The HR Hub

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/

In many things 1-2% improvement is good enough especially year after  year - you don't always have to do something dramatic.  But when the  future of your company is at stake or there's some other big factor at  play, you need transformational change.    I spoke with Jordan Ludwig of Stack'd Consulting which specializes in  transformational change.  He has led many of these projects and said  💪Transformational change needs conviction and courage   😕If a client is using phrases like "we just need..." they're probably  not ready for transformational change.   🏄‍♀️Don't try to control all the details... it's more like surfing.   💪Leaders will pour in effort for a sustained period before they see the  change.   🥱It's a good sign when people lose interest.     If you're thinking about doing something dramatic, listen to this.  You  might just feel a little better about it. Find Jordan at https://stackdconsulting.com/   Find Andrea at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

I was reading something on the Linkedin a while back about an HR  professional from Afghanistan who was driving a taxi.  Usually we hear  this about doctors and engineers, but HR?     So what does it take to succeed in HR in Canada? While we talk about  Canada this would apply to other countries as well!  This episode is for immigrants.  Bina Kamath is an immigrant and founder of Orion's Reach and has  established a successful HR career - she also started out in accounting  so that is a double-feat!   Find Bina at https://www.orionsreach.com   Find Andrea at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

HEADS UP! This episode will be better on YouTube.  There is a lot of visuals in this episode and the experience will likely be better on YouTube.  Find it at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsIQh_VRedo7JcDLNZkklSQ *** Job evaluation: bored yet?     We in HR have to get over our fear of the monotony because it's that important and foundational to paying people equitably. On the bright  side this was definitely the LEAST boring take on grading jobs I can imagine.     Robert Mosley is an HR thought leader and could do stand-up HR comedy.  That probably sounds like an oxymoron but it's true.  You'll have to  wait 'till a little later in the episode to see this in action.  In the meantime, I daresay you'll learn a shocking amount from this  episode.