Have a quick look at this folks...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px0j1EHF8Y0
Go on - you welled up didn't you? It's impossibe not to...
This heartbreaking scene popped into my mind today - whilst thinking about social recruiting, attending an excellent event with @petergold99 (tweet tweet)
Now... investing in innovative new platforms for attracting talent is not only the way to go - but what many of us enjoy talking about more than anything else... Indeed, seeing clients reap the benefirts of a direct hiring strategy is what I get out of bed for in the morning...
But.... let's not forget the discarded doll that is sometimes the current workforce.. If your recruitment strategy is 2.0, and your internal comms are still very much at 1.0 - then there is what I believe they call nowadays a 'disconnect' on a potentially damaging scale...
Your potential talent is crucial - your current talent ten times more so.
Look after them - invest in an internal comms strategy and engagement programme every bit as compelling as your shiny new recruitment methodology.
Result? Infinity.... and beyond
Jan 20, 2010
Jan 11, 2010
Snow costs UK plc £2.2bn Really???
http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/news/bulletin/weeklyupdatebulletin/article/976514/?DCMP=EMC-Dailynewsalert
Who adds these things up - a small retired man with a tweed jacket, box of eccles cakes and a book of log tables sitting in a potting shed?
If it's proper cost benefit analysis you're after Cyril, can you please factor in:
- The homeworking phenomenon - which will accelerate as a result of this freeze
(companies love it - it saves them fortunes - ask BT)
- The added motivation and results of those at work
- The extraordinary feel good factor the snow has brought -
smiling faces, increased incidences of saying "'Mornin" to passing strangers
- The sheer novelty of the quality and depth of the snow
- the lack of rain for a whole month
- the sledging, skiing and dare I say it.. FUN
- the health gains through walking everywhere
- with of course less petrol / aviation fumes in the air
Nobody likes the end bit when it gets slushy as here today in Yorkshire - but for Santa's sake let's remember the last 4 weeks with fondness. My bet is you'll be telling your grandchildren about Xmas09 / Jan10 some day... with a smile on your face.
Yours
(W)hinterland Consulting
Who adds these things up - a small retired man with a tweed jacket, box of eccles cakes and a book of log tables sitting in a potting shed?
If it's proper cost benefit analysis you're after Cyril, can you please factor in:
- The homeworking phenomenon - which will accelerate as a result of this freeze
(companies love it - it saves them fortunes - ask BT)
- The added motivation and results of those at work
- The extraordinary feel good factor the snow has brought -
smiling faces, increased incidences of saying "'Mornin" to passing strangers
- The sheer novelty of the quality and depth of the snow
- the lack of rain for a whole month
- the sledging, skiing and dare I say it.. FUN
- the health gains through walking everywhere
- with of course less petrol / aviation fumes in the air
Nobody likes the end bit when it gets slushy as here today in Yorkshire - but for Santa's sake let's remember the last 4 weeks with fondness. My bet is you'll be telling your grandchildren about Xmas09 / Jan10 some day... with a smile on your face.
Yours
(W)hinterland Consulting
Jan 7, 2010
Talking in a winter Hinterland...
Just thought I'd bring you up to date with where the hinterland has taken me so far - and where I hope it will be going in 2010...
My core desire to help clients attract, retain and engage talent remains undimmed.
Despite the obvious dislocations in the labour market, my long-standing truism I think still holds true: Hiring people is easy, it's hiring the good ones that's the tough bit.
Hiring strategy is of course only half the story - it's what you do with them when you get them on board that matters. Though "employee engagement" is a regular staple in the HR press these days, few organisations have really grasped the potential of integrating attraction, internal comms and genuine engagement activity. The dividends are there for all to see - from Watson Wyatt to the major Gallup survey. And the work I've done so far in this regard has been enlightening to say the least.
Client wise, my primary focus has been with a fantastic FTSE business... helping them model and implement a Hiring Strategy fit for the Web2.0 age. The aims are largely twofold: to reduce the cost of hiring by enabling them to insource recruitment with a little help from me - and to develop a genuine platform to progress with their explicit desire to become an employer of choice in their field. The work goes on - implementation is never straightforward and the bigger challenge then begins.. But all signs are positive so far - and making it happen in 2010 will be a huge accomplishment for all of us.
Consulting back into my old world of recruitment communications has also been great fun. Despite difficult times, my most loyal client in the sector have kept on winning new business, hopefully due in some small part to the investment they make in bringing in their favourite 'pitch doctor'. (Working on and then hearing they had won a major 7 figure account was a definite highlight of 2009)Working on briefs, helping shape the thinking - and rehearsing the team down to the ad libs - it is living proof that practice really does make perfect when it comes to pitching to clients.
The "perfect pitch" training one day course has also been v well received - and again is a blast to deliver. I'm hoping to stretch this offer outside rec comms this year - the principles are all the same, any prof services business presenting to win work should consider a small investment in this regard in my humble and unbiased opinion...
The watch word with all this work is RESULTS. As long as they keep coming back for more, I must be doing something right I guess...
Placing HR talent is something I'm planning to do more in 2010. I'm meeting so many talented people along the way - and then running into senior HR managers needing a particular fit, it would be silly not to. If it's up and coming 20/30 something talent you're after, do let me know.
Can't sign off without mentioning my first foray into University lecturing. Whilst not strictly under the Hinterland banner, I have thoroughly enjoyed 'guesting' at Leeds Met Uni - and we've just agreed that I'm to carry on delivering the Employee Resourcing module on the p/time CIPD course this next semester. I had no idea whether I'd love it or hate it - and it's been a lot of hard work getting up to speed, especially theory wise. Truth is I've enjoyed it enormously, largely thanks to the energy and spark of the students, who were a pleasure to teach. It has developed my levels of understanding, has refreshed me in areas that needed it - and helped me see that the theory does actually matter alongside all the practical insights I have to hand. It's also a great means for keeping you on your mettle - the students aren't slow to let you have their feedback!(which thankfully has been largely v positive).
Enough said - here's to a steady and stable 2010 - expecting any more would be folly I think you'd agree. Or as Frasier might say: "Good HR Health... "
Here to help your business perform better when you need me...
Best
Mike
My core desire to help clients attract, retain and engage talent remains undimmed.
Despite the obvious dislocations in the labour market, my long-standing truism I think still holds true: Hiring people is easy, it's hiring the good ones that's the tough bit.
Hiring strategy is of course only half the story - it's what you do with them when you get them on board that matters. Though "employee engagement" is a regular staple in the HR press these days, few organisations have really grasped the potential of integrating attraction, internal comms and genuine engagement activity. The dividends are there for all to see - from Watson Wyatt to the major Gallup survey. And the work I've done so far in this regard has been enlightening to say the least.
Client wise, my primary focus has been with a fantastic FTSE business... helping them model and implement a Hiring Strategy fit for the Web2.0 age. The aims are largely twofold: to reduce the cost of hiring by enabling them to insource recruitment with a little help from me - and to develop a genuine platform to progress with their explicit desire to become an employer of choice in their field. The work goes on - implementation is never straightforward and the bigger challenge then begins.. But all signs are positive so far - and making it happen in 2010 will be a huge accomplishment for all of us.
Consulting back into my old world of recruitment communications has also been great fun. Despite difficult times, my most loyal client in the sector have kept on winning new business, hopefully due in some small part to the investment they make in bringing in their favourite 'pitch doctor'. (Working on and then hearing they had won a major 7 figure account was a definite highlight of 2009)Working on briefs, helping shape the thinking - and rehearsing the team down to the ad libs - it is living proof that practice really does make perfect when it comes to pitching to clients.
The "perfect pitch" training one day course has also been v well received - and again is a blast to deliver. I'm hoping to stretch this offer outside rec comms this year - the principles are all the same, any prof services business presenting to win work should consider a small investment in this regard in my humble and unbiased opinion...
The watch word with all this work is RESULTS. As long as they keep coming back for more, I must be doing something right I guess...
Placing HR talent is something I'm planning to do more in 2010. I'm meeting so many talented people along the way - and then running into senior HR managers needing a particular fit, it would be silly not to. If it's up and coming 20/30 something talent you're after, do let me know.
Can't sign off without mentioning my first foray into University lecturing. Whilst not strictly under the Hinterland banner, I have thoroughly enjoyed 'guesting' at Leeds Met Uni - and we've just agreed that I'm to carry on delivering the Employee Resourcing module on the p/time CIPD course this next semester. I had no idea whether I'd love it or hate it - and it's been a lot of hard work getting up to speed, especially theory wise. Truth is I've enjoyed it enormously, largely thanks to the energy and spark of the students, who were a pleasure to teach. It has developed my levels of understanding, has refreshed me in areas that needed it - and helped me see that the theory does actually matter alongside all the practical insights I have to hand. It's also a great means for keeping you on your mettle - the students aren't slow to let you have their feedback!(which thankfully has been largely v positive).
Enough said - here's to a steady and stable 2010 - expecting any more would be folly I think you'd agree. Or as Frasier might say: "Good HR Health... "
Here to help your business perform better when you need me...
Best
Mike
Jan 6, 2010
Jan 5, 2010
On second thoughts..
Wetherby is looking rather pretty just now....
Employee Engagement starts tomorrow....
Employee Engagement starts tomorrow....
Post Xmas Blues.. Snow Fever...Jim Royle-itis?
whatever - we ceratinly don't want to be at work it seems.. Happy new Year to all of you as interested as I am in Employee Engagement .. it could be a challenging year ahead!
A third of UK employees (33%) say they have not felt valued by their employer during the recession and would leave for another job if they could, according to new research.
According to the poll of 950 workers commissioned by PricewaterhouseCoopers, of those respondents who said their employer had shown appreciation for them in the downturn, 41% said they had no plans to leave as a consequence of this loyalty while just 23% said they would consider leaving regardless.
Only 7% of respondents said they did not understand how their role fits within the big picture of the organisation they work for so lack of engagement seems more strongly linked to feeling appreciated than a lack of belonging.
Michael Rendell, partner and leader, human resource services at PricewaterhouseCoopers, said: "Workers' ambitions to find new roles could be good news in terms of creating movement and opportunities in a rather stagnant labour market and within companies - organisations will need to strike a balance between enjoying the reduction in employment costs that attrition can bring with the need to avoid overstretching existing staff.
"New Year is clearly a popular time for people to make important decisions. Rather than losing their best people as individuals resolve to make changes to further their careers, organisations need to articulate the internal options available to top performers and remind workers why they chose to work for their employer in the first place - be that a competitive salary, interesting work or operating with values that match their own.
"Some big employer brands fell down at the end of the ‘noughties' and the impact long-term of people decisions taken during the downturn is now being felt. The ways people are recruited, rewarded, retained, incentivised, trained and retired over the next few years will determine the employers of choice for the new decade and beyond."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)