Established 1996
Talent Management
How to Deal with a Passive- Aggressive Colleague
There is a certain breed of people in the workplace who can be termed as ‘passive-aggressive’. These people aren’t aggressive at the outset but harbor emotions deep down which affect their actions. They display their aggression in a rather passive manner. These situations need to be dealt calmly by professionals. Often the person is himself / herself somewhat at fault. While the colleague’s behaviour cannot be changed overnight, a doze of management training on behavioral factors can probably ease the case. Often the two people may share the common boss. In those cases openly addressing the issue to the superior is always a positive step.
Recruiting the IT Talent of the Future
Talent recruitment in the IT industry is a particular challenge due to several constraints. Unlike other industries, technology here changes rapidly and makes certain skills sets obsolete well before due date. However, while technology may upgrade, employee turnover must remain stable. Corporate training in such cases must take care of employee upgrade with regards to technical skills. Constant chopping and changing of personnel due to technology changes is not the way. Recruitment that is presently being conducted must take care of needs five years down the line and so a futuristic thought process must be taken into account.
Seven Strategies for Managing remote tech Talent
In the present business scenario, a critical element of talent management is to coordinate effectively with employees working remotely. Seven strategies have been identified by a respected publication in order to best do this. A multi faceted approach is ideal to this involving camera, mikes and software such as Slack. Daily scrums must be enabled across the globe to keep workers well connected. A bug tracker must be put in place so that issues may be tracked early and resolved immediately. Tools such as Google Hangouts or idonethis are ideal to confirm progress as this builds work momentum. Wrike is one tool which helps in project management as it enables a real time workspace with Facebook style networking possibilities. Similarly, the concept of video conferencing must be used up. Overall, communication is the lifeblood of such work styles and helps in removing mental blocks on remote employees.
Why Middle Managers are so Unhappy
A study was conducted to identify the segments of the workforce usually least engaged or committed. The understanding prior to the evaluation of results was that unhappy employees would typically be poor performers, possessing low skill sets, new recruits or inadequately educated. However, the results proved otherwise. In fact, the common string attaching all unhappy employees tended to be that they were in the middle of everything. They were middle managers with around five to ten years of experience. They feel they lack any unique appeal for the organization. They view the organization as ineffective and inefficient. In addition, they feel they are overworked, under-valued and their issues aren’t addressed on time. Unhappy middle managers do not see much scope for promotions and feel that their work lacks purpose. And then they also get bogged down by poor leadership. This is where management training programmes are needed to be effective. Employees must be accorded the opportunity to undergo complete 360 degree reform. Un-inspirational leaders must always be moved on.
Why your Millennials are leaving You
A study conducted by business consulting giant Deloitte has revealed that millennials as a demographic group are found to be less loyal to their jobs than previous generations. As much as two-thirds of new recruits are likely to leave before the year 2020. The number is worst in markets such as Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand and only marginally better in the UK, Australia and the USA. Leadership roles instead motivate them. Millennials develop a sense of loyalty when provided with timely corporate training and mentoring. Also they tend to prosper where their values are met. They also demand ideal work environments. Lastly, a majority of millennials wish to associate with organizations that have the right company culture.
The right way to off-board a departing Employee
A major though often neglected component of talent management is the off-boarding process. A number of employees who are of critical importance to the organization and possess business know-how, need to be off-boarded in a measured manner. Instead of excessive paperwork, writing reports and exit interviews, there must be a proper replacement plan. In case the person departing is an expert, the organization must make sure that the person shares his / her expertise before leaving. Apprenticeships must be created around that person so others may pick up vital business tricks. Also management training programmes ought to be conducted with the departing individual and the team taking over. Finally, the team must realize that if individuals leave on good terms, there is always the element of the person eventually returning. For that a positive relationship must be maintained. In addition the organization, must forever be prepared for such situations and plan accordingly beforehand.
Don’t lose track of high performers who take a Hiatus
High performers in any organization are difficult to get and thus those who perform well but quit after a period are particularly regrettable losses for several organizations. It is extremely important to keep track of these people so that someday they may rejoin. Part of that process involves a detailed exit interview which will include a pointer on whether they would like to rejoin. Studies have indicated that several people go through period of profile shifts when they may leave. Also, a number of women leave their full-time jobs to focus on family during childbirth and care. As part of talent management, organizations must make sure these high performers are communicated that they will be welcome at future occasions.
How much Technology is too much in Talent Management
While technology is playing an increasing role in the art of talent management, a feeling exists that perhaps there is too much of it. Certain signs exist which clearly prove this trend to be scarily true. In such cases, project managers exist for each system. New implementations are always round the corner and employees aren’t too pleased about them. Communications get lost. Most importantly mergers and acquisitions create the harassment of duplicate systems. In order to avoid all this, only high level activities and interactions must be technology aided. On the job capabilities for top talent must be activated to facilitate smooth integration of technology to work processes.
10 disruptive HR Technology Trends for 2016
Global giant Deloitte has identified certain technology trends which in the year 2016 will disrupt human resources management. Technology is set to revolutionize employee engagement techniques. The smartphone has emerged as a platform to conduct HR operations. Talent management is now being conducted by ERP vendors. A number of HR processes are now being outsourced to firms which use Cloud based technology. In spite of this extensive use of Cloud computing, demand for technology services has not reduced. The concepts such as employee feedback and corporate culture have gained importance. The influx of real time data has facilitated the alignment of performance management with market feedback. Startups are innovating their corporate training programmes by integrating learning for their handful of employees from across disparate sources. 2016 will see further rise in the usage of predictive analytics. All these changes are set to expand employee engagement with the firm.
Why high IT Talent Turnover is your Fault
Staffing and talent management firm TEK-systems has conducted a study to understand the high rate of employee turnover in the IT industry. Fresh graduates have certain demands such as vacation time, work-life balance and continuing education. Some organizations enable employees to go for executive MBA in order to facilitate their learning. Some firms even have provision for employees to buy shares of the company, but limitations occur when seniors themselves aren’t aware of exact stipulations. Compensation is a major concern for many. At the end of the day though, it was understood by the researchers that whatever a firm does, some people will leave in any case.
IDEO’s best-kept secrets on Employee Engagement
A number of firms these days are grappling with best ways to keep their employees engaged and that is what IDEO has perfected. IDEO believes that keeping employees involved and happy is an integral part of talent management. The mission statement is eased out in such a way for all to comprehend. A culture of business innovation is wedded in where everyone needs to participate in the same. Also this creativity is more of a bottom-up approach enabling innovation to come from different verticals within the firm. Finally, a sense of social collaboration has been inculcated across the organization.
The 5 truths that must be understood about motivating Millennials
There are certain business practices which go particularly well with the generation of new recruits to most organizations now termed collectively as ‘millennials’. These practices will ensure the firm proves to be a success in the art of talent management. The products or services churned out by the firm must have an element of business innovation and be relevant to existing needs. A bit of controversy to spice things up is what attracts youngsters. However, they do value authenticity in the product and a genuine purpose to provide top service. Millennials pride themselves of being different from the crowd as well as dynamic in approach. Finally, what really motivates them is when they feel the final product has something they can associate with.
Nonprofits can’t keep ignoring Talent Development
While on the surface, non-profit organizations appear to be totally different, yet a number of challenges they face are similar to those of for-profit organizations. Talent management is clearly one of them as evidenced by the high turnover ratio. Business research conducted by the Bridgespan Group shows that less than a third of the C-Suite positions at such firms were filled by internal hires. Onboarding of new recruits requires on average, twice the amount of time as existing employees do. Low compensation and lack of professional development opportunities have commonly been cited as reasons for executives leaving these firms. Donors Choose is one such not-for-profit firm which has defied the odds, and ensured employee stability and this is something the industry has to ensure.
Professionalism and Career Success
The exact definition of the world ‘professional’ may differ depending on dictionary, work culture, work profile or designation. But certain tenets of professional behaviour remain common to all situations. As per business research conducted by Bloomberg, certain tendencies are disliked by employers across the board. One of them is lack of punctuality. Then there is the sense of entitlement. A poor work ethic and lack of urgency are also not recommendable. Gossip must be avoided at all costs at workplace. Even proper corporate training programmes cannot bring up the level of those who resist coaching. Humility is of utmost importance. Finally, the person must avoid whining or complaining at any cost.
5 Predictions for the Freelance Economy in 2016
Business research conducted has thrown some predictions on the way freelancing as a way of working will continue in the year 2016. There has been much debate on regulations surrounding freelancing and there is need to change existing norms. Numerous functions within the broad gamut of HRM such as Human Capital Management and Vendor Management Systems need to be consolidated as part of a common HRMIS. Greater number of people will now freelance leveraging the capabilities of their smartphones. Marketplaces with kiosks for availing certain products or amenities will see a decline due to rise of the on-demand economy. Even large organizations will eventually realize the benefits of building on a freelance network and will embrace this concept.
Talent Management
Challenges for HR Directors in 2016
As the debacle at Volkswagen regarding its carbon emissions cheating indicates, single acts can tarnish the reputations of organizations built over years, maybe decades. Reputation and talent management will be major concerns for HR leaders this year. This will also be dictated by the fact that demographics across the world are changing. Average age of the population is 46 in Japan and Germany, 36 in USA, 25 in South Africa and 15 in Uganda. Several organizations are also grappling with shortage of talent in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. The Confederation of British Industries (CBI) in fact says that skill gaps are worsening. Automation is being used at places to bridge this gap.
Source:http://www.forbes.com/sites/karenhigginbottom/2015/12/30/challenges-for-hr-directors-in-2016/
HR must stop waging the war for Talent and start delivering the people Organizations Need
The human resource management stream has for long complained about talent or the lack of it in the existing market. This shortage was first referred to in an article by McKinsey. But now the problem is so well understood that talent management as a domain has become a full time vocation for the HR department. McKinsey’s report was initially meant for senior managers but now this crisis seems to have permeated to all levels. However, this crisis has also baffled many who feel that this is simply an excuse for not managing to recruit the best of the lot available. If anything universities and institutes across the globe are producing better trained professionals than ever before. Mobility has also increased and young professionals are ready to venture beyond borders. A case in point could also be the military which recruits so much raw talent that has never fired a gun or driven a tank. Yet West Point or Sandhurst still manage to train these recruits.
Virtual workplaces will liberate Talent, dissolve borders, and rewrite the Source Code of Innovation
Communication technologies have long been present in various formats such as emails, phone calls, voice calls or even tele-conferencing. However, none of these have been able to replace the intangible benefits of face-to-face communication. That is where the concept of Virtual Reality can come in to bridge the gap. People have been grappling with ideations and best ways to incubate business innovation. The usual approach is to assemble a bunch of talented people at one place with the idea that eventually something new will develop. While people obviously need to come together to collaborate, virtual reality might enable boundaries to be blurred and allow professionals from across London, Boston, Shanghai or San Francisco to work together.
HR Metrics and Analytics fuels Employee Management, Retention
In order to excel at employee management and retention, a number of firms are using HR based business analytics. Convenience store chain Wawa uses a software which not only analyzes but also predicts performances of its employees across its 700 plus stores. This goes a long way in improving store sales. SAP has devised an application known as Success-Factors that is cloud based and helps assess talent levels of individual employees. HR metrics and analytics tools also help out in decoding questions such as best candidates for particular position, who should be recruited early and in whose case chances are higher to accept offers. And then there is Workaday whose predictive analytics recommends candidates to prospective employers using an algorithm similar to what Netflix uses to suggest movies to users.
HR Models to propel you into the Digital Era
The world of talent management is getting a major shakeup as far from being a support field, it is now considered amongst the most important aspects of HR management. Netflix and Zappos are two of the newer organizations which are setting benchmarks in the field. A lot of other organizations though seem mired in traditional models in a similar way as Henry Ford once spoke about the Model T car that could be bought in nay color by customers as long as it was black. An advisory has suggested a few HR models which can be experimented with at various workplaces. The JIT model works best with volatile businesses involving digitally enabled teams including IT professionals, facilities experts and the actual executives. The professional services model seeks to eliminate the presence of silos within firms. The talent segmented model segregates employees as per needs dividing on the basis of markets, generations, work patterns or other means. The crowd-sourced model as the name suggests uses social media to engage crowd-sourced performance reviews, onboard each another, recruit new people and execute transactions. The lean HR model seeks to reduce duplications to the minimum by having a core team of only few specialists along with a support team consisting of planners and analysts. Finally, the federated model uses a decentralized style where various functions are divided across the organization
Emotional Resilience: hot topic for Recruiters
Emotional resilience is increasingly being considered as crucial for individuals to thrive at workplaces. It includes an ability to mask real feelings and getting on with work at professional level. Workplaces have several layers of complications and politics, so it becomes essential for employees to work under such baggage. Talent recruitment firms are looking for aspirants who are good at their work but do not let emotions cloud their individual and organizational value systems. Organizations need to stop ignoring emotions though in the long run and address such issues rather than expecting employees to simply not care for them at all.
10 IT workplace prediction for 2016
The IT industry is unique and some predictions have been made for 2016 relating to the industry’s workplace. Talent management will take precedence over all other aspects this year as industry leaders battle it out to capture the best brains. This focus on talent will also lead to several benefits added to the package and this will convert into competitive advantage for respective organizations. Corporate training programmes will now involve components on employees’ wellness. Sustainability will also be added as a recruitment tool. Workers’ rights have often been disregarded by employers but this is set to change with strict regulations that need to be complied with as per directions from present government. Certain Greenfield technologies will no longer be considered under that category thus leading to increased regulations in mobile and scheduling systems. Overall though, investments in mobile based technologies are set to expand further. Organizations are entering that stage where it is time to groom the next generation of leaders. The freelance economy will rise further as younger employees will seek increased flexibility. The traditional office space will thus be reconfigured to suit modern trends and requirements.
A Taste of Rebellion: how ‘challenging’ employees actually benefit your Business
Being a rebel has long been associated with negative perceptions. There are rebels who do so just to avoid work. However, there are many others for whom rebellion is only part of achieving something that is better for the organization or larger society. Rebellion is now accepted as part of startups which are looking to disrupt the conventional business world with their business innovations. But large organizations are still very often at fault of encouraging obedience above all. Giants such as NASA, GM and Kodak have been found at fault where their excessive bureaucracy led to crucial decision making getting stalled. The good rebels after due diligence must be encouraged as they bring positive change. They think about the future and so align their ideas with company goals. They show proof on how changes benefit the organization rather than comfort of existing ways alone. Importantly, they deal with conflict using creativity.
Talent Management
Where do you find your best technology hires? Seven Executives share their Strategies
Management consulting publication Forbes has documented seven executives’ opinions on best sources to hire technology personnel. Matthew Kolb of names.org firmly believes in division of labour which is why he feels that a professional recruiter cannot be replaced in what he / she does best. The old boy network needs to be tapped to get the best of personnel from within the industry, feels Thomas Griffin on Optin-Monster. Lisbi Abraham from Andela feels that while technology has eliminated many traditional sources, yet new methods are not searching untapped markets, simply rehashing old formats. With manpower stagnating in many developed countries, talent recruitment efforts must now be directed overseas where large pool still exists untapped. Pete Kistler from brandyourself.com has an unconventional take on this as he feels that existing app developers must be enticed to part with their independence and join the company. As per Ashley Saddul of recruiter.com, social media tool LinkedIn’s importance is ever growing in the field of recruitment. Networked Insights’ Bradley Burke feels that one must not restrict recruitment towards these tools mentioned alone, but in fact these days it can happen literally anywhere.
What we learn from great places to Work
A forum recently acknowledged the best places to work in the plastics and allied industry. Some of the organizations thus mentioned includes the likes of- Trilogy Plastics Alliance from Ohio, Asaclean-Sun Plastech from New Jersey and Techmer PM. Wisconsin based film equipment maker CMD Corp. also features highly in the list. This organization is full of experienced candidates but is revamping its work procedures in order to attract millennials. A regular member of such lists Dymotek Corp. from Connecticut finds a mention yet again. San Diego based Ridout Plastics particularly excels at talent management as employees are accorded flexible work hours. Metro Plastics from Indiana, Precise Mold & Plate also from Indiana and Dallas based Klaston occupy the next few spots. On top is Chase Plastics Services based at Michigan state.
Source: http://www.plasticsnews.com/article/20160304/BLOG01/303049994/what-we-learn-from-great-places-to-work
How to build a Company Culture even if your team is Remote
Company culture has in many ways becoming the defining aspect that impacts employee satisfaction, engagement, turnover and talent management. This becomes especially tricky to develop when a large percentage of the workforce involves remote workers, as has become the norm these days. Thus the management must make sure that all employee- full time or freelance- must understand and then embrace the corporate strategy. Communication must flow freely without hierarchical hindrances. A support system must exist around all employees who must similarly understand that for each task there is a team to aid in case of requirement.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-to-build-a-company-cu_b_9404150.html?section=india
How to build a Game changing Team for your Business
Business research conducted by the Forbes publication has provided us a list of steps which must be followed in order to create the ideal work team. Technology must be used to assemble the best of people together. The specific apps will not only analyze conventional aspects such as experience or qualifications, but will instead track behavioral patterns. Teams for specific activities must never be too large as that impacts cohesion. Communication channels must remain transparent and not get muddied by several layers of hierarchies. Finally it is also important that teams are empowered to take decisions on their style of work.
Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/alisoncoleman/2016/03/06/how-to-build-a-game-changing-team-for-your-business/#266d2b1229b6
Rethinking Employee Turnover
It has usually been thought that employee turnover is a bad thing. Studies have been conducted to measure the effect. However, in some cases employee attrition may actually end up saving a company a lot of money. If the employee is disgruntled or possesses outdated skill sets, it is better for the organization to move on. New processes or business innovations cannot be implemented effectively with such employees. It inhibits the creation of an agile workforce. And that is why Zappos recently announced exit payments to those who felt they did not fit in.
Source:- http://www.forbes.com/sites/edwardlawler/2015/07/21/rethinking-employee-turnover/
The rise of the Knowledge Worker 2.0
Iconic management thinker Peter Drucker more than four decades back spoke about the rise of the knowledge worker who as opposed to the manual worker provided value to organizations using knowledge. He argued that over the decades knowledge would top land or labour in terms of economic importance. Now even Google’s Eric Schmidt has laid down in his book the term, ‘smart creative’ as someone who is the knowledge worker of today. This person is independent, results oriented and creates business innovations. Source:- https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/rise-knowledge-worker-20-alexandra-levit
Firms improve Online Candidate Experience
The candidate recruitment experience is undergoing certain changes across organizations which would have positive impacts. As per business research conducted by Talent Board, firms can solve their gaps in recruitment by delivering a stellar experience to candidates at this stage. Usually recruiters are prompt in acknowledging job applications but they aren’t equally receptive to informing the aspirants about the stage their form has reached and next steps to be taken. The transparency has been missing. If this aspect improves then even employee referrals will go up. Employers are now targeting job agents and microsites to increase visibility about their offers. The online experience is getting enhanced. Also the tricky part of informing the aspirants about their final selection or not needs major improvement from the respective human resource departments and hiring managers. This will eventually aid the onboarding process.
Source: http://www.talentmgt.com/articles/7425-firms-improve-online-candidate-experience
Will Open Source HR make life easier for Companies?
Human resource management as a discipline seems to be forever shrouded in mystery. This is probably due to the massive complexity in wide ranging operations from talent recruiting and onboarding to employee engagement and compensation planning. However, some feel that businesses will be better served through greater levels of transparency. Some organizations such as Zappos and Valve have gone to the extent of publishing their employee handbooks but that was mainly about rule and regulations. What is even more critical is detailed understanding of aspects such as human ways of terminating employees or how to bring about greater workforce diversity in the organization.
Source:http://www.forbes.com/sites/rawnshah/2015/11/27/will-open-source-hr-make-life-easier-for-companies/
Talent Management
Want to hire great People? Do these ten things Well
A study conducted by the Forbes group has identified ten steps that must be taken up in order to excel at talent recruitment. First of all bureaucratic work policies must be gotten rid off as they negatively impact innovation at workplace. Unless regulatory or safety compliances are challenged, step by step processes must be replaced by greater fluidity. Compensation matters and thus organization which plan to succeed in the long run must pay at least industry average or more. Corporate training of management must aim towards instilling in them a management style that focuses on trust and not fear. The work place environment must be relatively relaxed and fun with less focus on arrival and departure timings but more on actual productivity. Open communication must be encouraged at all levels. A strong work culture must be developed at the organization so that employees themselves become advocates for fresh recruitments. This strong work culture must be emphasized on at all times. Less reliance must be made on recruitment software and more on the human touch. Interviews must be more of interactions and less formal so that the candidate can speak freely.
How Performance Management Software will change the way you do Business
Several mega organizations such as Adobe, Cargill and Accenture have done away with performance management reviews. In fact it was understood post studies conducted that managers spend a stupendous two hundred hours per year on performance reviews. In order to be more conducive towards talent management, the process to evaluate performances has been made simpler. It is more user-friendly by nature now. Business analytics now tracks performance insights using sophisticated and quantifiable data. Collaboration is greatly boosted as a result of this simplification. Companies have even started this concept of pulse surveys where questionnaires are delivered to employees’ respective inboxes. Others are even gamifying their performance evaluation.
Three ways Technology is transforming Talent Management in 2016
A study commissioned has identified three ways by which the art of talent management is undergoing a change thanks to technology. Algorithms are now being used for hiring decisions. Research firms such as Entelo and Textio are gauging business intelligence to deduce important traits and qualifications among applicants’ pool to cut through time spent on recruitment. GE’s employees now have an app specifically designed to help them provide feedback on work culture and products. It also helps engage employees with the management. People analytics are now being worked on. This is radically different from training analytics or other such tools, as they measure the effectiveness of employees over a range of activities across a span of time.
Five signs your Company is Clueless about your Talent
Certain indications at organizations are clear giveaways that those companies know very little about the art of talent management. It starts with recruitment where if the process is fast and warm with a human touch, it means the people concerned value the efforts of the applicants. If on the other hand, the process is slow, cold and involves bureaucracies, then little attention is paid towards the talent. Another indications is if all employees are rigidly time bound to arrive and leave office at same minimum time without due considerations towards flexibility. Also the evaluation process at such places is flawed as all employees are scanned rigorously under the same parameters. The communication at such places is loud, hierarchical and instructive rather than involving the people. Finally, such organizations do not exude honesty in dealings. There exists a lack of transparency.
Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2016/03/11/five-signs-your-company-is-clueless-about-talent/#6a3ac14a6676
Hurry up: Speed is Key to recruiting the best Talent
In order to excel at talent recruitment, time is of the essence. Due to the massive chunks of data created today, it is essential that communication be conducted swiftly. When positions have not been filled up on time, companies have ended up losing money as per a study concluded. Also when aspirants do not receive acknowledgements, it creates wrong perception of the organization. Even if candidate is not finally selected, a mail acknowledging that the CV has been received must be sent. This trend all the more strong with the newer generations of recruits who are now flocking online forums for their needs. Steps in the positive direction have already taken place with STEM hiring in particular doing well using such model.
Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghanbiro/2016/03/04/hurry-up-speed-is-key-to-recruiting-the-best-talent/#3d8ed0804bc2
The Culture within: How Employee Engagement impacts Customer Experience
Marketing experts have identified an aspect of HRM that is critical to their discipline. That is employee engagement as that positively impacts customer experience. Motivated employees provide much better service to customers as they own the culture at the organization. Peer-to-peer feedback also improves as newer recruits get positive vibes from the longer serving employees. A perfect example would be Zappos where talent management is given top importance and employee satisfaction reflects when these people in turn interact with customers in this highly customer-centric industry. Many of the other smaller companies though are not providing due attention to employee engagement.
Source: http://www.1to1media.com/view.aspx?docid=35723
Finding Great Talent: The Intersection of Recruiters and Recruiting Technology
There has been much debate as to the importance of technology for the purpose of talent recruitment. These recruitment tools help organizations to sieve through mounds of data but the final selections require the human touch, Thus certain precautions need to be taken that have been identified over a study commissioned. The interview process needs to be conducted by recruiters but structured guides must exist to guide the persons involved. Candidate profiles must be tracked using technology so that unnecessary data can be rejected easily. For this business analytics must also be used as that will help close the process earlier while also helping the recruiters to analyze sources which are providing best leads. Aspirants need to be marked against a scorecard where parameters will be predefined.
Talent Management
What are the Innovative HR Practices that Knowledge workers Want?
Knowledge workers are a unique breed of employees. Instead of conventional tactics, certain HR practices have been acknowledged which are sure to get the best productivity out of them. Knowledge workers desire a continuous, consistent work culture across the organization, rather than departmentalization. They abhor politics. Transparency is valued by them. With such people of high caliber, the system of command plus control does not work. They wish to be empowered. This can be made possible by conducting regular corporate training, authentic three sixty degree feedback, free flow of knowledge and matching their expertise with appropriate salary. These knowledge workers also believe in leadership with accountability and the person on top of a team has to deliver accordingly. Knowledge workers bring high degree of perfection at work, thus it becomes important to harness their unique gifts.
Source:http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/eric-quonlee-/hr-practices-knowledge-workers_b_10726002.html
Companies Must Treat Employees as Customers: Aon’s Mark Oshima
A representative from Aon which is a management consulting firm specializing in HR, says that employees must be treated by companies the way they handle their customers. Talent management becomes a particularly skillful task to deal with during mergers and acquisitions. Employees go through several dilemmas such as reporting channels, job security, growth prospects or work profile. Companies need to clarify these points with utmost transparency. Resource allocation is another challenge. However, dispelling the myths surrounding automation, the managing partner of Aon clarified that it will not result in people losing their jobs, but instead there is bound to be realignment. There will be fresh assessment on skill sets which need to be fitted according to altering realities. E-commerce firms have in particular struggled with their staffing as many were funded generously but could not handle the amount resulting in people not being taken care of. Across organizations, top employees are now being treated as capital assets and they are being shifted from core functional areas to high growth sectors.
Five bad Recruiting practices that drive Talent Away
Some talent recruitment trends have been identified which, instead of fulfilling the organization’s requirements, drive away the best of employees. The first of them has been termed as radio silence where once candidates have filled out long, cumbersome application forms, are often left in the dark, receiving no response. Pre-employment tests must be done away with and replaced with profile views, references or testimonials on LinkedIn. Recruiters must discuss salary terms with the prospect depending on skill set and position offered, not on the basis of what that person was previously drawing. Outdated interviewing techniques must be done away with. Also, sometimes recruiters convince themselves of ample time available for the process to be concluded, yet do not understand that prime candidates do not wait that long.
Here’s where most Companies go wrong when looking for Job Candidates
A mistake a number of recruiters commit is to focus too much on the raw talent. Yet actual business persons will relate to the fact that more than talent, it is the team ethics that matter more. Thus businesses must aim at creating the company culture first. Employees who display transparency, resourcefulness and willingness to collaborate are definitely better fits at organizations than those with exceptional talent. Company culture must be built from top to bottom with all levels following similar imprint. Business innovation though must flow from bottom to top with each level willing to add more value. The company must in some way reward those who work with a team spirit.
Source: http://fortune.com/2016/06/26/business-culture-hire-employees/
How HR can drive Innovation for Customer Satisfaction
The field of human resources was built in the initial period in order to administer people. Unfortunately this tag stayed and even in 2016 majority of HR professionals are solely engaged in that activity. Yet HR can also be an innovation driver. The next stage beyond administration is talent management through optimizing brains. The HR reaches the zenith when it starts connecting brains remotely connected. It can best be executed suing social, cloud, mobile and big data platforms. Companies at the cutting edge such as SAP are automating a lot of their HR functions, freeing up the professionals to engage in keeping the organization continuously connected across geographical or time boundaries. Productivity rises as a result, eventually reflecting in improved customer satisfaction.
A new Facebook Chatbot could help you find your next Job
Ever since Facebook Messenger opened up towards modifications, chat bots have been added by various developers. Some of them have simply been for fun and frolic but others have developed useful applications. For example there is Job Pal, which is helping out with talent recruitment. Random questions are asked to users on the premise of networking but if the conversation goes well, a job offer is made right on the spot. Several companies have been enlisted for such services including Uber, PayPal, Citymapper and Hailo. There have been some failures in related organizations such as at Microsoft.
Source:http://digiday.com/brands/new-facebook-chatbot-help-find-next-job/
How to become a Talent Magnet
Certain traits enable a select list of people to have the ability to attract the best of talent. Alice Waters, chef at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California is one of them. Several top chefs have such as Judy Rodgers, Joyce Goldstein and Jeremiah Tower have worked under her and gone on to win laurels in their field. She is extremely good at the art of talent management. But in this respect she is not alone as in several other industries some such unique names exist. Some examples of that are Ralph Lauren in fashion, Gene Roberts in media, Julian Robertson in finance, Larry Elison in technology and Bill Walsh in professional football. First of all they select the right candidates but ensure that once selected, they do slog. Such super-bosses also possess good networking skills and this rubs off on these new recruits. Once a reputation establishes, recruitment becomes easier to the extent that existing employees end up being job advocates for the company.
Talent Management
The fine line between a collaborative Employee and one who doesn’t get enough done
Certain employee type exists who have a highly collaborative nature and get along very well across all departments in the organization. These people, however, tend to often score low on their appraisals as they do not particularly excel at anything as they can never focus on one aspect in detail. Such employees are by and large women. These women can avoid such situations and succeed at the real metrics that matter at the workplace while continuing to be their usual helpful selves if certain norms are followed by the organization. The organization must stick to goal-oriented feedback instead of personality based which is often the case in female employees’ case. As part of the company’s talent management schemes, these people must be clearly informed about their path to promotion. However, some metrics must be designed to leverage their collaborative nature as well. A concerted focus on results must be maintained. Most importantly, employees must get rid of their hidden but inherent biases especially regarding female employees.
Bridging the Cultural gap in cross-border Talent Management
With globalization constantly on the rise, there is a major need for multinational companies to create talent management systems conducive to working in different cultural landscapes. A case of an American company which was recently taken over by a Chinese one can be highlighted. The new formation needed 3 different CEOs in a matter of just two years. The first two were Chinese and American respectively, thus viewed with suspicion by either side. The next one was a Singaporean having worked before in both the west as well as China. He was thus able to manage due to the experience gained. A number of Chinese firms are now focusing on training their employees to be able to gear up these kind of issues which are bound to surface periodically.
Source:http://www.humanresourcesonline.net/futurist-bridging-cultural-gap-cross-border-talent-management/
Solutions for improving diversity in Tech
In spite of apparent progress by women and minorities in various spheres of life, their numbers at top IT firms is alarmingly low. There exists a mismatch between number of women graduating from IT courses in colleges in the USA with the number of jobs they hold down. Management consulting giant McKinsey says that the business world will potentially lose more than four trillion US dollars by the year 2025 if greater gender parity is not established. Some steps have been suggested in order to ensure greater diversity in technology companies. Diversity needs to be promoted as one of the parameters for talent recruitment. In order to develop and sustain innovation at the workplace it is essential to have diversity so that various kinds of ideas can bounce off at the place reflecting the variety of experiences or background. Startups led by women need to be supported by industry. None of these targets though will be met until specific targets are set with measurable metrics mentioned.
6 Ideas to catapult the growth of your top Talent
Talent management experts have identified some ideas which if followed can elevate existing top professionals further ahead at their work. The first such idea is trend spotting as applied by Unilever where top managers from across the globe are assigned the duty of identifying some business trends that will be crucial for the company to address in fifteen years’ time. This also enables the company to stay ahead of the curve in terms of global business intelligence capture. Similarly, sometimes these top managers are gathered together at one place and given the challenge of devising turnaround team. Soemthing will need to be revolutionized for the good during this process. To gain practical exposure, employees are sent for consumer deep dive where they actually spend substantial amount of time with their customer base. Some companies have even actively encouraged their top talent to step out and start up their own firms as this allows them to test new ground. Top talent must also possess the ability to negotiate and thus these people are often thrust into positions where they need to deal with government officials. Organizations have even established innovation hack rounds where professionals are stacked in places and exposed to pressure cooker like conditions with the sole aim to develop some ideas.
Neurodiversity: The benefits of Recruiting employees with cognitive Disabilities
A pool of talent largely ignored until very recently, is being tapped into by the corporate world. Individuals suffering from autism were long considered unemployable but now it has been understood using several case studies that people who suffer from the same, often exhibit above average intelligence levels in certain fields. SAP is one of those companies what have stepped up recruitment of people with autism. These organizations team up with a Danish firm called Specialisterne that has around three-fourths of its employees afflicted with the malady. They have even developed a certification to prove that such individuals can be highly productive. So that these companies do not appear to be exploitative, they have arranged corporate training sessions with Specialisterne where these recruits undergo a five week programme and get certified. The word autism is instead getting replaced in the corporate world by the term neuro-diversity.
Randstad Sourceright launches ‘twago’ Freelance Management Platform
Top talent solutionsfirm Randstad has developed a new software called ‘twago’ which is built is such a way as to support organizations managing freelancers. With growing flexibility at work, most organizations today employ an army of freelancers or gig workers. Traditional talent management software cannot manage this deluge of freelancers as their modules are designed for full time employees. Twago also facilitates recruitment of freelancers. Once on board, project management can be personalized with such gig employees. Twago is connected to the company’s central analytics wing called Talent Radar.
How to find and engage authentic informal Leaders
There is an urgent need for talent management professionals to source authentic informal leaders. These are those leaders who inspire all around them through their own work but maintain a sense of trust and authenticity across the organization. These kind of leaders aren’t always the star performers but prefer being in the engine room. They do not always accept hierarchy or protocol but behave like their true selves. These people get bogged down by formal communication channels such as project report statuses. Instead they rely on direct face-to-face interaction. Unfortunately some such leaders lack the patience or perseverance levels to stick out at one place for too long. Once they succeed at a place, they look to move on, but generate enormous productivity till they are there.
Source: http://www.strategy-business.com/blog/How-to-Find-and-Engage-Authentic-Informal-Leaders
Digital Marketing 12
10 Effective Promotion Designs from Successful Ecommerce Brands
Behind every successful ecommerce business, usually there is an effective promotional design which brings in new leads and higher sales. Effective promotions enhance website experience, increases visitor engagement and give better sales results.
What makes overlay promotional design effective? Incorporating the right design elements in overlay promotions is the key to making them effective as some design elements yield better results than others. In this article, Grant uses “show and tell” format to present some of these design elements through 10 excellent examples of well designed overlay promotions.
You will get an opportunity to see great overlay promotions by brands like SoleRebels, Bandolier, Drop Bottle, Renovator Store, Horseland, Sol Angeles, MuscleEgg, Flow, Mustela and The Poster List using design elements like display ideas, short call to action, two field form to collect information, image building, encouraging subscription to mailing list, engaging new customers, displaying value clearly, contests, darkening of the overlay background, educational content, new product updates and clearance sale.
I recommend that you do not miss this opportunity to learn how to make your overlay promotions effective and your ecommerce marketing strategy a resounding success.
Top 10 Marketing Trends you need to Know
Business research conducted has provided us with certain trends marketers must keep track of. Data enables proper business analysis and thus it is critical to the way marketing is now undertaken. Social media is key part of digital marketing. Video mode engages audiences quickly. Marketing is veering increasingly towards the mobile and online platforms. Sponsored content is being produced in house by publishers. Social influencers are now being gauged to attract youngsters. Increasingly firms are implementing ad blocking software. Technology is getting linked to marketing but there is still some untapped potential. Programmatic ads are instead being the focus of publishers and marketers. Peer based reviews’ generation ahs now ballooned to be a full-fledged industry.
Using Social Media listening to enhance your Online Marketing Strategies
A novel method that has emerged to boost up digital marketing is the application of social media listening. One must create community of followers, fans and advocates. Consumer behaviours must be tracked to develop or design better products keeping buyer personas in mind. The corporate social media page must be maintained with utmost dedication. A level of flexibility is required in operations. Of course, finally the product must be improved to best suit target audience. This can best be followed up using social media as the tool enables instant and interactive feedback.
Transforming Social Media complaints into Opportunities
Due to the increased presence of social media in digital marketing, it has been observed that customers are more freely voicing their gripes. While addressing so much may prove to be a huge challenge, this can also turn out to be an opportunity. Social media can help companies monitor its feedback better and take corrective action. Customer service personnel may then be trained accordingly. Feedback can be gauged instantly and organization can learn through customer experiences.
How Internet of Things changes Marketing
The Internet of Things (IoT) is truly revolutionizing the way digital marketing is conducted these days. The power of location tracking is being used by beacons. These are wireless devices which track mobile phones within the location and deliver specific personalized content based on buyer behaviour. As per market research conducted by Adobe, about a third of marketers in the USA will be using such devices in the year 2015. Three new media vistas are now being used. They include connected digital signage, wearables and connected Point-of-Sale terminals. Target is one of the biggest retail chains already fully utilizing the power of IoT.
11 Unbreakable Laws of Social Media Marketing
Social media has become the bedrock behind digital marketing and thus some maxims have been framed for the sound execution of the same. Before any posting on social media, due diligence must be paid. Social media may be a virtual field, but the people concerned are real. It is imperative to listen to what others especially customers have to say about our brand. Due interaction must be done with customers before adequate response. Also the right post must be made at the right social media platform. The option to follow people must only be selectively used up for the right personalities. The content to be delivered must be as good as possible. The social media marketer must be hands-on and deliver content as per correct timing. Also there is no need to go head on with aggression, rather a calmer approach suits all stakeholders concerned. Content delivered must be consistent across timelines and social media channels. Finally, it is important to listen to what influencers have to say as they can gauge substantial audience figures.
What does an emotional connection with your Customers look Like
Digital marketing has a lot to do with connecting with the emotions of the target audience. Thus it becomes imperative to form strong bonds with emotional customers. As per business research conducted by CEB, there exist three kinds of emotional customers. Type 1 are those who are regular buyers of the brand irrespective of the price tag. Type 2 are those who need not be buyers, yet remain associated the brand by either joining loyalty programmes or participating in customer surveys. Finally type 3 are those who not only purchase the brand’s products but are also vocal about it and influence the buying behaviours of their friends and relatives.
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