The HR Hub

HR Tech seems like a big decision.  Get the wrong tech and you might be  'that person'. 😬 Get the right tech and you'll get more and better  opportunities.  Fortunately there are steps to success!   I spoke with Phil Strazzulla of Select Software Reviews which  specializes in HR tech.  I don't usually plug my guests too much, but  his site gives us free advice on how to navigate the process of buying  HR tech!  The quality of advice is so good too!  Like:   💸 You can and should negotiate.  Prices are almost always negotiable.   🔠 Make sure the vendors know you are looking at a variety of systems.   That will help with negotiations.   📆 It's true! The time of year (or month) matters!   🪄A gut check is a valid method of making a decision although you should  understand and articulate it for others.   🛞 Contrary to popular thought, people practices aren't going to create  success... successful organizations have something that people want.  It's more like great HR practices 'grease the wheels'.   There was so much valuable insight in this episode.  And some of the  tips apply to buying many things!   Find Phil at https://www.selectsoftwarereviews.com/   Find Andrea at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

Presenting data is harder than it looks.  Bar charts may not cut it.  But, maybe in HR we have an advantage because our data is about people.   We can tell stories! We can humanize the data!      For example, change ' 20% of employees are planning on leaving within 6  months' to '1 out of 5 employees want to leave by Easter'.  It's even  better if, after that, you draw the line between the fact and the  business impacts.    Presenting people analytics was the subject of this week's episode with  Kevin Campbell.  Kevin is an Employee Experience Scientist with  Qualtrics and has also worked for Deloitte and Culture Amp.  Some other insights:  🗣 Tell stories!  They are engaging.   💧Software is making people analytics much easier.   😘 You want to generate an emotional connection to the data.   🏁 As another guest said (so it must be true): Just give it a try!  Start!   #️⃣ Focus more on outcomes than output when you can.     Effective presentation of data including stories may be as important as  generating it.   Find Kevin on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevingeorgecampbell/   Kevin talked about the XM Institute.  Find that here: https://www.xminstitute.com/   Find Andrea on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

Employees complain to HR because they hope we can fix it. Sometimes it's  more than hope... they KNOW it's our job to solve the problem. And  it's easy for us to be drawn in.  After all, HR is ALSO supposed to be  empathetic and supportive and many of us buy into that idea. But stop.  Yes you can and should hear the complaint and there likely is  something on.  But before you make the determination, get all the facts.   And don't get drawn in personally! I loved this conversation with Heather Dranitsaris-Hilliard and Dr. Anne  Dranitsaris of Caliber Leadership Systems because I've fielded many  employee complaints. Every single time, it feels like I am walking a  knife's edge. I fear making the employee more angry (and at me) or that I  am throwing my client under the bus. Or just that I should have been  able to make the employee feel better, but I didn't. Anne and Heather have a few areas of expertise and one of them is  definitely handling complaints! And their advice is pragmatic... they're  not fully buying into to the utopian messages you see in social media: 🤷🏻‍♀️ The employee will tell a story that works in their favour.   It could be 100% true, but let's be honest:  Do you tell the whole  objective truth when you complain? 📖 Most often there's far more history and context. 😢 Don't apologize! 🛟 When you sense this happening, pull back.  Don't fall in and rescue.  I felt better after this.  Maybe you will too! Find Heather and Anne at https://caliberleadership.com/ or on LinkedIn Find Andrea on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

Microaggressions, putdowns, harassment... Sometimes they are obvious,  but frequently they are not.  What's often true is that they are  difficult issues for an organization and they are dealt with badly or  ignored. Which is also partly why only 30% of issues are reported.   There must be a better way. Maysa Hawash, this week's guest is  finding a better way.  She has collaborated on software that will help  the employees who don't want to speak up directly.  It's called HearU  and I think it's a great idea. It allows employees to speak up  anonymously and gives organizations a chance to understand what is  really going on.  Obviously it's not the only option, but I think it's a  good one. 🆉 Gen Z experiences this more often.  Possibly because they have higher standards. 👋 The 70% of those who don't report... they might just leave and you'll never know why.   👂Not everything warrants an investigation.  Sometimes employees just want validation.   🤝 HR can validate an individual, but they still need the commitment of leadership to address problems more systemically. I confess, I have given friends advice to just leave. It's easier than  fighting the culture. This is much better.  Take a listen.

Implementing an HRIS is a big endeavour which could garner you much  support and credibility in the organization.  Or it could do the  opposite.  Let's try to make sure you it helps your career?! Phil Strazzulla helps advance HR by sharing information about HR tech on  his site, Select Software, and he gives all his advice to us for free!!  And it's pretty darn good advice.  Frankly, it applies to a lot more  than just HRIS implementation.   🤬 Just about everyone uses the HRIS, so everyone is likely to have an  opinion about what they like and hate.     🙉 Related to the above point: don't just talk to people in HR.   ⁉️ Phil thinks a gut check is a decent measure. Just back it up with  some facts.    📈 Measure the financial impact - but some of the softer things too!   And, don't measure too many things.   🥳 Throughout the process... blow your own horn.  Tell them how hard you  worked and all the ways you considered their input.  This will impact  adoption and approval rates.  See the video below.   You can get support material for just about all of this on his website.   It's pretty great.  Take a listen and you'll understand why I think so. Find Phil at https://www.selectsoftwarereviews.com/ Find Andrea at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

Microaggressions are exhausting for the people who experience them.  But  what are they exactly and how do you know?  And, for HR, what do you  do???   Well they're subtle so, yah, it might not be easy to be certain.   Honestly I struggle to identify what is a microaggression and what is  truly an innocent comment.  This week's guest, Emily Williams, suggests that if  someone accuses you of microaggressions, you need to do some  self-reflection.  She specializes in supporting women of color and organizations address microaggressions and create psychological safety. Other things she share:    3️⃣ There are three types of microaggressions   ⁉️ She answers the question "Is it a microaggression or just a comment?"   🤷🏻‍♀️Recognizing a microaggression is sometimes the hardest part.   ⛑Microaggressions have a long-term health impact.   🔨 Your support doesn't have to be a bludgeon. For example, when someone  is spoken over, you can say "I want to hear what Maria has to say." Emily spoke about training - email her for more information at emily@forwardeverglobal.com  She also mentioned an e-book, Women of Color: Powerfully Standup to Microaggressions, and this is the link: https://awesome-water-840.myflodesk.com   Find me (Andrea) at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/ Reach out to me for consulting in Western Canada or just to connect!

Write a kick ass job ad!!  It matters!    It can be tempting to think that your effort is pointless, after all  it's an OCEAN of postings and they look the same.  So it's even more  important that your posting appeals to the ideal candidate.   This episode with Shelley Billinghurst of the Recruitment Flex Podcast  has very high utility:   🖊 There are websites to help all those awkward writers out there!    💡Write for the ideal candidate - not the hiring manager.   🙄 Don't make the process awkward unless you're happy with a 'C'  candidate.    🛳 Post the salary.  That ship has sailed.     👫 Did you know that writing is gendered?  I didn't until this, but it  makes unfortunate sense.    Check it out.  You'll be better for it! Find Shelley at https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelley-billinghurst-91ab71/   The Recruitment Flex Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-recruitment-flex-with-serge-and-shelley/id1515309906?i=1000580744189   Find Andrea at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

Good organizational structure can boost the effectiveness and  performance of an organization as well as the lives of employees doing  the work.  But how do you get there?    This episode talks about the steps to organization design. Before drawing  lines and boxes you want to understand the organization's strategy and  operating model.  Strategy, in this context, includes: goals, the value  proposition, core activities, product markets, etc.  It's pretty clear  that if you design with those things in mind then you can create a  structure that drives achievement.   Len Nanjad is a consultant for MNP with a career focused on org design.   He has a course on Udemy and shares his tips for creating an effective  organization. Find Len at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennanjad/   Len's course on Udemy: https://www.udemy.com/share/103172/   Find me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

We don't all know how to use job boards properly. Frankly, everyone has  jobs advertised so I wasn't even sure what made a job board.    Steve Rothberg answered all my questions and the ones I didn't know I  had! He's founder of College Recruiter and host of the High Volume  Hiring Podcast.     🔢 First he clarified job boards: job boards have jobs from multiple  employers.    📑 There's thousands of job boards because they are so easy to create.   Word Press even has a job board template.    🤔 If you want to figure out which job boards you should post on: Google  it.     1️⃣ Recruiters tend to use too few job boards.   5️⃣ The optimal number of job to apply to?  5.  Just FIVE.   Probably the most important advice was that job seekers hide behind  their screens and use too many job boards. He says you shouldn't do  that.  Find those few jobs and companies you want to work for and then  network and learn as much as you can.  So much good stuff in this!

It's very hard to predict if a person will succeed after they've been promoted.   Sorry but your awesome interview, or the opinion of someone's manager is not reliable.  Fortunately there is a more  effective alternative! Psychometric testing may be one of the most valid and reliable tools to  assess employees potential.  The only down side is you need a  psychologist to do it.   I spoke with Marina Kolesnikova of Stefan, Fraser and Associates about  how to make the best use of psychometric testing.  She has a PhD in  psychology and has worked in the field a long time. This interview was as fascinating as the last one a few weeks ago.  Some  of the revelations:   🗣 They are used as expert witnesses at arbitration.   👺You are not going to identify dark side personalities in an interview.  😬 Psychometric testing can help someone strategically understand where  they need to develop and selectively go outside their comfort zone  (rather than going outside your comfort zone in areas that won't be that  useful).   Getting the right person is so important. Psychometrics isn't perfect  but it is makes science out of what might otherwise be an art. Find Marina at https://stefanfraser.com/   Find Andrea at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/