Back to the Future or why we forgot what teaching means

Thanks to the ilks of Jeb Bush and Bill Gates the United States has pushed our educational system and governmental entities have pushed the country to evaluate both our students and teachers on the basis of the results of standardized tests. They claim that the testing results are a clear picture of the success of our educational system.

I spent six years of my life in the classroom and having graduated under a system which did not put as much emphasis on testing I can tell you while the intent is well intended it misses a major outcome that we need in today's global workplace.

Consider two views of teaching. The first is the current system where the process of students and therefore the impact of the teaching effort is based on the content of the state standards and accompanying tests. The indirect result is that because there is so much emphasis on meeting the standards teachers are forced to establish their lesson plans around that content. I am not suggesting that there is a problem with setting standards for what should be taught in the classroom. I have a problem when the concentration is the test rather then the content.

Take the second view of teaching. This the view that was the norm up until the push for the standardized tests. My grandfather worked his way up through the business world to the level of CEO without basing that education on the test results. When I was attending school we had the opportunity to take the NYS Regents exam to judge our progress.

Here is my problem with the new world. I hear and read almost every day that companies are having a hard time finding employees who can function at a satisfactory level within the workplace. Why not? Because the direct result of the new system is the lack of critical thinking. The success of our organizations is not dependent on whether you passed some standardized test but rather your ability to think through problems. The ability to think through why the organization is undergoing issues is critical for the success of the economy and the organization.  It is very disturbing when an educator tells me that if he taught Math the way he did when he started teaching 25 years ago he would be forced to fail all his students. This is what happens when we do not take the time to challenge the students to find solutions on their own using easily taught skills. This is what happens when the aim of the system is to meet the content of the test rther then life skills.

In order to ensure that we have a workforce that can meet the challenges of the future, we need to return to the time when the programs were designed to challenge the students to think through problems not by rote response to the issues. Our organizations, our economy, our survival and our innovation demands it. The future demands it if we are to be the powerhouse we claim to be.

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Corporate America and the GPS Mentality

As I write this I am on a family vacation to visit friends in Colorado Springs. As I do on most trips I called AAA for a Triptik and loaded the address in the GPS. When last Sunday came around we pulled out of the driveway and told the Magellan to take us there by the shortest route. Well come to find out that both the Triptik and the Magellan took us on the long way to get to our destination and in the process added about 200 miles to the trip by taking the long way to get there.

As I look back at the drive (yes we did drive it from Florida to Colorado) I looked at some of our organizational processes and I wondered how many times have we tried to resolve an HR issue using a GPS mentality?

In this electronic world we live in we try and find a solution to our needs by finding a tool or device that can make out lives easier. So we go out and purchase a GPS to make our lives easier.

When we look at our organizational processes we tend to strive for the same goal. We want to make our business lives easier with all the stress levels that we currently undergo. But like the GPS our route to an easier life is not as easy as we may think. Like my trip routes it is easy to take a route which on the face of it makes our life easier but in reality makes our lives within the organization more complex. We take the easy way out with out regards for the consequences of our actions.

When you look at how you organization operates do you do so with a GPS view or do you look for ways to be innovative in the way you implement your processes?

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We are on a Journey but seem to have lost our way

Within the past week I have had several conversations with HR professional peers with a rather disturbing thread to the conversation. I had one individual tell me that if we treated HR as an individual, they would fail an Emotional Intelligence analysis ( and you think you can use it to judge candidates) I have others tell me that many of our colleagues want to return the era when we were called personnel. Still others suggest that if we continue in the track we are in, the profession will cease to exist.

At the same time other of our peers argue for a seat at the "partner table." I challenge you to define what we have done to earn that seat. Many managers see us not as a partner but an obstacle to the organization. We are not aligned with the business strategy but rather we object to changes in the way the organization operates because that is not the way we do things. We remain stuck in a world that has changed, we are just on a journey which isn't the journey we thought we were on.

If you open your focus and your mind it may not be too late to change your focus. We may not have reached the point of no return and we can still demonstrate to our organizations that we are a vital part of the organization and its future.

So I challenge each and every one of you to become a vital cog in your organization by learning the language of your business. Change your path so that you are no longer a  drain on the organization.

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Engagement or Engagement!!!

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There is a story in the news here in Florida today about a lifeguard who left his assigned station to save the life of a man in distress.It reportedly was off his assigned watch area.

In return his employer fired him for leaving his assigned section of the beach. He was followed by several other lifeguards who either were likewise fired or quit in protest. The lifeguard company finally offered to reinstate all of them, but they refused because of the nature of the event.

From a corporate perspective we continually hear about organizations complaining that they can't get their employees engaged within the organization. Could this be why? Does your message encourage employees to get involved or encourage them to stay within their tiny little part of the universe called your organization. Is engagement of importance to your organization?

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Why Does HR Not get It?

In the course of my consulting practice I have the opportunity to talk with a number of individuals within the HR  and business space on a daily basis. So when twice in a week I get the same question posed to me, it makes you wake up and think twice about how you answer.

The first time occurred during the facilitation of our two day seminar on "Achieving HR Excellence through Six Sigma"  when one of the participants remarked that she does not understand why HR people shy away from solutions that will improve the effectiveness of their space within the organization. The second one happened within the groups on LinkedIn when Dr. Ed Holton posted a question with the same title as this post.

Does HR have a problem with getting it? I suppose it depends on who you talk to. However here is my take on the response. Many contributors to the HR space believe that we need to change our message and I would agree.The problem becomes what do we change the message to?

I would suggest that we need to reassess where you want to take your career. If you are happy with being the corporate fireman and spending your days putting out those fires that arise because we are embedded in the stance of being reactive to the environment around us so be it. But at the same time we would suggest that you stop by your local business supply place and purchase a calendar and begin to cross off each day with a large red X. Why? I would suggest that you are counting the days until you don't have a position. This is not because your organization decides to let you go. This is because the position will evolve into another dimension.  dimension in which there will be more demanded of you then you are currently providing your organization.

On the other hand if you want to become a vital part of your organization then you need to change your focus to a proactive stance. You need to change your perspective to one of challenging everything the organization does related to human capital. Become proactive in solving the organizational problems.I just finished reading John Bodreau's Beyond HR in which we suggests that we need to look at HR from a talentship view. while I disagree with some of his points, the basic point is that we need to become more involved in the hiring process from the point of view of delivering metrics which show the benefits of the talent acquisition process.

As Dr. Holton so aptly asks, if accounting, finance, C-Suites and marketing get the message why can't HR. It is a critical point in time that HR has to understand that we can no longer tolerate being the organizational punching bag. We can no longer tolerate being the answer that managers use for why the system does not work.  As HR professionals, many of you who are in Atlanta at the SHRM conference, we need to stand up and say enough is enough.  We get the message. We understand what our new role in the organization is supposed to be. We are not your punching bag, but rather play a vital role in the success of your organization. we are the ones who understand the valuable role our human capital play better than anyone else in the organization. We are the ones who hear and understand what trials and tribulations they are going through. We are the one who know the obstacles the market is putting in front of us when we source out that next best talent.

Why does HR not get it? We do not have a choice but to start getting it. It means the success of both your career and the success of the organizations that  employ us.

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Human Resources Defined: The Architect of Work

I continually talk to clients and fellow HR professionals bout how we need to change our perspective on this industry we have chosen. We can't expect to walk a different path when we try to push this is what we do on our organizations This week we received one of the best blogs on this read we have seen recently from the HR Bartender. Today's post is that blog post in its entirety

Human Resources Defined: The Architect of Work

Posted: 03 Jun 2012 03:20 AM PDT

Human resources is a tough profession to define. Whenever people ask me what I do and I say “human resources”, their first response is … oh, you hire people. Which is true, human resources often has responsibility in the recruitment arena. But it’s certainly not the sum and substance of the role. By far.

But then, when I try to explain what HR does, it becomes this long list of things – benefits, compensation, safety, employee relations, etc. etc. People’s eyes begin to glaze over…

So when I have to describe what HR does, I like to say – HR is the architect of work.

Think about it. What does an architect do? They’re responsible for creating functional, safe, aesthetically pleasing, economical structures. And they get their job done by not only designing but communicating their design to clients, builders, and others.

Human resources professionals are responsible for creating work that:

§ People will want to apply for

§ Pays a wage and benefits package companies can afford

§ Offers fulfillment to employees

§ Meets a need within the organization

And just like some buildings change over time well, work changes too. HR is responsible for taking a holistic approach to work and making sure any changes align with the goals of the organization. It reminds me of the funny story about someone I worked with years ago:

He and his wife would go out to dinner every night. And one night they sketched out their dream home on a bar napkin. They took the bar napkin to an architect and said, “This is our dream home, draw us a blue print.” The architect looked at the napkin and asked, “Can I make one suggestion? Put a kitchen in it.”

So years later, they built their dream home and, taking the architect’s suggestion, included a kitchen. They also put a sign at the kitchen entry that said “This kitchen is for resale purposes only.” Ha!

So, there you go. The role of human resources is to be the architect of work. To create worthwhile jobs that people want to fulfill the company’s goals and objectives.

Reprinted from HR Bartender, a friendly place to discuss workplace issues, with permission from Sharlyn Lauby, SPHR, CPLP.

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Where Did we go wrong?

If we review recent news items we see all kinds of reported stories that make me wonder how we got here. Consider these examples:

• Volunteer coach and teacher is dismissed from her job. Her crime--she had an athlete who was upset that he was not going to the prom. He was also on the verge of failing English class which meant he would be suspended from the team until he got his average up. The teacher/coach made a deal with him-- she would be his "date" for the prom on the condition that he worked to get his English grade up. They danced one slow dance and spent the rest of the night playing video games.
• Co-worker is upset about something Another worker tries to lend support by putting their hands on the suffering employee's arm or shoulder and ends up being charged with sexual harassment.

I can vividly remember teachers that I had that gave the students hugs when things were going wrong or they had some great success. When I was teaching, it was not uncommon for my students, who lived in the same neighborhood to stop by my home and ask questions on weekends or right after dinner. They were there because they knew I cared about them as persons. I also challenged them in class with real critical thinking exercises, not test based chores.

Let's turn to the corporate side. Managers continually complain they can not find engaged employees. But flip the coin. Management institutes varying procedures and rules which tend to discourage the very act of caring. I fully realize that some can take it to extremes. I would be upset too if a child got into a sexual relationship with a student. I would be upset if a fellow employee began to stalk another employee. But we are not talking about extremes. We are talking about all being part of that global village that we hear of. It requires a population that feels comfortable openly showing that we care for each others health - mentally and physically. If an individual is uncomfortable let them feel willing to say so. But do not shut off the tendency of humans to demonstrate their feelings for others.

We will only come together as humans when we shun the politically correct and feel comfortable enough with our village that we can show compassion for the trials and tribulations for our fellow passengers on this ship we call Earth. We can deal with the rotten apples in the barrel while not turning ourselves off from the world at the same time.

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Am I Missing Something Here?

I was watching the morning news this morning and across the bottom of the screen was a running display of the latest news. One such headline stated that the TSA had patted down an 89 year old man in the airport the other day. When you see the rest of the story at the end of this post you will understand the rest of the post more clearly.

 When I was in HS nearly 50 years ago, we were required to take a wide assortment of classes and have involvement within our local community. We totally understood who the players were and what their roles were. On the same broadcast the state of Florid was reporting a dramatic cut in the passage rate on the written part of the state assessment exam. I then hear employers who are telling us that they can't find qualified employees in the US.

I suspect that in the name of fiscal responsibility we have systematically over the years cut the very programs which make us viable parts of the community. Students today no longer get taught civics ( a fact that drove the actor Richard Dreyfus mad), we have watered down the history that is taught in order to meet the demands of right wing activists who dislike the teaching of real history or science and not made up theories of where we came from.

Unless we turn around the curriculum of this country to widen the knowledge of the students that are following us, they will not be able to function in a vital role within this country.

Now the rest of the opening scenario: the 89 year old man who was subjected to the pat down by TSA - Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of State of the US.

Was the TSA patting down everyone who went through the airport, or was the education of the TSA agent so lacking in background that he or she did not recognize who this was and therefore probably not a security risk. Considering i would believe that he still holds high security clearance from the government.

What are your thoughts? Are we giving our students the education they need to function in the global workplace?

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Am I Missing Something Here?

I was watching the morning news this morning and across the bottom of the screen was a running display of the latest news. One such headline stated that the TSA had patted down an 89 year old man in the airport the other day. When you see the rest of the story at the end of this post you will understand the rest of the post more clearly.

 When I was in HS nearly 50 years ago, we were required to take a wide assortment of classes and have involvement within our local community. We totally understood who the players were and what their roles were. On the same broadcast the state of Florid was reporting a dramatic cut in the passage rate on the written part of the state assessment exam. I then hear employers who are telling us that they can't find qualified employees in the US.

I suspect that in the name of fiscal responsibility we have systematically over the years cut the very programs which make us viable parts of the community. Students today no longer get taught civics ( a fact that drove the actor Richard Dreyfus mad), we have watered down the history that is taught in order to meet the demands of right wing activists who dislike the teaching of real history or science and not made up theories of where we came from.

Unless we turn around the curriculum of this country to widen the knowledge of the students that are following us, they will not be able to function in a vital role within this country.

Now the rest of the opening scenario: the 89 year old man who was subjected to the pat down by TSA - Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of State of the US.

Was the TSA patting down everyone who went through the airport, or was the education of the TSA agent so lacking in background that he or she did not recognize who this was and therefore probably not a security risk. Considering i would believe that he still holds high security clearance from the government.

What are your thoughts? Are we giving our students the education they need to function in the global workplace?

Posted via email from hrstrategist@Net-Speed

Am I Missing Something Here?

I was watching the morning news this morning and across the bottom of the screen was a running display of the latest news. One such headline stated that the TSA had patted down an 89 year old man in the airport the other day. When you see the rest of the story at the end of this post you will understand the rest of the post more clearly.

 When I was in HS nearly 50 years ago, we were required to take a wide assortment of classes and have involvement within our local community. We totally understood who the players were and what their roles were. On the same broadcast the state of Florid was reporting a dramatic cut in the passage rate on the written part of the state assessment exam. I then hear employers who are telling us that they can't find qualified employees in the US.

I suspect that in the name of fiscal responsibility we have systematically over the years cut the very programs which make us viable parts of the community. Students today no longer get taught civics ( a fact that drove the actor Richard Dreyfus mad), we have watered down the history that is taught in order to meet the demands of right wing activists who dislike the teaching of real history or science and not made up theories of where we came from.

Unless we turn around the curriculum of this country to widen the knowledge of the students that are following us, they will not be able to function in a vital role within this country.

Now the rest of the opening scenario: the 89 year old man who was subjected to the pat down by TSA - Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of State of the US.

Was the TSA patting down everyone who went through the airport, or was the education of the TSA agent so lacking in background that he or she did not recognize who this was and therefore probably not a security risk. Considering i would believe that he still holds high security clearance from the government.

What are your thoughts? Are we giving our students the education they need to function in the global workplace?

Posted via email from hrstrategist@Net-Speed

Truth, Justice and Your Organization?

I can just hear some of you now, but in watching TV and reading the news I was hit with several points which made me question the direction our organization's are headed in. We strive to speak the philosophy that we want our employees to have full transparency into our organization. We expect our employees to be engaged in the processes. The we flip the coin and see stories like the following:

1) Local TV station ran a story about customer service. The owner of the business tells the reporter that if a customer complains directly to the company, they get less attention then if they post the same complaint on social media. In the same breath, we as organizations tell us that it is paramount that we cut off the conversation by limiting employee access to social media during work hours.

2) I for the most part shy away from discussing politics but there were several reports of misguided acts by politicians which had direct impact on the society in which we live. But in each case the acts were essentially thrown under the carpet.

3) The reports surfaced this weekend about the actions of the trade office of JP Morgan Chase. The CEO said that the Dodd-Frank legislation  was too restrictive yet they did exactly what caused the 2008 downturn in the first place. It was primarily caught because of the financial reforms put in place because of these types of actions

As leaders of our organizations, the expectation is there that we will function in an ethical manner with our customers, our vendors and just as important or employees In this 21st century it is no longer possible for us to expect that our employees will do what we expect when we tell them one thing and then do just the opposite.

Our organizations rely on our clients to provide the mechanism to keep the organization running. When we tell them "Hey if you broadcast to the world your problems with us, we will give it more weight then if you just call or write about your problems what picture are you delivering?

 We need to remind ourselves that shortly our organizations will be run by a different generation and for the most part the lack of  transparency and ethical behavior will not be tolerated.

So tell me, are you abiding by truth and justice or is your organization operating behind a set of smokey mirrors? Are you telling your human capital and your customers one thing while doing the exact opposite under the nomenclature of getting things done faster, better and cheaper?

Posted via email from hrstrategist@Net-Speed

Truth, Justice and Your Organization?

I can just hear some of you now, but in watching TV and reading the news I was hit with several points which made me question the direction our organization's are headed in. We strive to speak the philosophy that we want our employees to have full transparency into our organization. We expect our employees to be engaged in the processes. The we flip the coin and see stories like the following:

1) Local TV station ran a story about customer service. The owner of the business tells the reporter that if a customer complains directly to the company, they get less attention then if they post the same complaint on social media. In the same breath, we as organizations tell us that it is paramount that we cut off the conversation by limiting employee access to social media during work hours.

2) I for the most part shy away from discussing politics but there were several reports of misguided acts by politicians which had direct impact on the society in which we live. But in each case the acts were essentially thrown under the carpet.

3) The reports surfaced this weekend about the actions of the trade office of JP Morgan Chase. The CEO said that the Dodd-Frank legislation  was too restrictive yet they did exactly what caused the 2008 downturn in the first place. It was primarily caught because of the financial reforms put in place because of these types of actions

As leaders of our organizations, the expectation is there that we will function in an ethical manner with our customers, our vendors and just as important or employees In this 21st century it is no longer possible for us to expect that our employees will do what we expect when we tell them one thing and then do just the opposite.

Our organizations rely on our clients to provide the mechanism to keep the organization running. When we tell them "Hey if you broadcast to the world your problems with us, we will give it more weight then if you just call or write about your problems what picture are you delivering?

 We need to remind ourselves that shortly our organizations will be run by a different generation and for the most part the lack of  transparency and ethical behavior will not be tolerated.

So tell me, are you abiding by truth and justice or is your organization operating behind a set of smokey mirrors? Are you telling your human capital and your customers one thing while doing the exact opposite under the nomenclature of getting things done faster, better and cheaper?

Posted via email from hrstrategist@Net-Speed

What is your Gay Index?

The term Gay Index was coined by Richard Florida in Fast Company severl years ago, but it brings up an ongoing issue I hear in the marketplace. When we are writing policies and procedures regarding discrimination aand harrassment in the workplace we know that we have a group of protected classes that are singled out in thesse policies as having their rights protected in the workplace.

Yesterday the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission just made your job a little bit harder. In a case which pitted and employee against the Department of Justice, the EEOC rulled that transgender employees are a covered class under Title VII.

In a landmark ruling, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has announced that Title VII, the federal sex discrimination law, protects employees who are discriminated against because they are transgender. In its unprecedented decision, the EEOC concluded that “intentional discrimination against a transgender individual because that person is transgender is, by definition, discrimination ‘based on … sex’ and such discrimination … violates Title VII.”

Based on this ruling it would be in the best interests of your organization to review your policies to ensure that you have updated them for the new requirements.

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That's Just the Way We do things here

I was watching the local news herein Tampa Bay the other night and a story came on that made we stop to think about how we do things within the HR arena everyday.

There is a local man who was scheduled to fly to NJ to be with his daughter who was undergoing a medical procedure. The problem is that he has been fighting cancer for a number of years but he went to an airline and purchased a non-refundable ticket for the trip. Then during a conversation with his doctor, he was told he could not only not fly but he had only about two months to live. He went to the airline and explained the situation and offered full medical documentation. The airline's response was if you died we would give you a partial refund, barring that our policy is that the ticket you bought is non-refundable.That's our policy and we will not make any changes.

I am a strong advocate of our policies and procedures having a standard of work, a set number of steps required to complete the process. But I also realize that in between we have migrated to a world which thrive on flexibility. This leaves us with two options within our organizations. One is to be like the airline and state that this is our policy and we are sticking to it. Or we can introduce the policies and procedures as guidelines and allow your organizations and its managers to use some judgment as to whether the organizational stability is really harmed by inserting some common sense to how we deliver those policies and procedures.

Being lock step into this is the way we do it within this organization does not service the organization nor your human capital assets. Within every policy and procedure, there should be room for some creativity in how we utilize them to resolve issues in the workplace.

Posted via email from hrstrategist@Net-Speed

That's Just the Way We do things here

I was watching the local news herein Tampa Bay the other night and a story came on that made we stop to think about how we do things within the HR arena everyday.

There is a local man who was scheduled to fly to NJ to be with his daughter who was undergoing a medical procedure. The problem is that he has been fighting cancer for a number of years but he went to an airline and purchased a non-refundable ticket for the trip. Then during a conversation with his doctor, he was told he could not only not fly but he had only about two months to live. He went to the airline and explained the situation and offered full medical documentation. The airline's response was if you died we would give you a partial refund, barring that our policy is that the ticket you bought is non-refundable.That's our policy and we will not make any changes.

I am a strong advocate of our policies and procedures having a standard of work, a set number of steps required to complete the process. But I also realize that in between we have migrated to a world which thrive on flexibility. This leaves us with two options within our organizations. One is to be like the airline and state that this is our policy and we are sticking to it. Or we can introduce the policies and procedures as guidelines and allow your organizations and its managers to use some judgment as to whether the organizational stability is really harmed by inserting some common sense to how we deliver those policies and procedures.

Being lock step into this is the way we do it within this organization does not service the organization nor your human capital assets. Within every policy and procedure, there should be room for some creativity in how we utilize them to resolve issues in the workplace.

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The Global Marketplace changed, but did your organization?

I recently posted a blog entry entitled "open letter to the CEO" and one of the readers took me to task for posting something with a misspelling because I used the term Stakeholder instead of Shareholder.

While we might be talking semantics here, I thin for every organization there is tremendous potential to change the focus from shareholder to stakeholder. It encompasses a greater audience for the success of the organization. But assuming we are talking just semantics only let's look at the definitions of the two terms.

According to Dictionary.com, a shareholder refers to one who holds or owns shares of a company. In essence this means that the individual or organization holds a financial interest in the organization and looks at all decisions from a return on investment perspective. Every decision that is made is from the view of the effect on the bottom line.

According to Dictionary.com again, the stakeholder is a person or group that has an investment, share, or interest in the organization.

So here is where I part ways with the comment writer. The global marketplace has changed. Our success as organizations is now dependent on a rapidly growing resource base for our success. The correct term in the new arena is that of stakeholder. The investment does not have to be in the form of shares of stock. Consider these stakeholders and see how they differ from shareholders:

• Employees
• Vendors
• Customers
• Community
• Your industry
• Your competitors
• Potential talent resources
• Suppliers

Stakeholders look at our organizations to determine what is necessary for the organization to make them more competitive in the marketplace. We do this through our policies, our products, our customer service levels, the way we treat employees and how we treat the community in which we function everyday. The stakeholder has a vested interest in the success of our organization. Unlike a shareholder, if we are not meeting their needs they can easily pick up and abandon our efforts for someone who will meet those needs. This global marketplace we are now in demands transparency with all parties to the operations from the floor person to the executive suite to the customer and vendor. It demands a new focus on what makes all better not just one segment of the equation.

So next time you are reviewing the operation of your enterprise, consider broadening your focus to encompass the entire market rather then just those who have put their money where their mouth is in the form of a monetary investment within your organization. Consider that those individuals who help you make, sell and service your product or service are just as important as the shareholders.

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Daniel Bloom SPHR,SSBB,SCRP
Performance Institute and DBAI partner to bring Driving HR 500 seminar to Washington, D.C.

Daniel Bloom & Associates, Inc. has introduced a proprietary course entitled Driving the Human Resource 500: Achieving HR Excellence through Six Sigma. It is designed to show HR professionals how to utilize continuous process improvement to enhance their human resource processes and explain HR in terms of organizational strategy. The class lasts for two days and has been pre-approved for 13 strategic continuing education by the Human Resource Certification Institute. In addition all successful participants will receive certification as a Six Sigma Yellow Belt.

Performance Institute classes are scheduled for:

June 12-13, 2012 and October 24-25,2012 For more information visit http://ping.fm/Mpinc

We are also bringing the class to the St Petersburg College Corporate Training Center on April 26-27, 2012 in Clearwater FL
More information visit http://ping.fm/3Pvtq

Performance Institute and DBAI partner to bring Driving HR 500 seminar to Washington, D.C.

Daniel Bloom & Associates, Inc. has introduced a proprietary course entitled Driving the Human Resource 500: Achieving HR Excellence through Six Sigma.  It is designed to show HR professionals how to utilize continuous process improvement to enhance their human resource processes and explain HR in terms of organizational strategy. The class lasts for two days and has been pre-approved for 13  strategic continuing education by the Human Resource Certification Institute. In addition all successful participants will receive certification as a Six Sigma Yellow Belt.

Performance Institute classes are scheduled for:

June 12-13, 2012 and October 24-25,2012  For more information visit  http://www.performanceinstitute.org/HRSixSigma

We are also bringing the class to the St Petersburg College Corporate Training Center on April 26-27, 2012 in Clearwater FL
                More information visit http://spcollege.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&...

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Beware of the Social Media trogan horse

Growing up I heard often that you should be careful what you ask for. Apparently the organizations that thought that asking for social media passwords was a legitamate way to gain information about prospective new employees and whether they fit into the corporate culture are getting more then they bargained for.

Two U.S. Senators have asked the Department of Justice and the EEOC to investigate whether the practice violates both the Stored Computer Records Act and the Computer and Fraud Act. See http://www.dcemploymentlawupdate.com/2012/03/articles/publications/senators-a... for more information.

With the breadth of resumes you are receiving in today's market I fully recognize the need to find the best few candidates for your positions, but taking steps to open the pandora's box is not the way to go about it. Stop for a moment and consider how yu wuld feel if the shoes were on the other foot and you were the one being asked for the release of private information.

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Are You Still Viewing the World from a MYopic Point of View?

I was in a discussion recently with an individual who I believe is destined to become a real leader within what ever organization they finally connect with. But they expressed the view that HR only meant hiring and staffing.

This point hit home the point Dave Ulrich made in his book, HR Transformation. As HR professionals we can continue to take this myopic view of the world and profess that this is what we do. In our two day workshop where we teach fellow HR professionals how to implement the six sigma methodology the improving the HR space, we suggest that as HR professionals,following this view is tantamount to accepting mediocrity and the eventual dissolution of what we do as a career.

It is time that we as the knowledge base of the assets that our human capital bring to the organization, we need to be involved in every step of the development of the organizational strategic planning. We are the ones that have a clear picture of the resources the organization needs to grow into this crazy global workplace we are so valiantly trying to fit into.

We have definitely not gotten the message across when both managers and the general public have the deep seated view that HR is to be avoided at all costs.The unfortunate part is that we have brought it on ourselves. For some reason we can't seem to get on the right playing page. We tend to be the fireman of the organization rather than the champions for reaching the most efficient and effective organizations possible. We make the outside world wonder where we are coming from. we push the organization to be more in tune with the technological world, then we have candidates apply on line, call them in for an interview and ask them to fill out a hard copy of what they filled out on line.

We have a choice and it clearly is an important one for the organization. Is HR part of the total organization and delivering real value to the operation? or Is HR this silo unto its own, that is the bane to everyone's existence out of touch with the world around them?

In today's global workplace we are more than hiring and staffing. We are the conduit for a wide assortment of data and metrics regarding the nature of our workforce both internal and external. We have the unique position of having our fingers on the pulse of the talent marketplace and their needs. Each of these factors will in the long run determine how successful our organizations are.

Which view do you have- a myopic one or a global one?

Posted via email from hrstrategist@Net-Speed