I Say the Resume Tsunami is Nothing More Than a Drop in the Bucket

December 14, 2009 Charlie Judy Leave a comment

I’m a Deloitte alum and usually pay attention to what comes out of their Human Capital group.  Rarely is it directionally unsound, but often it contains a bit too much of the “No Duh Factor.”  Recently they undertook a study that resulted in some thinking on managing in turbulent times.  One of their stances was “Heading off a Resume Tsunami” .  Their argument was that some time in the near future – as the market turns – the best and brightest will be aggressive about finding new digs.  The related warning is that if you don’t take care of your talent during this terribly precarious time, you are likely to lose them when the time is ripe.  Deloitte isn’t the only group making this argument – many of those soaring in the blogosphere have said as much.  Do you know what I say to that?  “Bovine Crap!”  Here’s what I think:

  1. The workforce gets treated poorly all the time and on average only 1 in 5 people regularly leaves to find “something better.” 
  2. Just because the economy gets better and jobs start opening up doesn’t mean the high-performer (or Average Joe for that matter) will have the first order of business to jump ship.  Do you think the smart ones will really think things are better on the other side?  “The Devil You Know” often prevails.
  3. Good people have options ALL THE TIME.  They are free agents – there is no guarantee they are coming back the next day…ever.  If they really had plans to leave, they’d already be gone.
  4. Our company’s voluntary turnover rate has been on a steady decline since August – that while the market has already supposedly turned.  And our company is going through a lot of crap right now…a lot of crap!  We’re part of a broader industry that has not been hurt as much by this downturn – there are options.  Why would one wait until the crap is over to leave…why not leave while things are crappy?
  5. Surviving a trauma together builds commitment.  Those companies that have had it rough over the last two years – and that’s most companies – will have shared an experience with those people who elect to stay through it.  The last thing someone is going to want after clearing the wreck is to go into another period of ambiguity, anxiety, and uncertainty with a new employer.  Masochism is not a crucial element to most people’s career objectives. 
  6. I hypothesize that the workforce, in general, is becoming much more tolerant of  an employer’s shortcomings.  This period of economic strife has proven to those who are lucky enough to have a job that it really ain’t all that bad.  I think there is a new wave of employee engagement coming and it goes something like “thank you sir, may I have another.”

Call me naive, overly optimistic, or just plain old blind; but I don’t see it guys.  We’re all going to be happy when this is over and those of us who are smart are going to realize there are very few (other) employers out there that can actually make us happier.  And HR, this is no different than any other time – treat your people like people and the rest will take care of itself.

While you’re at it, what’s happening with voluntary turnover at your company?  Take a poll: http://polls.linkedin.com/p/70299/idugl

Categories: Employee Engagement Tags: , , , , , ,

Bang Head Here

December 9, 2009 Charlie Judy 5 comments

Just wanted to post a quick note to my regular readers (all 16 of you) that my day job right now has me running in so many directions that the idea of even looking at my blog is inconceivable.  Although I plan on remaining radio silent in the blogosphere for the coming days, I’m sure I’ll have much to rant about when I get through to the other side.  In the meantime, thanks for your patience, keep checking back, and keep the faith around “HR Under-Engineered!”

Categories: Uncategorized Tags: ,

What I learned from the MO Department of Transportation…

December 7, 2009 Charlie Judy Leave a comment

Interstate 64/Highway 40 runs East/West and cuts through the center of St. Louis.  It is a major artery between the city’s business center and suburban sprawl.  And two years ago, the Missouri Department of Transportation (MODot) completely shut down a 10 mile stretch to rebuild it. This morning, the entire thoroughfare was reopened and the flow of traffic hummed once again with jubilant commuters across the state.  MODot took an approach during this two-year period that critics warned couldn’t be done.  You should have heard the cries of injustice when the project was originally proposed.  “It will be impossible,” people said, “to function without at least a small portion of this highway remaining open from end-to-end.”  There were many who strongly felt that keeping at least one lane open at all times with a maddening and stagnant flow of traffic would be preferable to rerouting commuters entirely.  Chicken Little warned that the community and its commerce would disintegrate.  Finally, and thankfully, those experts with cooler heads prevailed.  They pushed the political posturing and strong-armed tactics aside.  And now the project has opened ahead of schedule, under budget, and without fail. 

This is a perfect example of why non-experts who say “it can’t be done” need to be very simply excluded from the conversation – like “thanks for coming, but it’s time for you to go bye bye now.”  We often run around trying to give everyone a voice in important decisions…and we do this alot in HR.  Well guess what, that’s just not the way the world runs.  There are usually people who are smarter, faster, stronger, and all around better than you are at something and when it’s time to make a decision about that something, you need to get the hell out of the way.  Do you ever notice that many business leaders are strongly inclined to insert themselves into HR decisions?  How dare you pretend you’re smarter than I about something I do for a living…successfuly.  Relinquish control, you self-riteous bastard, and learn to trust your colleagues and your peers to make thoughtful and thorough decisions about the things you hired them to do.  I’ll collaborate with you on HR stuff until I’m freakin’ ready to scream as long as you ultimately leave the final decision to me…and as long as you give me room to make that decision.  If you’re not in that kind of environment, it might be time to take a stronger stance and kick those non-experts out of the room.

Categories: HR Profession, Relationships Tags: , , , , , ,

The beating will continue until the morale improves

December 4, 2009 Charlie Judy 7 comments

I hear this all the time in jest.  Then I started to wonder whether there is something to it.  Why is it always the employer’s responsibility to improve morale?  So much of what effects negative sentiment in the workplace is a result of things that cannot be controlled – whether by employer or employee.  Sure, there are a bunch of asshole managers out there…always will be.  But there are also a lot of droopy eyed sorry ass no fun sonofa you know what employees out there too.  I got news for you, u sorry souls…work sucks!  And as long as you’re working “for the man” it probably will.  In my mind you really only have two choices (some would say three): 1) get over it, cheer up, smile and laugh a bit more, be thankful for the little things, and make the most of what you got  or 2) quit and bring your black cloud somewhere else.  The third choice is you stick around and make everyone else miserable.  That’s not a choice in my book.  I’m still going to play my role in helping create a productive, challenging, rewarding, and fun workplace, but I’m also going to encourage our leadership team, our mangers, and our employees to take responsibility for their own satisfaction.  Real lasting positive change comes from the grass-roots level – always has.  Employees need to stop waiting for someone else to brighten their day…and they definitely shouldn’t be expecting HR to do it for them.

Categories: Uncategorized Tags: , , , , ,

You mean to tell me…

December 3, 2009 Charlie Judy 9 comments

Maybe it’s just a new bout of crabiness but WTF, HR community? Are we really that clueless about asserting ourselves in the workplace that we get excited when David Ulrich (albeit a recognized expert) tells us that we need to become “Credible Activists”.  This is just a fancy term for “speaking up.”   A lot of what’s hit the HR blogosphere (e.g. HR Capitalist, HR Observations, etc.) over the last couple of days points to this topic.  And there is a lot of giddy excitement around it.  Give me a break.  Are you telling me that the concept of sharing your opinions openly and not being afraid of contributing to business dialogue is something new to this community?  It’s like everyone was just waiting for someone to tell us this…to give us permission to be more visible in the workplace.

My lord, we really are further behind than I thought.  Or am I just running with the wrong crowd?  I don’t mean to burst everyone’s bubble – it’s a good concept and it’s one people should adhere to.  But it’s one that should be innate at this point.  It certainly is in all other business functions.  I make damn sure it is with anyone that I hire for my team. 

Maybe I’m over-reacting, but can someone please help me feel a little more optimistic about the state of our HR union?

Categories: Communication, HR Profession Tags: , , , ,

The Power of Fine Dining

December 2, 2009 Charlie Judy Leave a comment

I had dinner last night with my boss, our company’s CEO.  We do this from time to time.  Sometimes it’s with others, sometimes it’s one-on-one.  Last night two of my peers joined us.  I had a boss once who made it a point to not socialize with his colleagues outside of work (actually, I think it was at his wife’s insistence).  I didn’t like that boss.  Not that one has to socialize to be liked, but it says a lot about one’s style if they make socialization a part of their approach to leading, developing, and engaging their people.  Maybe it’s the wine (and the Manhattans), but I always leave the table feeling more valuable, less anxious about my shortcomings, and more optimistic about our future.  And my trust in my boss and peers escalates immediately.

Again, we’re not talking rocket science here.  And again, that’s the point.  This meal required a 3 hour investment of time and several hundred dollars…the return on that investment is far more lucrative than any performance management process, learning tool, or compensation scheme.  When’s the last time you took your greatest asset to dinner (lunch doesn’t count)?  If it’s longer than 60 days, I’d recommend a quick jaunt out to OpenTable.

Categories: Appreciation, Performance Management, Relationships Tags: , , , , ,

Using Global Subtleties in HR Practice

December 1, 2009 Charlie Judy 1 comment

As I was on the elliptical this morning reading Astronomy magazine (for all of about 5 minutes before I had to switch to something my mind could really grasp – Star) it struck me – as it often does these days – how insignificant we all really are in the grand scheme of things.  So break that down even further to the worlds we live in every day – as defined by the people we interact with regularly, the media we’re exposed to, the places we visit and see.  Basically we get perspective on all of about .00000001% (not scientifically founded) of what’s going on out there.  The Social Media craze has helped broaden our horizons for sure.  It’s great to regularly connect with some of our HR colleagues abroad – see recent video, as an example, from Bill Boorman on HR Ringleader.  So I’d like to think we’re starting to share “best practices” and thought leadership across boarders.  Or are we?

I’ve had two international assignments in my career – one took me to Brussels, Belgium for a year-and-a-half and the other took me to India for a year.  As I reflect back, I was there as an American to bring the American way of business to a fledgling foreign operation.  While successful as an instigator, the local environment & culture ultimately took root – as it should – and helped morph those businesses into what they are today.  So I wonder what did I bring back from my global assignments that help me in my HR practice on home soil?

  1. How we do things around here ain’t the only way to do it.
  2. Using the old-fashioned form of employee interaction, group presentations, team gatherings, office events are often more effective than any fandangled new communication tool or technology.
  3. Indian’s aren’t shy about discussing performance concerns – when someone isn’t up to the mark, they let you (and them) know it.  Feedback is more immediate and more constant…we need more of that around here too!
  4. Employers make tough decisions even when those decisions may alienate their employees…employers aren’t “held hostage” by employees easily in developing economies.  I’d like to see a bit more thick skin in that regard on the US home front. 
  5. “Breaking Bread” is sacred – everyone goes to lunch together every day…rarely, if ever, do people eat at their desks alone.  Lunch is an event.
  6. Having a good time in the office – like really silly almost childish stuff – is important…and encouraged.

These are to some extent generalizations – and none of it is rocket science.  And that’s the point.  How do we capture the positive subtleties of global workplace environments and cultures and share them at home?  I’m curious: What have you learned from your global experiences, or from your peers and colleagues abroad, that you use in your HR practice today?

Categories: Global, Theory Tags: , , , , , ,