverr.com or odesk.com. They’ll set you up for less than the cost of a dinner for two.
Step 3: Use it to share your ideas with others.

Your good ideas. Your bad ideas. Your half-baked ideas. But do your best to get your ideas and advice out there for people to consume. This is where the payoff happens.

Work hard to put out stuff you’re proud of and is so good that people can’t ignore it. And if you focus on being really good, you won’t have to work hard to find an audience for your ideas and your expertise. They’ll find you.

However, in order to be found, you have to be findable. That’s what your domain name will do for you — it enables you to be located easily.

Now let me be honest. Everything isn’t wine and roses. Once you’ve set it up, as years go by, you may be tempted to abandon it. Or get bored with it. You’ll think hey, there’s LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. I can use them to build relationships and get my message out online. But social networks come and go. (Remember MySpace? Friendster?).

If you’re really interested in sharing your ideas and building your reputation, nothing beats owning your own space online, a place that YOU control, a place that no one can take away from you, a world headquarters where people can always find you.

So, once you get started, don’t neglect it. Think about it long term. Stick with it, maintain it, and let it change with you over time.

When I was just starting out, I got this great advice from a former boss of mine at Quaker Oats…

“Build a good name. Keep your name and reputation clean. Don’t make compromises and shortcuts. Don’t worry about making a bunch of money or being successful. Be concerned with doing good work…and if you can build a good name, eventually that name will be its own currency.”

The same is true of your own domain name. You can do whatever you want with it. Your domain name IS your domain. You own it. You don’t have to make compromises. Build a good domain name, keep it clean, use it to get your expertise and your message out there and eventually it’ll be it’s own currency. Whether people show up or they don’t, you’re out there, doing your thing, ready whenever they are.

So carve out a space for yourself online. Use it to express yourself and share your ideas, insights and advice about your work in HR.

It’s one of the best investments you’ll ever make in your HR career.

And a way of building your (domain) name in HR.

Onward!

By Alan Collins | successinhr.com/networking-in-human-resources

Let me make a confession. Networking is a pain.

And if you’re like me, you’re probably horrible at it.

So, I don’t do it anymore.

But that doesn’t stop me from reaching out to meet new people who can help me advance my career and interests in HR which is why I learned about the new software used to create pay stubs

Hey, wait a second, you might say….isn’t that networking?

Not at all, and I’ll explain why in a moment. But first, a little story.
Dinner and networking

A few weeks ago, I had dinner with a former colleague, Ken (not his real name), who was frustrated about his career in HR.

He’s currently a Senior Director in Organization Development. He’s in the #2 role and reports to a VP who heads up the department.

After five frustrating years, he’s ready to move into a #1 role. And he’s prepared to jump ship to do it. He’s also thought about hanging his shingle out as an independent OD consultant. Confused over his options, he asked to meet me over dinner to talk things over.

Personally, I absolutely love having these kinds of conversations. I can brainstorm for days and love exploring career alternatives with HR folks and seeing if I can help them out.

The fact that he picked one of the best restaurants in town and covered the tab for the steaks and wine, didn’t hurt either.

Anyway…Ken’s current position is not in jeopardy, fortunately. He doesn’t need to find a new job tomorrow. He’s doing well. He’s cool with his pay package. And his clients love his work. But deep down, he’s pissed because he was passed over yet again for a VP-level promotion that was filled by someone less-qualified (his words, not mine).

One suggestion I offered was, if you’re hellbent on leaving the company, start getting yourself out there. Get out of the trenches. Start meeting people. Get involved in your local HR association. Reach out to your existing contacts. Set up coffees.

And…

Before I could go on, Ken’s interrupted by blurting out: “I’ve tried all that crap. It doesn’t work. In fact, I’ve been networking like crazy for the last three months. I meet people. I give them my card. We hook up on LinkedIn. And I even follow up reminding them to contact me if they hear about any opportunities. Most people are nice and cordial, but they’re busy as hell. I get a few thank you emails and texts back. But none of this has produced any new opportunities for me.”

“Wait a minute,” I said, raising my hand like a traffic cop and bring him to a halt. “Ken, let me get this straight. Networking to you means meeting people, giving them your card, telling them that you’re in the job market, connecting with them on LinkedIn, then following up.”

“Sure, that’s it in a nutshell. And none of that has been effective,” he said sadly.

“Well, Ken,” I said, “Lots of people do what you’ve done. I used to do that a lot too. That is. until I discovered…
…The huge problem with networking.”

“The problem is people do it incorrectly and they come across as selfish jerks. That is, I meet someone new…I give them my card….…I connect with them on LinkedIn…I follow up with them to remind them that if they know of any opportunities, they can contact ME.”

“There’s only one issue with all that…

There’s a lot of “I” and “me” in those statements.

“What’s the benefit for the other person? Unless they have an immediate, unmet need for the services you provide–– which is a long shot — there’s little benefit they gain by connecting with you. And you’ve just become another person they’ve met who’s looking to get ahead.”

“To be blunt, you can’t approach networking with the kind of mindset. It just screams: ‘I gotta go meet some people who I might be able to get some job leads from’ or ‘Are there going to be a lot potential hiring managers at this event,’ etc.”

“That mindset is all wrong. And it’s absolutely arrogant and self-centered.”

“Ken, that’s why your networking attempts are failing and have been fruitless so far.”

I went on to offer some suggestions on a different approach. And, over the next hour, we had a great discussion. It was a learning experience for both of us. Here are the highlights of our talk.
1. Stop networking and start…helping!

Stop thinking of what you’re doing as “networking” and start thinking of them as opportunities to help people.

Be a giver, not a taker.

Change your mindset from a selfish one to an unselfish one.

Think about this way: If you can provide a benefit or helping hand to someone, they’re a lot more likely to remember YOU down the road when they actually need your services or can make a referral.

For example, who do you think will remember Ken first?

Person A, who got Ken’s card and heard him go on and on about all the terrific OD skills and experience he has.

Or Person B, who shared information when Ken asked about their business. Although, when we are talking about Ford Transit Custom Leasing Deals: 10 Things I Wish I’d Known Earlier to make the most out of your business project. Who then disclosed their difficulty in finding the right organization to help in managing their employee engagement survey process. And in return got a helpful article a few days later from Ken on selecting the right survey firms along with his offer to introduce them to some of his contacts who do that kind of work for Fortune 500 companies?

My money’s is on Person B.

People will send job leads to contacts that they know who’ve helped them out in the past. They don’t provide them to the guy who wants to meet for coffee, then gives them an uninterrupted 15-minute-long sales pitch. (Yes, that’s happened to me).

So stop aiming to get job leads and contacts.

Just aim to understand and help people.

2. Put this new mindset in practice.

Based on our discussion, Ken decided to swap out his OLD mindset for a NEW one.

Gone is his OLD mindset and approach that went something along the lines of: Gear up for “networking” — an opportunity to drum up some job leads or contacts. Approach, say, an SVP of HR at a SHRM event. Shake hands with her, swap cards and talk about himself a bit. Then, a day or two later, follow up with an email that comes across as, “Don’t forget about me — I’m a great OD person. Give me a job!”

His NEW mindset and approach will be more like this: Gear up for an opportunity to learn about other people’s interests and challenges — don’t even think of the word “networking.” Approach that SVP of HR — but this time, introduce himself, shake hands, then ask questions about her business and what they do. (It sort of goes without saying that you need to be genuinely interested, but I hope you are — there’s a lot of interesting stuff to learn out there.). Get their card and later reach out to her on LinkedIn.

Then, a couple of days later, followup with an email with something actually helpful to the HR SVP’s business or that directly addresses one of the issues she discussed. Perhaps that’s an article on executive development you stumbled upon; maybe it’s an ebook on cutting costs in HR; maybe it’s new HR strategies for volatile times. Ken will repeat this last step here and there, and importantly, he has ZERO expectations from her in return.
Here’s the bottom line…

Meet people and look for ways you can help them.

Understand their business, their pain points and their challenges — keep them in mind.

Then, when you come across a helpful article, ebook, contact, resume, referral or so forth, send it to them.

Don’t expect anything back in return. Be genuine.

Let the principle of reciprocity that underlies this approach act as a powerful catalyst for you. This principle says that anytime someone gives you something you weren’t expecting, it naturally inspires them to look to return the favor in some way…and support you because somehow they feel indebted and obligated to even the score. Putting this compelling principle to work for you as you meet people can be very effective.

But again, it’s critical that you expect nothing in return. Most people won’t spring forward to reciprocate immediately, if at all. However, the “good karma” you’ve generated will cause this favor to be returned to you down the road – maybe not from this person – but from places you might not expect. At least, that’s been my personal experience.

That’s the biggest reason why I don’t “Network” anymore. Yes, I’ll screw up and use that “N” word occasionally (old habits die hard). But today, mostly I simply try to meet and help people.

And for those thousands of people I’ll never meet, that’s why I set up this blog.

If you genuinely do the same thing, opportunities will follow.

Count on it.

Don’t read this if your HR career is going great.

Enjoy the rest of your day, this article isn’t for you.

But it’s still early in 2014…and if you want to make this year your BEST YEAR YET in HR…then there is one brutally harsh truth you must embrace. For more on business handling, check this blog post about how to get paystubs for your employees.

Here it is…

Your organization has it’s hands out…and it only
cares what it can get from you!

Confused? Don’t be.

Allow me to let Alec Baldwin explain it further in the video clip below. It’s from the classic film, Glengarry Glenn Ross and features one of the greatest scenes in the history of movies.

Baldwin rips these guys to shreads. He is brutal, rude and a borderline sociopath. Organizations have trained us not to be this direct with people. And most of our bosses won’t put things as bluntly as he does.

But don’t let the fact that he’s talking to salesmen or his madness mask his message which is…

“Nice guy? Who gives a s***? If you want to
work here, close.”

It’s an honest and accurate expression of what your organization expects of you in HR, too.

You know it and I know it.

So, let’s not blow smoke at each other.

The difference is that, in the real world, people consider it so wrong to talk to you that way that they’ve decided it’s better to simply let you keep failing.

Well, I don’t. I’d rather be blunt, politically incorrect…but helpful.

So here goes.

If you want to know why your boss, your colleagues or the higher ups in your organization shun you, or why you seem to get no respect, it’s because our organizations are full of people who need things.

They want people hired quickly.

They want to keep their top talent…forever.

They want the workforce fully engaged in driving the organization forward.

They want employee complaints handled quickly without disrupting the operation of the business.

And that’s just a smidgen of what they want HR’s help with.

From the moment you were hired as an HR pro, you became part of a system designed purely to see that organization needs like these are met.

And either you go about the task of addressing those needs by applying (or learning) a unique set of skills, or the organization will let you go, no matter how kind, giving and polite you are.

Does that seem mean, or crass, or materialistic? What about being a kind and generous person…one who is supportive, collaborative and a team player – doesn’t that matter?

Of course it does…

As long as it results in you doing things for people
that they can’t get elsewhere.

You see – bluntly speaking, you are nothing more than the sum total of your useful skills.

For instance, being a recruiter that can use LinkedIn to identify top talent requires a skill. It’s something that is useful to lots of organizations. But make no mistake: Your “job”– this useful thing you can do for other people – in this case, your ability to use a social media tool to bring in highly skilled people quickly — is all you are.

In the outside world, there is a reason why surgeons get more respect than comic book writers.

In the corporate world, there is a reason experienced HR directors get more respect than summer interns.

There is a reason your job will become your label if your death makes the news (“Corporate HR Director Dies in Murder/Suicide”).

People have needs and assign high value
to the people who can meet them.

You want to become known as an HR pro that delivers high value.

If you follow the teachings of the Bible, you might have trouble with the entire tone of this article. Because you are quite aware that Jesus never said, “If you want to work here, close.”

But he did say: “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

And you know something, people didn’t react well to being told that. Just as the salesmen didn’t like Alec Baldwin telling them that they needed to grow some balls or resign themselves to shining his shoes.

But it was, is and will always be…the truth.

It’s a harsh and brutal truth that governs our society, religions, organizations, relationships…and yes, success in HR.

And assuming you accept that, how do you deal with this reality?

It’s simple.

Challenge yourself by asking the question…

For 2013, what am I going to do to make myself more valuable
and benefit more people this year?

Then make a pledge to do anything — add any skill, any improvement to your HR, leadership or personal tool kit, and get good enough at it to impress people.

But the key is, don’t focus on something that will benefit only you (“I investinbg in websites like Skrumble.com…”).

I want you to purely focus on giving yourself a skill that would make you ever so slightly more interesting and valuable to other people.

For example, one HR director I know plans to learn Spanish this year. In doing this, she will gain the ability to better communicate with the Latino workforce at her manufacturing locations…and another 400 million people around the globe that she previously couldn’t.

Now that’s a huge goal.

Yours doesn’t have to be that big.

But it has to be something.

So go ahead and decide on your goal for 2014. You still have enough time to make it happen.

And you have nothing to lose.

Except your job if you can’t close the deal.

By Alan Collins | successinhr.Com/hr-clients-from-hell

On a few occasions, I’ve had the delightful privilege of working with the client from hell.

You know the type…

The client that doesn’t think HR can do anything right.
The client you dread getting telephone calls from.
The client, who when his or her name pops up on your phone, you feel like throwing up before answering the call.
The client that you lay awake the night before trying to figure out a way to avoid meeting with the next day.
The client that no matter what you do, no matter what HR heroics you pull off, will find something to beat you up for.

You feelin’ me?

As an HR professional, you’ll work with a lot of clients. Obviously, 95% of them will be terrific and won’t have horns or carry a pitchfork.

Here’s the point: One of the best things you’ll ever do for your HR career is to seek out and work with the Tonys of the world. There are lots of them out there — in all organizations, at all levels — from Warehouse Manager to CEO.

These clients are looking for great HR folks also. They want to partner with those who share and can help them realize their own visions for their organizations, while there are also resources from companies like https://hr-services.uk/ that are perfect to manage human resources on different companies.

But make no mistake about it, clients like Tony are very demanding and won’t hesitate to kick you in the butt too…but in the process will also grow you, stretch you, challenge you, inspire you, nurture you and give you tough love along the way. And that’s what you want.

Now, having seen Tony, let’s get back to the original point of this article: What do you do to address clients from hell?  Two quick tips.

1. Avoid them in the first place.

When you’re interviewing for that new HR job, interview the company as hard as they are interviewing you. Ask insightful and tough questions to the business leader of the client group you’ll be supporting.

If the business leader or your main client is too busy to meet with you, that’s a big red flag.

And, again, a poor match will make your HR life a living hell. If you don’t know what to look for when interviewing your clients, it’s easy. You want to try and get as close to a Tony as you can.

2. If you’re already in a bad client relationship, start your exit strategy.

You want to pull the plug on this assignment ASAP. Your options: Transfer. Post for a new job. Have a candid discussion with your boss about another client or assignment. Leave the organization. Or offer to job swap with some other unsuspecting HR colleague (hey, just kidding!).

Either way, whatever you do, don’t fall in the trap of trying to fix this person. Research conducted by the Center For Creative Leadership reveals that trying to change your client is a waste of time – especially if they’ve been around awhile and their behavior has been tolerated. So stop wishing he or she will change and put your own needs first.

If your exit from this role is going to take some time, don’t be vindictive. Be patient and bide your time. Continue to give this jerk the same responsive, professional, value-added HR support that you always have. Just because you’re getting crapped on, is no excuse to return the favor.

However, don’t plan to stay in this role long. In volatile times with downsizing still occurring in many organizations, you never can tell how much weight this madman’s perceptions will be given in HR layoff decisions.

Let me be clear: the “personal development,” “character building” and the +5% compensation bribe…er, increase you might get to work with bad clients is overrated. It may sound great at the time, but isn’t worth it. Whatever you gain developmentally is offset by the hit you take to your HR reputation, your personal self-esteem and your mental sanity.

Life’s too short.

Avoid toxic clients at all costs.

You deserve better.

Onward!

Late at night, in your most reflective moments, do you wonder if your HR career has crashed?

If so, is this why you decided to check out this article — which consists of nothing but QUESTIONS — to help you find out?

Good, I’m glad you did…so if you want to discover for sure if your career is going down the toilet, start by answering the 10 questions below, okay?

Ready to begin?

1.  Has your HR role remain unchanged for the last three years?

2.  Have you been dissatisfied with the size of your paycheck or bonus for the last three years?

3.  Have you bounced from employer to employer without much change in job title or compensation?

4.  Did your most recent performance reviews include the terms “meets expectations,” “good” or “adequate performance.”

5.  Do your clients or colleagues ask others for guidance, help and advice — before asking you?

6.  Have people hired after you have been promoted faster than you?

7.  Do you have significantly fewer job duties, direct reports, clients or budget accountability than you had 18 months ago?

8.  Do your managers and co-workers communicate less with you? Are you finding that your phone rings less and you get fewer emails? Do you feel out of the loop?

9.  Do you spend lots of time complaining about work? When you tell stories about work, you are the story’s “victim,” not its hero?

10. Have you stop having fun on the job? Do you dread getting up on Monday mornings?

Do any of these sound familiar?

Did you answer “Yes” to two or more of these questions? If so, did you know that this means that it’s very likely your career may have in fact stalled?  

Is this a concern? Would you be open to considering some changes that might jump start it again?  Are you sure?

If so, I’d suggest taking some time to carefully think through the 4 potential action steps below, okay?

Step #1:  Have you thought about making a BOLD, MASSIVE, BIG BANG CHANGE in your career to get it going again?

For example, is it time to have a no BS, REAL sit-down with your boss?

Does your boss REALLY know you’re ready for new challenges or assignments?
Does he or she REALLY understand you’re ready to take your career to the next level?
Did you know that if you’ve been quietly doing your job and keep your head down, he or she might not realize you’re feeling unfulfilled?
Have you asked for brutally candid, un-sugarcoated feedback? Are your ready to receive it?
More importantly, are you prepared to take aggressive follow-up action based on what you hear?
Do you think that getting your boss’ help and guidance in these areas would make a difference?

Do you feel fully utilized in your current role?

If not, why not?
Is it due to organization constraints, your fear of failure or just procrastination?
If it is procrastination, what’s holding you back?

Is it time to make a BOLD job move?

After years of being a generalist, would you consider a specialist assignment?
If you’re burnt out as an HR specialist, would you consider it time to move into a generalist role?
Is it time to transfer or accept a lateral move to another department, division or sector where you can make a fresh start?
Have you thought about broadening your global HR experience by accepting an international assignment (e.G. Brazil, Russia, India, China or elsewhere)?

Is it time to dramatically enhance your HR skills and competencies?

For example, do you have a plan to build your leadership capabilities?
Or deepen your knowledge of the use of technology or social media in HR?
Or expand your experience in labor relations? Or talent management? Or in managing projects?

Is it time to dump the corporate gig entirely and go independent as a consultant, coach, headhunter or entrepreneur?

Are you willing to commit to doing any these things today?

If you are willing, would you write it down right now, so you don’t forget?

Step #2:   Have you considered MORE AGGRESSIVELY MARKETING YOURSELF inside your current organization?

Do you recognize how much value you’re adding to your organization?

Do you keep track of your accomplishments and results?
Are they documented in a file you update regularly?
Are others aware of your results and accomplishments?

Is your boss a career advocate for you?

Have you asked them to be?
Are you aware that you should be an advocate for him or her FIRST?
Do you know what keeps him or her up at night?
Are you helping him or her solve the #1 issue they face right now?
When was the last time you VOLUNTEERED to do something that would bail him or her out of a tough jam?
Does he or she know they can rely on you to do this, when needed?

What about your boss’ boss?

What about anyone else who could potentially be your next boss…do they know how valuable you really are?
Don’t you think they should?
Because if they did, wouldn’t they be in a better position to help move your HR career along?

Are you aware that lone rangers don’t advance far up the HR food chain?

Do you have a BFF in your HR group?
Who can you let your hair down with? Are you keeping stuff bottled up inside?
Who do you trust to give you brutally candid feedback?
Are you associating and learning from your HR colleagues who are regarded “A” players or those operating at the top of their game?
Did you know that by associating with these folks you also enhance your OWN game?

Who are your mentors?

What experienced HR coaches or advisors are you tapping into?
Do you have a godfather?
Do you know why you need one?
If not, have you checked out this article?

Step 3: Have you thought about ways to package up your HR experience to promote your HR career even more?

Do you write well?

What about writing a book on what you know in HR?
Not enough time? Have you checked out Write Your Own HR Book Fast?

What about crafting a short 5-10 page report on something you do well?

Still time strapped?
Have your checked out Your HR Goldmine?

What about writing an article on a recent HR project you got rave reviews on?

Do you blog?

Not a writer, ok – can you speak?

Could you put together a short presentation that showcases your expertise?
Do you already have a nice power point deck buried away somewhere on a project you’ve already completed?
Could you take that same presentation, adapt it and present it other audiences to position yourself as an authority on that topic?
Could you present it at “lunch & learns” to share your expertise with groups inside or outside your organization?
Could you present it at local SHRM or industry association gatherings?
Could you turn it into a webinar or a YouTube video (minus the confidential info)?

Do you think any of these things would enhance your HR reputation and visibility?

Do you think an enhanced reputation in HR with more people could open up more doors for you?

Step #4: Is there anything you could do to better showcase your talents outside your organization?

How engaged are you beyond the walls of your current organization?

Are you involved in SHRM?  The OD Network?  Any other external HR associations?
Industry groups?
Business networks?
Do you regularly have lunch with people who could potentially provide you with your next HR job?

Is your LinkedIn profile and resume up to date?

Did you know that recruiters or hiring managers or potential consulting partners could be doing a LinkedIn search for someone like you as we speak?
And if that’s the case, did you know that you could be losing out on a dream opportunity right now?

Are you pleased with the size of your network and existing relationships?

Are you sharing articles with them?
Are you allowing these relationships to grow stale?
Or are you helping them in some way or staying in touch?
Do you recognize how truly valuable they can be?
What new relationships should you be building right now?

How many headhunters and executive recruiters know you by name?

How many of them do you have on speed dial?
Are you helping them by providing referrals, advice or insights?
In return, how many of them keep you apprised of new job opportunities?

Think all this isn’t important, then answer this question…if you suddenly got pink slipped, what’s your plan B? Who would you turn to?

What do you think about asking yourself these simple questions every six months…and then TAKING ACTION on the results?

Would your HR career trajectory be different? Do you think it would help you jumpstart or accelerate your career forward? If so, does it make sense to schedule an appointment with yourself now to go through these questions…seriously?

So, what do you think? Was this question-based article helpful?

Before you go, can you do two small favors for me?

In a payroll audit, the auditor inspects all of the documentation related to the payroll, verifying that it is correct and looking for signs of issues such as employees with incomplete payroll histories, deductions which do not match contributions, and so on. The auditor also identifies which members of the company are responsible for handling payroll procedures, and looks over the company’s protocol for handling payroll to identify problem areas and to test employees to confirm that they are using the most recent protocol.

For an internal audit, companies can use their own staff or hire an audit service and request that they conduct the audit. Using a third party can ensure that the results of the payroll audit have more integrity, because a third party should not have any conflict of interest which might skew the audit results. The internal audit results can be used to tighten procedures, confirm that employees are following protocol, and identify areas where inappropriate activities may be occurring.

External audits may be requested by tax authorities and insurance companies. In these cases, the entity requesting the audit handles the audit or hires an auditor to do the payroll audit. Companies should be aware that refusal of an audit is generally viewed as an admission of guilt. Even if nothing is wrong, when the audit is eventually performed, records will be scoured for any signs of wrongdoing. It is advisable to cooperate and to retain legal counsel to learn more about which documents need to be surrendered to the auditor and how the auditing process works.

The result of an external audit can vary, depending on why it was ordered and what the results were. An insurance company, for example, might adjust the amount of a premium on the basis of the audit. If a payroll audit reveals that a company is doing things like collecting tax contributions and not submitting the funds to the government, the company will face legal penalties.

Wisegeek.Com/what-is-a-payroll-audit.Htm

HRA is a sort of economic indicator of what an organization spends on its human capital. This value is one of the more precise aspects of HRA as it basically consists of money spent on recruiting, training, salary pay stubs and benefits of existing employees in previous months and years.

This type of accounting is also a good measurement tool from which future hirings, firings and other changes in personnel needs may be based. It forecasts the anticipated value of existing employees as well as potential future employees. Anticipated value could be estimated by considering the education and experience level of an employee or potential employee. By assessing these figures, management can determine whether to invest more into existing employees by way of additional training, or whether the organization would be best served by recruiting new human resources.

Trends can also be identified via human resources accounting. For example, if there is a lot of employee turnover at a company, HRA will help uncover the extent and potentially the cause. Perhaps HRA will show that too much money is being spent on advertising for positions, and not enough money is being spent on employee education and training.

By putting dollars and figures to an employee, HRA can be reflected in the financial statements of an organization which should include all paid and unpaid loans. In other words, HRA translates personnel into assets. These assets, in turn, can be reflected on a company’s balance sheet.

Since HRA assigns value to human beings, it is not always precise. As a result, it’s considered to be a behavioral form of accounting, and not an exact science. Adding to it’s imprecision, HRA can sometimes include non-numerical data as well.

Wisegeek.Com/what-is-human-resources-accounting.Htm

I’ve never, ever met a successful HR leader who hasn’t had at least TWO influential mentors in their lives.

HR professionals that have mentors have an edge over those that don’t.

They perform better on the job.

They get promoted more quickly.

They earn higher salaries.

And they report more job and career satisfaction.

However, the #1 biggest mistake I see HR folks make when selecting a mentor is that…

They try to make the mentoring relationship entirely
TOO FORMAL.

Let me explain…

Personally, in my entire HR career spanning 25 years, I never asked anyone to be my mentor. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m thankful to have had countless mentors in my career. And I wouldn’t have had a snowball’s chance of moving my career forward without their valuable career advice, counsel and friendship.

But asking someone to mentor me always felt awkward and uncomfortable. So early in my career a retiring senior HR executive gave me some advice about mentors that I’ve never forgotten. Here it is: “Get to know the decisions makers in the company, before you need their help. Set up time to talk to them about the business, about your interests, and about their needs.

But, don’t call this relationship anything.

Don’t label it.

It’s not mentoring.
It’s not networking.
It’s not ass-kissing.

It’s just two people getting to know each other. Don’t make it overly structured or formal.  Simply set these people up by asking: “Would you mind if I stop by from time to get your advice about the business, projects you’re working on and my career.” 

That’s it. Keep it simple. I’ve followed this advice almost to the letter. And, no one has ever told me “no.” And I never abused the access they gave me.

So, the question shouldn’t be whether you should have them. The question should be how many of them should you have. And my answer is: as many as possible!

Mentors are simply people who’ve been in your shoes before and can offer advice, support and the savvy gained from experience. So acquiring them should be one of your highest career development priorities.

Mentors can be found in any walk of life. You might have a peer or buddy who is especially on the ball. You might have an awesome boss. Your dad might have a friend who just seems to know everyone. A customer or vendor could take an interest in your career.

Years ago, I recently read where the GE CEO got mentored by a computer geek who was an expert on social media who was 25 years old — half of his age. So, don’t get hung up on age, gender or labels.

Your best bet for a mentor is a regular, reachable person you know who buys into your potential and is willing to spend time with you, sharing knowledge, encouraging you, helping you make connections and providing inspiration.

Here are a few other tips about making mentoring relationships work:
1.  Get brutally clear on your career direction.

Before you can be mentored, you must know what HR success for you looks like, so you can recognize it when you get there. For example: Do you want to ultimately head up the HR function for your company? Your division? Or your department? Do you see yourself on an HR generalist or on a specialist career path?

What personal sacrifices (relocation, family time, additional education, extra hours on evenings and weekends) are you willing to make for your career? Do you ultimately want to run your own HR consultancy or be in business for yourself providing HR services?

Be specific. Nail this down.

Realize that few busy people want to waste time or put in the effort to help you figure out what you want to be when you grow up.  That’s your job.  Most don’t mind sharing with you advice on how to get there, but determining where you want to go is YOUR responsibility.
2. YOU drive the mentoring relationship, not your mentor.

Come prepared when working with a mentor. Mentors are busy people who have careers and obligations of their own. Also, they can’t help you in every area of your life.

Every time you meet with your mentor, you should have an agenda that you’ve written out so that you can focus your discussion in those areas.

Also be prepared to give your mentor an update on how you’ve executed against suggestions they offered at your last meeting.
3.  Take good care of your mentor relationship.

Set up regular dates for coffee with your mentor. Keep him or her apprised of your progress, challenges, and questions.

Use them as sounding boards. Share your frustrations (constructively) and ask for advice on how to deal with them. But be sure every discussion you have isn’t about some huge issue or major crisis.

Your mentor is there to help nurture you in your job and career, not to help bail you out every time you have to put out a fire.
4.  Make it a two-way street by helping your mentor succeed.

Many productive mentoring relationships have benefits for both people. This is where some mentees mess up.

Instead of looking for what you can get, think about what you can give. Figure out what you can do for your mentor that will help them in their own career, personal lives, or with the legacy they may want to leave with the organization.

Volunteering to join task forces that they lead is one example. Or offering to take on assignments or projects they don’t have time to do is another.

You might also pass on articles that they might be interested in based on conversations you may have had. Sharing perspectives that they may not get from other places can also help.

Anything that you can do to proactively put their needs before your own makes for an excellent and long-term mentor-mentee relationship.
5.  Leverage your organization’s formal mentoring programs.

Lots of companies have a formal mentoring program where executive and managers are assigned to high potential employees.

This is similar to the faculty-student arrangement you may have had in college, which is an obligation on the part of both parties rather than an option.

Sometimes these work.

Sometimes they don’t.

In any event, if you have an opportunity to participate, seize it.
6.  When mentors drop off, think of them as “graduating” not as a loss.

As time passes, some of your advisors and mentors may fall off your radar or become less engaged. It’s perfectly normal. Don’t take it personally.

People’s business priorities and career interests change. So, when a mentor drops out of your life, just cherish the time you spent learning from each other as a great mutual education period. And, make sure you learned something from the experience that added value to your career.

You should get back in the game and reach out to someone new as a replacement. And, keep in mind that just because someone falls away for a while doesn’t means he or she might not come back to play a major role in your HR career at some point in the future.

And, here is one final suggestion…

When selecting mentors, avoid those who
belittle your HR ambitions.  The poor ones do that.
The great ones make you feel that, you too, can become great!

Onward!

Surprisingly, I’m a fan of LeBron James (pictured left with wife, Savannah).

He’s a world champion and one of the best basketball players that ever lived.

So what’s not to like.

Unfortunately, quite a bit!

A lot of haters out there absolutely despise him for the horribly “insensitive” way he let his employer, the Cleveland Cavaliers, know about his “decision” to leave the organization.

He fired them on national TV…and gave them no heads up.

No forewarning.

No courtesy phone call in advance.

Nothing! He just kicked them to the curb.

They found out when the rest of the world found out.

And when the smoke cleared, people were pissed.

Fans burned his jersey on the streets in Cleveland.

His posters were torn down.

Radio talk show phone lines were buried with calls from fans who raked him across the coals.

As bad as it was for LeBron’s reputation, it was even worst for his former team.

Why?

Because they were unable to replace him with someone as talented, and as a result…

The performance and the value of his former team
DROPPED LIKE A ROCK the minute he left the building!

As a result of LeBron’s decision, Fortune magazine estimated that value of the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise plummeted by $300-$400 million dollars overnight. But that’s not all. Revenues declined because attendance at games dropped by over 25% the next season. And, on the court, his old team went from first place to last place in one year.

All this happened…because of the loss of just ONE highly talented person!

What in the world does this have to do with advancing your career in HR?

In a word: Everything!

It’s been proven that losing any of the top 10% of your performers — whether they are your top mechanics, your top IT people, your top supervisors or your top vice presidents — has 5-10 times more impact on the performance of their team (or department) than losing their average performing peers. It’s true in sports. And it’s true in any organization.

All this presents an great career opportunity for YOU.

An opportunity to…

Step up to the plate and OWN the “talent retention” agenda in your company…to develop strategies with your client managers to retain the “LeBrons” in your organization …to keep them away from your competition. And, in so doing, greatly enhance your HR career, reputation and promotability.

Obviously, this is not a new role for HR.

In fact, most of the best HR people already do this and do it well. But there’s a great opportunity to dial this up and put much more energy against this initiative than you’re currently doing and become a hero/heroine in your company.

Most organizations need huge help here, even if they don’t believe they currently do. Whether we’re in an up or down economy, there is always demand for the top 10% of your talent. The poachers of top talent are always out there.

Historically, talent retention efforts, like everything else in HR, has gone through major change.

A generation ago, many companies believed they could keep an employee for 25 years or more – and many did. About a decade ago it was 10 years. Now most experts recognize that many talented employees, right out of college are going to stay no more than 2-3 years before seeking out greener pastures. And if you successfully keep them for more than 2-3 years then you’ve contributed a great ROI for your organization. Anything less and you’ve lost money.

Today, developing strategies for talent retention is a lot easier said than done. Here are just a few of the challenges:

Some of the best people you and I both know are hard-charging, impatient, type A personalities and handful to deal with if they are not getting promoted every six months. If they don’t get their needs met, they’re history.

Work life balance is a pipe dream. Fifteen hour days have become the norm. Taking your smartphone to bed (on your nightstand) is typical, otherwise you’ll get left behind. So, many of your best people will at some point feel overworked and frustrated and will bail for greener, less hectic pastures.

Baby Boomers, despite the ups and downs on the economy, are retiring at unbelievable rates with more of this generation accepting voluntary (and involuntary) corporate packages during buyouts.

Gen Xers looking for more than a just dollar signs on a paycheck and are aggressively defecting from huge, impersonal organizations like rats from a sinking ship in order to gain more of this elusive worklife balance.

Women (and men) leave to have kids or to pursue freedom, flexibility, recognition, more money or to find a place where they can leave a legacy.

With these challenges, comes opportunity. And it is this…

If you want to distinguish yourself as an HR superstar yourself
(someone worthy of being retained)…then you don’t wait
for your company’s best people to walk out the door.

You work with your leadership team to move heaven and earth to keep them.

When one of stars gives a two-weeks notice (do people still do that?), it’s too late then. You can try the old-school “counter-offer” tactic, but that rarely works and generally only buys you only a few months at best to solve their real problem. And frankly, it can backfire by pissing them off even more by raising the question about why you took so long to come forward with the goods.

If you already have retention strategy in place, that’s terrific! However, if you don’t, he are a few actions you should consider collaborating with your business leaders on right now to start the process of keeping your best people.

1. Make sure your “A” players report to great managers.

The number one thing any company can do to retain great people is to put them under a great manager. If you can’t do anything else, make sure you do this! It’s been proven that your all-stars don’t leave organizations as much as they leave…poor managers. A great manager knows how to build strong relationships with his or her people through first, their example, then through open, accurate, and consistent communications. Great managers are courageous, encouraging and inspirational. They also stretch and grow their people. A superstar working under an “encourager” who is helping to bring out their best will NOT want to leave.

If you can’t reorganize and put your best people under a great manager right away, then make sure you bring one into their life as a mentor. If you do this, you’ll want to follow up regularly to ensure that there is consistent contact between these two individuals and that the mentoring relationship is working for both.

2. Go to your best people right now and do a pre-exit interview.

Don’t wait for them to get a call from a headhunter or to come to you saying that “I’ve decided to quit.” Be proactive and ask them in a one on one: “What are the factors that will cause you to stay?” Ask them to warn you if they become unhappy.

The more you can personalize and customize your retention strategy, the more chance you’ll have of keeping your top people. Obviously, if you have organization with 3000 “A” players you can’t devise 3000 different A-player retention programs, but you can do your best to reach all employees through their managers.

The more you and your senior managers can personalize strategies to each of your superstars, the stronger your retention results will be.

3. Verbally ask them to rate their current job on a 1-10 scale on the factors below…and then ask them what corrective steps could be taken to raise any problem scores to a 10.

(a) My job provides honest, frequent two way communication

(b) My job provides challenging exciting work

(c) My job provides opportunities to grow and learn

(d) In my job, I know my work makes a difference

(e) In my job, I’m recognized and rewarded for my performance

(f ) I have some degree of control over my job

4. Ask them to describe their ideal job or where they would like to be in 1-2 years.

Then work with them to develop a plan to get them there…TODAY!

5. Tie pay to staying with the company and their performance results.

You may not have total control over this — but give this your best shot! Money is never the only reason that people leave. Generally leadership screws up something first…then money begins to get their attention.

Fix the job first or address their career concerns and then if you give them more money tie it to their results so that they don’t end up staying…”well paid but dissatisfied and uncommitted!”

6. Develop programs that bond them to affinity groups.

One of the hardest things to do is leave in a job where many of your close friends also work. By developing affinity groups (sports, professional groups, play, ethnic, gay and other shared interests) you help build bonds with your top employees beyond just their job. And these bonds are difficult to break.

7. Sponsor programs for their spouses, friends and kids.

Though these programs you positively penetrate their personal lives. You subtly recruit more ambassadors (namely their spouse, partner, friends or family) to your team working on your behalf to keep them in the organization. During their personal time at home, you want these people saying to your high performing talent: “You work for a great organization, why would you ever consider leaving?”

8. Develop a list of “motivators” for each employee you want to retain.

Non-monetary motivators are powerful but most managers are not aware of what motivates an employee. As an HR pro, help your managers develop a list for their best people that they can use to keep them satisfied.

Let me give you an example, when the Bulls were playing against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, one of my finance directors gave his two tickets to see this sold out game to one of his high performing financial analysts (and her boyfriend) who are both big Laker fans.

He asked that she not disclose to anyone else at that he had given away his free Gatorade tickets to the game because I didn’t want others to feel slighted. However, he did want to make this high-potential, indispensable member of his staff to know that he thought highly of her and to encourage her to stay with us to build her career with our company.

Some managers would scoff at this practice, saying you should treat everyone the same. I disagree. Obviously, everyone in your organization deserves respect. But, as a business person first, you should consider it acceptable to invest the most in assets that will return more to the organization…like high potential people . This manager didn’t have enough Laker tickers to give to everyone, and he did want a future leader of his team know she was valued and that he was going to take care of her.

This is what it takes.

By working with your managers to ensure ensure they know the motivations of each member of their staffs you are adding tremendous value to your organization’s retention efforts. Being able to leave at five o’clock to see their child in a school play may work for some employees, but it may not work for another employee who wants two extra days of vacation to run in the Chicago Marathon. Or another who may want to go a technology conference in Florida.

9. Use “pulse surveys.

If you have a large number of HR clients or they’re geographically dispersed, work with your managers to do periodic e-mail surveys of them to get a “pulse” of about how their people feel about the organization. This helps to identify new issues and pain points.

To sum up, obviously, you won’t save 100% your top people by following these recommendations. However, the secrets of keeping high-potential individuals on staff and not lose them to an 5-10% pay increase are very simple. Treat people right. Develop them. Build their career. Challenge them. Make them feel special. Let them know where they stand longer term. Make sure they’re paid well.

Because you can quantify and track turnover numbers, all this allows you to show off your skills in measurably improving your organization’s performance in an area most business leaders care deeply about — keeping talented people!

You might even want to collaborate with your finance counterpart to dollarize the value of your retention initiatives using some of the strategies contained in the book Financial Intelligence for HR Professionals.

This is a great opportunity to demonstrate “value add,”enhance your reputation as a “go-to” HR pro and elevate your HR credibility within your organization.

Also, your efforts can also go a long ways towards creating a better place to work for your best people. And that’s not too shabby either.

What are you waiting on? Go for it!

   When Marissa Mayer    (pictured left)    left Google and joined Yahoo as the new CEO, she did something significant.    

Shortly after she took over, she fired the VP of HR, David Windley.

Following him out the door was his #2 HR exec, Talent Acquisition Leader Grant Bassett.

Why did she do this?

   Because she could.   

That’s what you do when you’re the new leader and the stock price is in the toilet.

And your biggest competitor (Google) is kicking your butt.

And everyone says your culture is all screwed up.

   You make massive change.   

And that includes overhauling and shaking up the HR shop.

For a company with 12,000 employees, she took control of Yahoo’s culture and personally injected herself into recruiting new talent from day one.

   Whether or not these were the right HR moves to make was NOT the point.   

The point is she whacked one of our colleagues in HR and made other changes that affected the careers of others  in Yahoo’s HR function.

Now, what does this have to do with you and your HR career?

Everything.

It’s yet another public reminder of what you already know…

   Job security in HR is non-existent.   
   And that any security you have, you must   
   create for yourself.   

How?

By embracing and following some basic unwritten rules – none of which should be shocking.

   Rule #1:   Realize that you must always be looking.          

You’re always one new boss away from being on the street.

You are always one re-organization away from getting your hat handed to you.

You are just one job elimination away from being pink slipped.

If your company is in trouble, your risk of getting whacked from your HR day job increase every single day your firm’s s financial results continue to disappoint.

That’s just today’s brutal reality.

It doesn’t matter if you’re an awesome HR professional.

Great HR people — from new HR managers to experienced CHROs — get canned  every day, often for reasons beyond their control.

So, even if you already have a great HR job, if you don’t have a plan for getting your next HR gig all lined up, right here, right now, at this very moment, then you’re an idiot.

If you go to work tomorrow morning unprepared to leave that afternoon, then you have your head in the sand. Always be mindful of the possibility that today could be your final day at your company.

You can be fairly sure that your current HR job is probably not your last.

But, of course, you know all this already.

   Rule #2:  Understand that loyalty is for your family.   

Many companies try to foster a family environment to create loyalty to the organization.

And, it would be great if this loyalty were truly a two-way street and was sustainable.

But it isn’t.

And, you and I both know it can’t be, if organizations want to continue to be competitive.

Like Yahoo, some HR jobs are removed in an instant, without notice, if the company concludes that that role (or person)  doesn’t enhance the P&L — even though that family member was loyal.

Again, whether you or I agree with the principle of this really doesn’t matter.

What matters is that it happens, and YOU shouldn’t let things get to that point.

By being too loyal to your company, you wind up being disloyal to those who matter most – your immediate family.

Yes, I know.  This isn’t anything new.

      Rule #3:  Have your resume ready to go at all times.      

Some HR people let their resume or their LinkedIn profile get woefully out of date when they’re not looking for a job.

That’s nuts.

Your LinkedIn profile and your resume are your marketing tools.

You never know who will come across them (or want them) and you don’t want to miss a great opportunity.

Most savvy recruiters do keyword searches on LinkedIn long before cold calling candidates or spending a dime on anything else.

So you want to easily make yourself found – just in case.

If you’re not looking for work, you can let people know that AFTER they’ve contacted you.

But make yourself contact-able.  If you’re not sure how, here are some suggestions here.

   Rule #4:  Relentlessly grow your HR competencies.          

Keep your HR skills up to date.

Attend seminars, conferences and workshops.

Benchmark best practices.

Accept work assignments that stretch you.

Get coaching.

Build your leadership capability.

Embrace HR technology innovations and stay on the leading edge of our profession.

Not sure which competencies to build, click here.

Don’t become a dinosaur…you know what happened to them.

   Rule #5:  Never stop building your army of supporters.   

The best employment security you can create for yourself is having a thriving network of contacts, admirers, supporters and advocates.

These are folks who can speak up favorably for you and refer you to new opportunities…should you find yourself on the street in a hurry.

This means that the absolute worst thing you can possibly do is to get too busy doing your HR day job that you neglect to build relationships outside of your current organization.

   Adopt a rule to never let a day pass without doing something to grow or enhance your network, no matter how busy and back-logged you are with work.          

Take people to lunch. Put on your calendar coffees, dinners, after-work and networking events.  Follow the strategies I’ve outlined in this article.

It’s 90% likely that your next job in HR will come through your relationships you’ve built.

Again, I know none of this is new to you.

But every time you hear of situations like at Yahoo, it doesn’t hurt to remind yourself that only YOU can create your own job security.

No one else can.

But, of course, you knew that already.

Didn’t you.

My eyesight used to be bad.

Very bad.

I’ve worn glasses since I was eight years old.

But that all changed recently.

Here’s what happened.

A few weeks ago, I took my bi-annual eye exam and my optometrist gave me some distressing news.

He told me that I had an early onset of cataracts in both eyes. And I had reached the point where glasses (or contacts) could no longer correct my vision to 20/20

Or to 20/30.

Or even to 20/50 for that matter.

This was not a surprise.

Over the last year, I found seeing distances extremely difficult. And I was finding it almost impossible to read small text often having to squint just to read labels at the supermarket.

So this just validated what I had suspected for months.

However, this eye doctor suggested I get a second opinion from a specialist.

And I did.

And after two days of extensive tests, the retina specialist confirmed that I had indeed acquired cataracts and that the condition would get progressively worse over time.

I was also told that I had two options.

One, I could do nothing.  This meant living with the fact that my vision was bad and getting progressively worse (which would seriously impact my quality of life).

Or two, I could opt to have cataract surgery.

Cataract surgery these days is a very common outpatient procedure and over 40% of the American population have had it done.

However, just because it’s common doesn’t mean it’s not risky.  Cataract surgery requires removing your eye’s natural lens located behind your cornea and then replacing it with a synthetic lens.

I don’t know about you, but to me that’s scary stuff.   All is takes is one screw up by the surgeon and you could become permanently blind…or worse case, bleed out and die. My one of friends recently got aepicantoplastia surgery and there are a lot of risks in that too. This being very similar made be worry a bit.

Candidly, the likelihood of any of this happening is quite remote.

Nevertheless, I didn’t take the decision to undertake the surgery lightly and I had a few sleepless nights beforehand.

However, in the end, all went perfect.

The surgery was successful.  My eyes aren’t bad anymore.  In fact, my vision today has absolutely never been better. My long range vision is 20/20 and I only need glasses for now for reading.

I’m a very happy (and relieved) camper.

However, this whole episode caused me to come face to face with own my mortality and the fact that…

Someday, I will die.

I know this is a morbid topic for an article on HR and I’m sorry to bring it up, but hang in there with me.

Pretending that this doesn’t exist is just a horrible lie.

So let’s be real.

I will die.

And guess what…YOU will too.

However, like most HR people, I’ve spent a lot of my time pretending that I won’t.

Like many HR pros, I’ll waste a month doing something meaningless and figure, “Oh well, Iʼll try something different next month,” as if the supply of months is endless.

Someone who is very aware of his or her mortality would never piss away hours, minutes, or seconds.

We all know the cliche of the person who discovers they have only six weeks to live, and who suddenly discovers that sunsets are beautiful.

Then, because itʼs a movie and fiction, the same man or woman usually survives and continues their life with a new appreciation of what it is to be alive.

Itʼs the very realization of this mortality that makes them appreciate each sunset, each moment they have with their  family and every chance they have to make a difference in their career.

However, many HR people never get that wake up call until itʼs actually curtain time, when itʼs much too late.

But enough philosophy…let me bring this home and get crystal clear about what this all means…

• If you’re now working in an HR job that you absolutely hate….Then you are pretending you will never die.
• If the way you feel about going to work on Monday is that same feeling you get when walking down a dark alley in a bad neighborhood….Then you are pretending you will never die.
• If you regularly feel that Fridays don’t come fast enough…then you are pretending that you will never die.
• If you find yourself watching TV shows that you donʼt give a damn about but donʼt turn them off because they are a diversion from that HR job you detest….Then you are pretending that you will never die.
• If you miss something you really wish you could be part of (let’s say, missing your kidʼs bravo theater performance) because you’re so insecure you dare not take one stinking vacation day off…then you are pretending that you will never die.

Again, I promise you — promise you — that you will die.

And whatʼs more, I promise you that the day you really, truly, with all your heart grasp the fact that you will eventually die will be the day you wake the hell up and begin crafting a career that isnʼt just fine or “okay” or “good enough for a Monday.&Rdquo;

Do you want craft a legendary career in HR?

Then step number one is to start acknowledging and making friends with that big clock  youʼve been ignoring — the one that says that itʼs NOW… or itʼs never.

Without a fire behind you, thereʼs NO urgency.

Thereʼs no reason to act when you have all the time in the world.

So go get started.

Because…you don’t have all the time in the world.

And if you don’t start going after the career in HR that you really want…right here, right NOW at this very moment…you never will.

&Quot;When I call you or when another recruiter calls you on the phone, you pick up the phone," said my fellow panelist menacingly to the crowd. &Quot;We represent your best chance of getting a job.&Quot; I sat quietly in my seat with a pasted-on smile on my face as the search guy berated the audience of job-seekers.

&Quot;We represent jobs, so don't hang up on us, and when we ask you for a referral to a friend of yours, give us the referral. You're going to need a headhunter someday, believe me," the punk headhunter went on. I started reciting the U.S. Presidents in my mind to keep from stabbing the guy with my dinner fork. Washington. Adams. Jefferson. Madison. Monroe?

The search guy told the crowd how people like him go unappreciated by undeserving job-seeking slobs such as themselves. Well, I thought to myself as the panel concluded, that was painful, but at least I got a story out of it.

I have beloved headhunter friends, as I said. Third-party search is a critical part of the talent value chain, in my book, and when I was a corporate HR chief I relied on my search partners to a huge degree. My bros Bob and Steve in Chicago easily brought in 25% of the brilliant tech guys (a unisex term) who made U.S. Robotics grow from $17 million to $2.5 billion in sales while I was working there.

You have to have an outside person involved in a search in many cases, especially for some of the most-critical positions you hire for. There is something about the employer-candidate tango that screams for the participation of a mediating third party. I never felt that the recruiters I worked with earned a penny less than what they got paid. When you have that kind of partnership going, you see the value of a trusted search partner relationship close up. It works the same way on the other side of the equation, for job-seekers. I know brilliant people who have made all their job moves through one trusted search partner for twenty years or longer.

That being said, the guy who sat next to me on that panel from hell told a lie. Job-seekers don't need headhunters any more than headhunters need them.

The dude on the panel was speaking out of fear — trying to spook job-seekers into thinking he holds a magic key to their success. My friends in the search biz would groan if they heard that. This is a big part of the negative association some people have with recruiters, in fact – the mistaken belief that headhunters have magical powers to get people hired, powers they can use if they like a job-seeker and withhold if they don't.

Headhunters don't have any special ability to get people hired. When you work with a recruiter, you're saying "Go ahead and represent me. I know you don't owe me a job and you don't guarantee me one.&Quot; That is the deal. Search people work for employers, not for you, so don't expect them to provide free career coaching, any more than what's required to get your resume ready for the talent market.

Search people only have one way to make money, and that is by getting their candidates hired. If a search person calls you, your first question will be "How many people have you placed with this employer – the one you're calling me about today – in the past 12 months?" Unscrupulous search people are famous for throwing resumes at employers they have no relationships with, just to try and get a toehold.

That's bad for you, if you are one of the candidates who resume is being tossed about, because once a headhunter puts your resume into the employer's system that company is obligated to pay him a search fee if they hire you. By arriving through the search channel versus approaching the employer on your own, you become 25% more expensive to the employer (a typical search fee being 25% of the first year's comp plan). That makes you less appealing for many opportunities, not more!

Once you get the answer you want to your first question ("I've actually placed seven people in this client in the past year – I talk with them at least once a week") your next question will be "How many people have you placed in the past 12 months for this hiring manager?" Just because a headhunter puts lots of hires into an organization doesn't mean he or she has any traction with a particular manager. You are not bait to be squished onto a fishhook so that your guts come spilling out. You don't want to be represented by a search person who has no juice with the one guy we care about — your hiring manager, a/k/a With Luck Your Next Boss.

If you decide to proceed with a search partner, specify in writing that you must give written approval every time the headhunter wants to send your resume out. Tell the search guy that you expect to hear from him or her at least once a week when your resume is in play for an opportunity – whether there is any news or not.

You could think of a headhunter like a real estate agent who's listed your house for sale. &Quot;I'll call you when something worth reporting happens" doesn't cut it. Every headhunter has competitors, and if the search person you're working with goes radio silent on you just when you're dying for news, that's a sign you can do better in the search-partner department.

One last bit of advice: don't go in search of headhunters to help you find a job unless you know your experience is what the market is looking for. Most new college grads, for instance, are not search-friendly candidates, because employers can find tons of new grads to hire when they need them. They don't need to pay a 25% premium to find new graduates, except in a few techie or specialized majors.

Unless a kid has a degree in nuclear engineering or another hard-to-find diploma, the kid is better off conducting the job search the old-fashioned, self-service way. (Here's an article about that.)

Remember, the next time a headhunter calls you: any song and dance routine you get that smacks of "You need me, bucko" is pure bluster, a sign that the person on the other end of the phone is trying to browbeat you into giving up your resume. Don't be fooled by that.

You hold the cards in this equation, no matter how stridently anyone tries to tell you differently. If you're wavering, ask yourself this question: Why would a headhunter call me out of the blue if he didn't need my resume to get a sale? Stay in your power, remember what you bring, and keep talking to search partners until the right one comes along.

Liz Ryan | linkedin.Com/today/post/article/20130624194641-52594-when-the-headhunter-calls

I run a small business with around 45 employees. I'm in the restaurant/retail/convenience store industry. We are looking to keep expanding the food end of our business with more restaurants. From what I have been reading my company is supposedly right in the sweet spot for outsourcing HR. I want to provide the best for my staff while remaining profitable enough to grow my business and have an edge on my competition. What are your thoughts on outsourcing HR?

–Planning ahead

You're right to be thinking about adding HR to your staff. At 45 people you're on the cusp of being subject to more regulations and you need help. Additionally, hiring, training, and managing people becomes more and more complex with more people (because you can no longer do it all yourself), and it just makes good sense to have someone who is an expert in that area on board to help you out.

But whether that role is in-house or outsourced really comes down to what you are looking for.

If you want someone to be your right-hand man, advising you, handling problems instantly, and participating as part of your planning team to help figure out the best way to develop the staff to handle a changing workload as the business grows, you probably want to hire someone directly.

If you're more concerned about complying with regulations and laws (the more employees you have, the more concerned you need to be), while you still handle most of the employee issues directly, outsourcing is probably your best bet.

If you want someone who can multitask and take on HR as well as oversee other functions, then you want someone in house.

If you are comfortable with most problems being solved by a call center or email, then outsourcing is the way to go.

There isn't a right or wrong answer, here. In fact, your best solution may lie somewhere in the middle. One thing I would strongly think about is doing a hybrid approach: hiring someone part time to be a business partner, helping you with planning, staff development, and hiring, and then work with an outsourcer for your benefits, employee handbooks, and legal compliance.

This is actually more doable than you might think. There are quite a few experienced, intelligent people out there who would love the opportunity to have a meaningful, challenging part time job. It gives you the advantage of having expertise on staff without breaking the bank. Additionally you gain the advantages of an outsourcer (such as the ability to quickly analyze exactly how a new regulation affects you).

But, in the end, it comes down to what your business needs and how you want to approach it. You do need HR on board at this point, if just to be the person responsible for making sure you're complying with employment laws, and so it's a great time to analyze the role you want for HR in the future and plan around that.

inc.com/suzanne-lucas/

By Alan Collins

As HR pros, we all make mistakes.

Or say the wrong thing at the right time.

Or misjudge a situation from time to time.

But not everyone in our profession will confess to their screw ups…especially in high stress, corporate environments where others are watching and judging us every day.

However, I learned a very important lesson early in my career at Quaker Oats.

As a young HR director for a tiny division of the company, I reported to an amazing boss who relied heavily on my judgment and experience.

She had taken a chance and promoted me into the director role largely because of my relationships and knowledge of the organization.

But the job was a stretch for me and a bit over my head.

She knew it and I knew it. But she was willing to take a chance on me.

So, I didn’t want to let her down or make her regret her decision.

But on one occasion, I had a horrible lapse in common sense and fell short of her expectations.

I really screwed up a very complex employee theft investigation and termination case.

My crime was that I didn’t involve our legal department and I didn’t ask all the right questions. And as a result, I didn’t gather all the evidence we needed to reach a clear conclusion about the employee…who had been accused of theft twice before.

And my boss went ballistic!

She immediately called me on the carpet and asked me to explain my error in judgment.

My defenses reared up. My pride and my aggressive instincts all screamed: “Fight! Defend yourself. Think up a good excuse.”

Thankfully, in a moment of sanity I took a more sensible approach. Here’s what I said…

“I was wrong. I’m sorry. I know that I still have a lot to learn in this role. Please let me fix it.”

Apparently, this reply from a young, cocky HR professional was not what she expected.

I’ll never forget the expression on her face: surprise, confusion, acceptance, and something that may have been… admiration.

Whew!

In that moment, I knew I’d done exactly the right thing.

And as a result, I pushed the re-start button and immediately got our legal team involved.

And together with them, we mapped a detailed strategy to dig deeper into this case.

It was very hard work. And I felt personally embarrassed initially going solo trying to be the hero.

When we finally completed a thorough investigation and presented our evidence to this employee — who had been a complete, utter jerk throughout the entire process — he broke down and confessed to all three thefts.

And we terminated him immediately.

That experience taught me something I’ve carried with me through the years…

A little honesty, humility and teamwork goes a long way in life and in HR.

It enriches relationships, prevents unnecessary confrontation, saves time, and builds trust.

This situation could have destroyed my HR career.  Instead, admitting I was wrong helped me earn the trust of a powerful and successful HR executive and opened the door to further career opportunities for me down the road.

The lesson: The next time your defenses are up you may find instant relief in one or more of these surprisingly effective, almost magic simple statements.

Give them a try, the only thing you have to lose is a little ego!

Here they are:

1.  ”I’m sorry.”

A short and sweet apology can diffuse a tough situation and lower the resistance and anger in the room.

You’ll find that the conversation will become less stressful.

And a solution to your problem or challenge is more likely to surface.

2.  ”I was wrong.”

Fessing up to your mistake is cleansing and takes a weight off your shoulders.

So if you’re wrong, resist the urge to defend yourself or make up a string of excuses.

Instead, just admit you’ve erred and correct it.

It’s that simple!

3.  ”I need some help.”

Go ahead and say these four words….no matter how hard they are to verbalize.

Even if you’re a workaholic and master of your HR domain, accept the fact that you can’t do it all by yourself.

Truly great HR pros surround themselves with and utilize colleagues who can guide and help them.

So reach out to your army of supporters and save yourself a lot of headaches, frustration and time.

4.  ”I don’t know.”

The true expert in any field will tell you is that no one is expected to have all the answers.

So don’t think you need to know it all.

Your CEO doesn’t, so why should you.

Let’s face it, if we knew everything, our careers would be boring!

Use this situation as an opportunity learn and grow.

So these are four magic phrases.

However, before you use ANY of these phrases there is one thing you should know.  

If you’re screwing up constantly, these words lose their power.   You will merely be viewed as an  HR screw-up who is not ready for prime time and apologizes all the time.  And your words will be received by others with frustration, skepticism and intolerance.

Don’t let this happen.

These words are very powerful.  So use them wisely.

In fact, legendary leadership author John C. Maxwell put it best: “The wise leader is big enough to admit mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.”

Become known as that kind of wise leader in HR.

‘Nuff said.

Onward!

http://successinhr.com/when-you-screw-up-in-hr

The biggest trends in Human Resources software over the past year will continue to have an impact throughout 2013.

When you consider that the 2012 HR Technology Conference had the highest attendance in the 15-year history of the event, it is more than obvious that HR departments will be become prominent in shaping business strategy, using innovation and technology on the way.

With the focus on technology, here are the top five HR trends to expect for the coming year:

Increased investment in Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)

The flexibility, ease of implementation and lower costs of SaaS will ensure an increased market share for both subscription-based and pay-as-you-go service providers. Another benefit of improved SaaS, configurations will appear to be indistinguishable from customization, a feature that will attract the largest market for SaaS—Small and Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs).

The rise of HR Big Data.

As the need for proactive planning strategies grows, systems to handle Big Data into actionable insights will rise to meet the challenge. The means to provide a repository to sync large data between different systems will be a dominant theme in HR departments 2013.

Corporations will have to manage the master data of employees, and there will be more sources (both established providers and startups) to support this goal.

HR will have a seat at the head table of many corporations.

2013 will see HR become part of the big picture, not just a thin sliver of the pie. The New Year will usher in emergence of Human Resources as a part of long-term corporate goals, instead of a section providing one-off results. HR information software will become integrated in business planning, and will begin to focus on results-driven campaigns, impacting the bottom line of the entire organization.

Social media will provide real-time performance management, lessening the impact of performance reviews.

Next year may not mark the end of the annual performance review, but it could weaken them to the point of being unrecognizable. As more companies are embracing the immediacy that social media platforms allow, more companies will use this as means to gauge employee functioning. Feedback has always had a role in determining the effectiveness of workers. In 2013, feedback will be even more significant. In the social world, substandard performance is difficult to hide will not be tolerated.

Three words: engagement, engagement and engagement.

In 2013, HR will focus more on keeping employees happy and engaged on the job. With more online hiring tools, the recruitment process will become increasingly interactive, and this trend will extend into more HR functions, like compliance and training.

Companies like Taleo, Kenexa and Ovation Technologies have already proven their worth in their roles for recruitment, hiring and onboarding. This involvement will encourage HR to expand technology into other areas, pushing them to perform at comparably higher levels, especially in areas like employee self-service, among others.

hrnewsdaily.com/crystal-ball-time-top-hr-trends-for-2013/

By Pramath Nath

India’s growth story has drastically slowed down due to the cascading effect of the slow global economy. Organisations are suffering, employees are confused and HR – the profession – has been unofficially assigned the unenviable task of retention, higher productivity, even helping increase of sales revenue by using a synthesis of the tools at its disposal and innovative thought leadership. We may see the following as the top 5 HR trends emerge through the year 2013:

HR supply chain: 2013 will continue to disappoint students as campus hiring may not pick up speed. Apart from creating a huge group of unemployed professionals, it will also create a disconnect between the industry and academia, thus impacting enhancement in syllabi to suit the industry, which will have a short-term internecine ramification for the business world and the educational institutions.

Cross functional movements:2013 will see more HR professionals take the plunge and venturing into other functions like operations, marketing, supply chain, even for shorter duration, to enhance their business exposure and become better, more employable leaders in future.

Metrics-driven HR: Business leaders will demand more value addition and less transactional services from their HR managers forcing the function to adopt better technology, use focused, objective and measurable HR metrics, which can show a positive impact on the business metrics. HR analytics will take a big step in becoming the most reliable decision-making tool for the Chief People Officer.

Continued cost pressure: Do not expect the golden pre-2008 era to return in 2013. We will continue to see reduction in budgets related to most non-revenue generating areas, particularly in the spheres of hiring, training, travel, employee engagement activities, CSR and attending conferences. Though the number of conferences might go up and people participating at their own expense also might increase, but that will be more for networking and exploring job opportunities and less to get value from them.

Talent management: People and knowledge retention during these tough times will propel the talent management domain in the forefront and ensure it doesn’t remain consigned to a folder in the laptop of the talent manager after the annual talent review ritual. From using reliable tools in hiring and assessing employees to developing high potential talent, creating a strong leadership bench and work on a robust succession planning strategy, talent management will become an empirically substantiated document for the business and HR leaders to retain people and curb knowledge transfer outside the organisation.

The author is global talent manager, Hewlett Packard
itsmyascent.com/web/itsmyascent/hr-zone/-/asset_publisher/4htH/content/2013-the-top-5-hr-trends

Here are three major trends you can expect to see in the workplace in 2013:

Flextime and telecommuting will continue to grow. Flextime and telecommuting have been found to have positive effects on everything from retention to employee health, so it’s no surprise that both will likely continue to grow in popularity in 2013. After all, more often than not, it’s a win-win solution to enact those policies — workers save money on gas and tolls and have better control over their personal lives, while employers look at the arrangements as morale boosters as well as savings opportunities.

Online hiring will increase in popularity as well. A 2012 study found that 63% of HR pros “somewhat often” or “very often” conduct interviews via video, and that trend shows no sign of slowing down in the coming 12 months. That makes sense: 85% of small businesses said that hiring online gives them a competitive advantage, according to the recent Elance Global Business Survey.

“Fractional employment” will help small businesses compete. With the popularity of on-demand businesses like Zipcar increasing among consumers, small businesses are also beginning to use talented temp or freelance workers on an as-needed basis more and more. That’s good news for small companies — hiring on-demand allows them to compete with bigger companies.

hrmorning.com/3-trends-hr-can-expect-in-2013/

With more eyes on HR technology than ever before, we asked experts what trends users could expect to see in the coming year. We also compiled a list of three action items to help HR managers start 2013 off right.
Prediction #1: More investment in Software as a Service (SaaS)

HR is one of the business functions where adoption of SaaS software is highest, and experts foresee the trend accelerating even more in 2013.

Paul Hamerman, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research Inc., based in Cambridge Mass., said HR managers are now choosing cloud-based products almost exclusively. “SaaS adoption is already at very high levels, and really now companies will choose SaaS first,” he said. “Basically it becomes a prerequisite for any kind of solution they look at in HR.”

A poll question during a recent webcast by human capital management (HCM) consultancy Knowledge Infusion/Appirio, located in San Francisco, revealed that approximately 80% of attendees expected to have the majority of their companies’ HR platforms in the cloud over the next three years.

Bill Kutik, technology columnist for Human Resource Executive magazine, agreed with the two-year transition timeline the webinar’s presenters put forth. “The newer systems are designed for a pace of change that the old systems could never imagine would happen, so in addition to superiority of technology, there’s a superiority of functionality that in the end is going to win the day,” he said. “SaaS is getting more flexible — configurations are getting to look more and more like customizations, in my mind.”
Prediction #2: The rise of HR master data management

HR managers struggle to maintain data quality in their systems, according to Hamerman, which is why he thinks master data management will be one of the predominant HR technology trends in 2013.

“Companies need to get a better handle on their employee master data,” he said. “It’s difficult to keep [data] in sync across multiple systems, so you need to create repositories of master data that can be governed more effectively from a quality standpoint. We’re going to see better solutions for managing employee data quality.”
Prediction #3: HR will assume a strategic stance

Another of 2013′s HR technology trends mentioned in the Knowledge Infusion/Appirio webinar was the notion that HR departments will begin to concentrate on results-driven campaigns that impact the entire organization. Kutik readily lent his support to this prediction.

“The idea that HR departments will become more focused on the outcomes of their actions — the effect of what they do on the corporation versus the effect of what they do on HR — is a prediction that I would get behind,” he said.

Analytics embedded in HR software, which Hamerman thinks will become more robust in coming years, will help HR managers measure progress along this path. “HR people have had a thirst for data about their workforce, and one of things they are looking for is comparative data from the outside world, such as benchmarks,” Hamerman said. “I think solutions exist in the market [now] and will expand and get better as they are able to scale and assimilate more external data.”
Prediction #4: Social performance management to edge out the annual review

Rebecca Wetterman, research vice president at Boston-based consultancy Nucleus Research, said she expects one of 2013′s HR technology trends will be ramped-up interest in social performance management software, due in part to Millennials entering the job market.

“Certainly the early adopters are going to be in technology, just as we’ve seen with social collaboration, but particularly organizations hiring a lot of younger workers are going to see this as a way to manage their investment in labor on an ongoing basis,” she said. “Millennials are used to an ongoing stream of feedback, and they’re going to be looking for consistent short-term feedback and encouragement.” Chat systems such as clerkcan also be used for easier communication between employees.

Hamerman also envisions a more fluid model for performance management taking hold in upcoming years. “Companies are realizing that the annual performance review is becoming a dreaded task,” he said. “We’re going to see performance [evaluation] move to a continuous stream where employees are held accountable for certain goals that drive the business.”
Prediction #5: More focus on engagement

HR managers are beginning to understand the importance of boosting engagement among employees and job candidates, and Hamerman predicted that this trend will blossom in the upcoming year.

“There’s a huge amount of upside in terms of creating engaging career websites and also making the job application process less painful,” Hamerman said. “It’s also about employee engagement and taking the dated notion of employee self-service to another level by creating a much more interactive environment where companies can engage employees through internal social networks.”
Action item #1: Put strategy first, technology second

Business objectives aren’t the only outcomes that should receive more attention in 2013. Kutik said HR leaders need to consider the strategic applications of HR software before making a purchase.

“The biggest action item is to have a strategy around technology — not just to say ‘I want a talent management system’ and start inviting vendors in for demos, but instead to understand what you’re really going do with talent management and have that inform your selection of a vendor,” he explained. “Too many companies put the technology first and the strategy second.”
Action item #2: Rein in the data

“I can’t think of anything worse than embedded analytics that are dead wrong,” said Naomi Bloom, managing partner of Bloom & Wallace, based in Fort Myers, Fla. “We cannot have managers making business decisions and employees making personal life decisions on the basis of bad data, so my wish is that everybody would have clean core data to support analytics.”

In addition to having accurate data, Bloom also said it’s important to make sure all data is accounted for. “I think there is a real need to do strategic planning, and part of that is getting your hands around what you have today — the spreadsheets, the side systems, the little databases. That’s an important action item.”
Action item #3: Stop spending on legacy HR systems

Bloom also recommended organizations cut back as much as possible on the amount of money spent on on-premises systems. “I wish hard that every organization would be reducing to the absolute minimum their investment in legacy systems and putting their money in [getting to] the next generation,” she said.

When overhauling legacy systems, companies should start with the technology that’s most critical to their business, Bloom said. “I’m a practical woman, and I realize you don’t just rip and replace for no reason — you pick your battles. For some companies the most important battle might be procurement or CRM or something other than HR,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean we should be spending money on old [systems].”

searchfinancialapplications.techtarget.com/feature/Five-HR-technology-trends-for-2013-and-three-critical-action-items

Consolidate Applications

Currently it’s quite common for business organizations to have several different applications covering HR processes. This is a problem that many companies have and it is a productivity killer. Enterprise Content Management systems (ECMs) are powerful tools that allow you to consolidate all these smaller applications that aid in processes such as: recruiting, managing talent, monitoring and managing performance, and learning new management skills into one primary application rather than several different applications.

The right HR software can incorporate all these things under one central umbrella to assists HR professionals with recruiting, managing and monitoring the talent on their radars. Having all these applications in one software system makes it a much more efficient process and saves companies a great deal of time and money while making the jobs of HR professionals through the organization much simpler.

Create Central Files

Data management and protection is one of the most important responsibilities today’s HR professionals face. Because of the nature of the HR field, personal and private information about employees is often needed in several different places at the same time. Much of this information is found laying out unguarded and unprotected. This creates a wide range of risks for the company.

One way to address this particular problem is to provide a central database from which employees in various departments can access personnel information (according to the specific components of that information they need) as needed. This not only eliminates much of the risks associated with having personal and private information so easily accessible to one and all, but it also gets rid of a lot of the papers that many companies struggle to properly store and protect—especially the crossover paperwork from copies that are made of the same papers in different departments.

BYOD Policies

More and more companies are beginning to adopt BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies that allow employees to bring in mobile devices and other tech that is intuitive to them. Not only does it improve productivity because they’re able to use their own applications, it also gives workers a great sense of empowerment and freedom.

That’s a double win from an HR perspective, and one that will ultimately increase productivity across the board. The most important thing to remember with this particular policy is that it’s absolutely necessary to protect business-related data. Education regarding safety and security is important no matter what devices your employees are using. The new trend is for companies to make it a greater priority to minimize data leaks.

This year is going to bring big changes to businesses across the spectrum. These trends and changes in the HR process offer businesses a great deal of promise going forward.

Author: Thomas Stone

http://www.business2community.com/human-resources/top-hr-trends-for-2013-0360223