What can organizations do to re-engage and re-energize the workforce as companies emerge from the recession?

§  “Up Isn’t the Only Way”

§  “Weight watchers  at Work” program

§  “Why Pride Matters More Than Money”

§  Allow for meetings where we get Senior Leadership to interact with lower level employees

§  Also rebuild from the bottom up – engage employees, involve them in decisions, be transparent

§  Ask employees “if you were CEO what would you do in next 3 years”

§  Be clear with employees about what leaders can and can’t communicate

§  Be willing to admit mistakes

§  Begin focusing on helping employees get better at the job they are currently in rather than looking for their next promotion.

§  Blogs have been a great way to have two communications directly with senior leadership

—    Breakfast forums

§  Bringing training to very low level employees as they are often an overlooked population.

§  Build a development culture that helps reduce dependency on salary rewards.

—    Build relationships between line managers and employees

§  Celebrate what we have done

§  Coaching and Development of Line Managers

§  Coaching and mentoring programs are relatively inexpensive and highly effective to build employee loyalty.

§  Communication skills, especially with leaders and managers, are paramount now. “People join companies and leave bosses.”

§  Conduct a cultural assessment of where you are now and where you want to be

§  Consider work life balance options

—    Corporate social responsibility programs

§  Create “small communities” within the larger organization…

§  Create a fellowship program to allow someone to experience another type of job on a temporary basis

§  Create a sense of belonging/inclusion

§  Create vehicles for people to talk about reactions/concerns and that provide opportunities for managers to listen

§  Creation of clubs and groups

—    Creation of technology mentors that allow for junior employees to teach the senior members on new technology

§  Cross generational training practices; leverage the talent of the new generation

§  Customized messages and channels to motivate…

§  Decide to stop hiring external candidates; to fill new positions, everyone must find a good internal resource or choose to keep the position empty

§  Define engagement so that we can define behaviors that we need to see by Leaders and Employees.

§  Discover what the key talent is passionate about and promote opportunities that exist for them

§  Discuss the possibility of rolling out new competencies that reflect the new business strategy and current economic realities

§  Don’t just communicate – create a dialogue

§  Don’t lie

§  Don’t stop employee development – the result will be catastrophic.

§  Drive clarity and flexibility in messages and delivery. People are “freezing” without information.

§  Each person needs to understand what their role is and what is in it for him and her

§  Employees that are more in virtual teams need to have the technology to support them.  Live video chats are a great way to keep them up to date and involved

§  Encourage managers to strengthen the bond with their employees

§  Engage in teambuilding to shore up team performance

§  Ensure that all know that the company has a future-what its’ strategy is and how employees can best contribute to execution of strategy

§  Ensure that there is accountability

§  Examine work/life balance….

§  Feedback is free!

§  Find unique ways to recognize people and contribution especially when they step out of the norm by displaying innovative and creative thinking and behaviors.

§  Focus more on providing employees with opportunities for development

§  Focus on crisis, and be open on discussing the topic of the current situation

§  Focus on development of high potentials

§  Focus on the customer

§  Focus on the local work group level and have a discussion around expectations

§  Focusing on the mission of organization and communicate throughout, especially when circumstances such as compensation are not a factor (i.e. non profit).

§  Generation Y’s want balance in their lives and have an expectation of a socially responsible company.

§  Get creative with compensation

§  Get to know employees so you know where else they might fit in the organization

§  Giving them the tools to say how have I experienced change before and how can I leverage this in the new situation

§  Group Learning activity to solve the problem

§  Have breakfast to which everyone is invited, and display energy and future vision on the part of leadership…

§  Have engagement statistics for the company and compare from prior to recession

§  Help your employees become more resilient

§  Honor employees for what they do at work and outside of work

§  How is the business doing, what is the prospect of the business and what do I need to do as an employee to contribute

§  Identify what your value proposition is 

§  If you use a survey, it needs to be targeted and relevant to the challenges that are going on now in the organization

§  In some organizations there is something called the huddle, where they spend 5-10 minutes at the beginning of the day and get people calibrated and up to date

§  Incorporate teamwork and communication with the staff openly and regularly.  Being consistent with the team and being fair

§  Increase employee visibility by involving them in projects and task forces

—    Influential leaders involved with community events alongside with employees

§  Involve employees more fully in the execution of the strategy-make them a larger part of the entire change

§  Involve high potentials on highly visible and challenging projects.

§  Its not enough to measure, you need to take action based on the feedback and this support needs to be at the top

—    J&J – Younger generation are asked to come up with ideas that would help the company

—    Line managers need to learn to recognize and support change

§  Look at rebuilding trust from the top down – leaders should address the past, and define the future

§  Look at their interests outside the workplace to re-engage.

§  Looking at the job itself and how we can use that to intrinsically motivate…

§  Looking at what changes there are in the business and talent./competencies needed

§  Make it possible for employees to take jobs in other parts of the organization to keep them engaged and utilized

§  Managers and senior leaders need start listening to their employees

—    Managers can work on regaining employee trust by being visible and available

—    Mentorships that have employees teaching finance, computer, and other skills to school kids

§  Message cascading processes become even more critical when you have a virtual workforce and there was accountability on the managers to facilitate this within their teams

§  Middle managers have a key role to play

§  Middle managers need to be held accountable for facilitating engagement within their teams

§  More Transparency, employees don’t want to be kept in the dark

§  Name change and other re-branding efforts  can reinvigorate employees

—    Networking events

—    Not necessarily a monetary award

§  Now is the time, more than ever, to do an employee survey

§  Offer ways to help employees be more agile and adapt…

§  One way to challenge your leadership teams to recognize the importance of retention of high potentials is to ask, “What product is going to walk out the door when people walk out the door?

§  Overall, you need to treat everyone as adults

§  People don’t want to be one person with one career– blow up titles and classic career paths. They want multiple levels and multiple opportunities, no more career “ladder” it’s a career “web”.

§  People need to be engaged in what they can control, its helping them find those things that they can control

§  Put together a strategy on what we plan on doing and the benefits of the recession…using HR/Line together…

§  Quick targeted pulse surveys are very effective to get a sense of what is going on

§  Reach out to clients to have:

—    Re-assess the employee value connection

§  Recognition needs to be apparent

§  Recognize outstanding behavior and share their stories with other employees.

§  Remember to talk about what is going well! Doing so is energizing.

§  Remind employees of the benefits they have and encourage them to take advantage of them

§  Remind employees of why they came and why they should stay – reiterate the employee value proposition.

§  Reward reflection time- use entrepreneurial thinking circles…

—    Second life (IBM)

—    Senior leader messages need to be in line with company goal

—    Senior leaders need training in delivering key messages

—    Senior management attention can be rewarding if people feel that they are listening

§  Set expectations and hold people accountable

—    Sharing of ideas, think tank

§  Some leaders don’t have the skills to be able to be vulnerable and transparent; this can be very uncomfortable for a hierarchical company

—    Talk about strategies of the growing the businesses during the current economic conditions

§  Tell employees what’s in it for them, beyond having a job and a paycheck

§  The communication needs to be both ways in terms of determining what is the direction of the future

—    The discussion of real issues so and involve Senior Managers

§  The ideas for the organization need to be clearly communicated throughout the organization

§  The managers need to be able to have two way discussions

§  There needs to be an open environment where people feel safe to raise opinions and raise questions

§  There should be Mid Year career discussions along with year end discussions about performance.  Use the opportunity to focus on how people can grow

§  Those who are weathering the storm have strong performance management processes and communication processes.

§  Trust has to be rebuilt

§  Understand individual employee needs; know what engages them and what managers can specifically do to tap into these needs

§  Use actors to start a conversation about issues within an organization

§  Use more career assessment and career guidance…how can I expand…

§  Use more recognition – thank you is free

§  Use the crisis to examine what we can do to change the way we operate and fully involve employees in that 

§  Use your own resources for training and development

§  Utilize “high tech” communications such as chats, webcasts, live Q&A with leaders.

§  Utilize “high touch” communications such as person-to-person meetings, career development discussions, and have senior leaders visible and active in communications such as town halls.

§  Utilize more employee-centric models

§  Utilize social media to share information and-make the organization more transparent

§  Virtual workers present a new challenge in that the technology is there for communication but you need to have a compelling message to support that

§  Walk the talk

§  You need to give middle managers the tools to facilitate engagement within their teams

Second Life is the online 3-D virtual world. Not only has Second Life, the most popular of the virtual worlds at present, garnered more than twelve million residents (participants), IBM is leading the way, having allocated over $10 million to the virtual world’s development.
 

According to experts who study virtual technology, Second Life offers an interactive and absorbing sense of virtual communication. Since companies can build a specific setting within the virtual landscape, employees can use their avatars (a computer representation of themselves) to collaborate from different locations and interact as if they were face-to-face. Second Life residents have an expansive set of choices to make about their avatar, initially based on a male or female human form. From that initial choice, they may make countless adjustments to skin color, body style, clothing, hair length, etc. And once in-world, they may choose to spend their ‘Lindens’ on additional clothing, accessories, tattoos, eyeglasses, etc. One may even abandon the human form altogether, and assume the appearance of an animal. The choices for the avatar-resident extend beyond body style and clothing. Once in Second Life, residents can choose (or be invited) to join clubs or groups.

Second Life flattens the playing field, brings in a sense of play, and helps people to open up. Employees take more risks and are more open with their ideas in Second Life. They are extending their personal selves into a three-dimensional online environment that provides affiliations, interactions, experiences, and relationships.

After a review of the new media ‘current state’, we discussed some of the new tools and capabilities now available to professionals. We also reviewed some of the issues related to privacy, filtered content, quality, etc as well as some of the potential for corporate application to build culture, connectivity and career development.

Our panelists included:

• John Bryne, Executive Editor Business Week and EIC, businessweek.com
• Heidi Browning, SVP Insight & Planning, My Space
• Ryan Walker, Mgr, Industry Service, Interactive Advertising Bureau

Our Moderator:

• Jim Cornehlsen, Managing Director, Future Search LLC

“The Latest in Social Networking and Talent Management”
Anna Tavis, Talent Management, AIG
Read more…

“Gender Bias in Corporate Management”
Laura Sabattini, Director, Catalyst Inc.
Read more…

“Integration Implementation”
Bill Schiemann, CEO Metrus
Read more…

“The Interview Dance: Nuances that make a Difference and How Hiring Decisions are Really Made”
Susan Chadick, Co- CEO, Chadick Ellig, Inc.
Read more…

“Managing in a Multi-Generational Workforce”
Michael Serino, Duke Corporate Education
Read more…

“Developing Future HR Leaders”
Cynthia Emrich, Duke Corporate Education
Read more…

Training, as one development tool, tends to be developed for line organizations. HR professionals may receive training in conjunction with a specific initiative they are involved in executing. Participants felt that people with functional roles should attend training designed for the line, as the information and learning they obtain this way is relevant for them. It helps them to gain a better understanding of the business. Also, development of HR professionals should include management training.

Other development approaches identified included:

• Pairing an HR professional with someone from another part of the business in order to develop human capital measures that would be used in driving the achievement of strategic objectives
• Providing rotations to learn about other parts of the business — for this to work there needs to be clear outcomes; something in it for the releasing manager and something for the receiving manager.
• Providing mentors to help train the individual to perform assignments in another area
• Moving to an apprenticeship model where managers are responsible for their direct reports’ learning.
• On-line or in-person sessions where managers explain their business area (gives managers public speaking experience and employees an opportunity to learn about the business)

It was noted that the organizations that get it right will stop thinking of learning as separate from people doing their jobs. Learning and development happens in the course of doing the work.

For senior HR professionals still trying to get a seat at the management table, participants noted that this is not about the individual as much as it is about the environment/senior line management providing the opportunity. It is difficult to contribute at a strategic level if you are not privy to decision-making discussions and do not have the opportunity to influence them.

Steps the individual HR leader can take include building credibility and having a defensible point of view, learning the business and demonstrating understanding of the business and the priorities, and developing relationships with members of the senior team.

Indeed, talent is always critical, but it seems that right now some companies are less focused on nuanced considerations about human capital issues and are reacting, in some cases, under violent duress to get people off the books with less regard to longer term implications. Who, we wondered, is genuinely thinking long term and what is that time horizon?

Everyone recognized the technical facility, creativity and enthusiasm of Gen Y as invaluable assets. Their high expectations remain – yet now they too must temper their expectations in the face of uncertainty and constrained options. The Gen X cohort might be caught in the middle – they paid their dues, gained some mastery and may be poised to make some big career moves – yet the climate leaves them boxed in a bit. They see the youngsters as too impatient and the elders and not so quick to exit. The boomers remain in search of greater fulfillment through meaningful work, an opportunity to serve and perhaps a stable 401K. How will they all co-exist and flourish in such a cauldron of volatility and uncertainty? Can this group find more common ground, some common purpose and maybe some common sense making? We were optimistic.

We also considered the recent election and pondered how the style of the campaign might provide some ideas for bridging the divides. How could we use such a wide portfolio of communication and networking tools in the corporate arena?  Could the campaign lessons of delivering a well crafted message, tailored for the media preferences of the respective audiences suggest options for companies trying to galvanize their talent and to focus their attention on the necessities of growth, sustainability or plain survival? There were numerous examples shared and a general appreciation for ideas to develop further and carry forward into the corporate arena.

We touched on the current learning agenda and considered different requirements of this dynamic time. How do we best share our knowledge? Will Twittering and Virtual living and networking ourselves become a panacea, a coping mechanism or another workaholic addiction? What are the new models for mentoring? How can we progress in the face of rapid, discontinuous change and when are the models we hold too precious and in need of breaking? We just got started there and there are many more ideas to consider.

I offer this synopsis of conversations too rich to capture in such a brief. The space is open for your comments, ideas and reflections.

What mistakes do candidates make?  Here are 3 common ones:

• Not getting to the point when answering a question.  Iif you’re asked what time it is, don’t tell the person how to build a clock.
• Not knowing one’s own “flat spots”.  When asked about ”developmental areas” — no one says weaknesses anymore, of course — don’t say “Oh, I’m a workaholic.” Interviewers want a candidate to be mature and self-aware enough to know his or her own weaknesses, and ideally, demonstrate how s/he has learned to address and compensate for these traits.
• “Hygiene” issues: establishing eye contact, having a firm handshake, doing research about the company beforehand so you can ask cogent questions, and following up

How important is cultural fit?

• Very.  It is important to know what kind of corporate culture you thrive in: hierarchical or collaborative? fast-paced or more laid back? lots of ambiguity and change, or more static and risk-averse?

 

What about the practice of extended multiple interviews?

• It works best when interviewers are each assigned to explore a particular aspect of the candidate (e.g. technical skills, cultural fit), and respectful of the candidate’s time (schedule the interviews on a single day, with perhaps a half-day of follow-up, rather than asking the candidate to come for one or two hours multiple times).

How important is a recruiter or interviewer’s ”gut feeling”? 

• Quite important, if the interviewer has a broad base of experience, a good “gut” and is vigilant about “testing” for personal bias, pro or con (i.e. physical or behavioral resemblance to another person the interviewer knows).

Is it better to be an early or late candidate in the process? 

• Usually you don’t want to be the first, if you can avoid it, as the company may not yet have realistic expectations.  If they are working with a search firm, feedback on each candidate can guide the search firm in selecting additional candidates to send, and valuable tips can be shared with these later candidates.

Is age discrimination a reality? 

• Sadly, yes.  The best defense is to exude energy, passion, quickness of step and thought, to counter bias that may be innate even if not overtly expressed. (And leaving early positions off your resume doesn’t help, though you can consider grouping your first positions in a paragraph called “early career.”)

Is there a lot of resume fraud?

• Yes. Good search firms conduct both degree and credential checks on all candidates, and discreetly check both official and unofficial references throughout the search process.

How should I follow up an interview?

• Promptly send a thank you email to each person you met with, uniquely tailored with some detail they shared with you to show that you were listening. If you are interviewing directly with the hiring company, it’s OK to follow up in a week if you haven’t heard from them by then.

Susan Chadick is Co-CEO of Chadick Ellig, Inc., a premier boutique retained search firm in NYC.  After holding varied staffing and sourcing roles at American Express for 8 years, starting on the technical side (finance, marketing, IT) and ultimately staffing executive-level positions in the US and overseas, Susan was recruited in 1986 by the search firm Gould & McCoy, now Chadick Ellig.