Know thyself

Welcome to this week’sDiscuss HR, the HR blog written by members of Human Resources UK.

There are many and diversedisciplines of HR, yet one aspect that is common in most is the requirement toidentify strengths and weaknesses in others in order to develop employees anddrive performance.  However, as is commonwith such practices it can be very difficult to turn the tables on yourself.  Today, Jill Hart-Sanderson explores a recent experiencewhich illustrated her strengths and led her to make a major decision. (Ed Scrivener)

Knowthyself

Finding your strengths

Whatis the secret to success? Now there’s something to ponder! What makes somepeople so successful at what they do, whilst others strive for something, butnever quite get there? Do you recognise your talents or are you concentratingon the things you are not good at, and need to improve?

Byswitching our efforts to our natural talents rather than focussing ourweaknesses we may just find the success we crave. By using skills, knowledgeand practice it is possible to improve, but when this is used in an area inwhich you have natural talent the improvement is much more dramatic. This canbe summed up in the following formula*:

talent (a natural way ofthinking, feeling or behaving)

 X 

investment (time spent practicing, developing yourskills, and building your knowledge base)

 = 

strength (the ability to consistently providenear-perfect performance)

Itcan be very difficult to look at yourself objectively and ask ‘what are mynatural talents’? In the quest to find this out for myself, I recently did theStrengthsFinder online assessment. There are countless assessments and testsout there, and no - I’m not working on commission, but I found the results impressive.By replying to some obscure questions I discovered my talents which included:

• Lovingthe challenge of meeting new people and winning them over; derivingsatisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection with another person 
• Beingintrigued with the unique qualities of each person 
• Havingthe ability to think about all the factors that might affect a situation 
• Agift for figuring out how people who are different can work together productively

Allvery flattering, but I was amazed at the detail, and how much could beuncovered by asking the right questions. Armed with this information I’m nowable to look at my natural tendencies and understand what works for me and whatdoesn’t.

Is this what is meant by SWOT analysis?

Byfinding out others’ talents we’re also able to select the best people for thetask or understand the best way of working with them. It may just be that I’m ‘intrigued with the unique qualities of eachperson’, but I truly believe that by recognising that everyone is differentand by knowing and sharing our natural strengths we can improve the way wework.

Iwonder how many of us take the time to get to know ourselves or our colleagues.By knowing who we are and what is really important to us we can make choicesabout how we work, where we work and who we spend time with.

Interestingly,as a result of all my navel gazing I’ve even decided to leave full timeemployment and to focus on my natural talents to drive me to my personallong-term goals. Do you know your strengths? Do you know the strengths of yourteam and how to make the most of their natural talent? What are your thoughts?

*StrengthsFinder 2.0, Tom Rath

Aboutthe author

Jillloves working with the team at Rambutan helping people to think, lead andcommunicate brilliantly in order to achieve business, team and personalgoals.  Her previous management experience in both the public and privatesector means she has seen how great HR can make a real difference to individualmanagers and organisations as a whole.

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DiscussHR is the blog for Human Resources UK, the leading LinkedIngroup for those involved with HR in the UK. Next week’s Discuss HR will be published on Thursday 29th September and weare delighted to welcome our next guest writer, career coach Paul Goring.

The Equality Elephant

Welcometo this week’s Discuss HR, the blog written by members of Human Resources UK.

AsI’ve written today’s article I shall make this week’s introduction brief toavoid droning on for too long!  When Istarted this blog I wanted it to reflect experience not theory and today Ireflect upon some of my darker experiences with employment legislation.

The Equality Elephant

You're just a figment of my imagination...

BeforeI start I just want to clarify a few points. For the bulk of my recruitment career I have recruited for HR professionals.  For the vast majority of assignments I havehandled the hiring manager has been another HR professional.  I like to behave as a recruitment partnerakin to an employee of the organisation, which tends to mean I have relativelyfrank conversations with my clients (thisisn’t a sales pitch!).  As a resultof this approach I have had numerous clients provide brutally honest feedbackon an applicant which are intended for my ears only.  Feedback, which if provided directly to theapplicant would be seen as unlawful (thanksto another Discuss HR writer I understand the difference to being unlawful and illegaland you can find a full definition below). Clearly these HR professionals know employment law, however, they feelthey are able to express their true feelings to me.  This feedback is often preceded with thewords “I know I can’t say this but...”The following are just a select few examples of comments I have received:

·        They’re too old

·        They’re not theyoung, rising star I want

·        I want a man

·        Is sheconsidering having children?

·        Her children willtake up too much time

Iam sure some of these will shock you, whilst others will come as nosurprise.  In all of these instances theclient is aware such comments cannot be fed back, so provide further detail.  But is this not just masking the truth?  So for all those times you’ve heard “you’re over-qualified” or “there were other candidates who were acloser match” is the truth that you’re too old and female?  Feedback is meant to be a learning process toallow you to develop how you present yourself. For this to be effective you need to know the true reasons behind yourrejection.  Would you rather know thatyou’re too old or receive a generic response?

Throughoutmy career such unlawful comments have been solely focused on either sexual orage discrimination.  Clearly a number oforganisations have a hiring agenda.  Theywant someone who has the energy of youth or is not going to create extra costwith maternity pay.  No organisation isgoing to openly admit this, yet if they are going to recruit with this in mind,would it not just be better for all parties if they could be open andhonest? 

Ifeven HR fails to comply, is it not time we relax age and sexual discriminationlegislation?  Whilst I draw my ownconclusions at the end, I am going to play Devil’s advocate and look at theargument to loosen the straps.

Will we see this on job adverts?

Anorganisation which covertly flaunts current legislation to find their idealemployee will see productivity decrease as they are required to pay lip serviceto those applications they do not want, yet have to welcome.  Furthermore, productivity would be affectedeven more if they are forced to hire the wrong type of person to fit theculture of the organisation.  In tougheconomic times organisations cannot afford to waste resources needlessly.  If they feel a 25 year old woman would be thebest fit for their business, should they not be allowed to hire such a person?

Aperfect example of this was an FMCG company I dealt with a number of yearsago.  Their packing was predominantly byhand rather mechanised.  Due to thenature of the product they required people who were “nimble fingered”.  The whole packing team were women.  Therefore, whenever they recruited they knewthey required another woman to add to the dynamic of the team, yet they werenever allowed to publicise this fact.  Itwould have been far more effective if the employer could have simply statedwhat they needed and it would have saved a number of men the time and effort ofapplying if they knew they should focus their efforts elsewhere, as they werenot part of the required demographic.

Allbusinesses are struggling in the current economic situation and no more thanSMEs.  Many simply cannot afford tostretch their costs any further.  Onenotable cost is the cost of maternity, which will soon affect both male andfemale employees.  Whilst the take up ofthe paternity leave clearly won’t be as high as maternity, it does mean abusiness is liable to cover the cost should either require leave.  Inflation is increasing and growth isslowing, would an SME not benefit hugely by only hiring those, be it men orwoman, who are not of an age to have children?

Therewould also be scope to loosen such legislation without increasingdiscrimination.  We all know and have metpeople whose “young at heart” outlook on life belies their true age.  An organisation could welcome applications fromall, but be able to reject on the basis that someone does not have the youthfuloutlook required.

Itis interesting that these shocking and even callous remarks I have receivedhave come from HR professionals.  Thisdoes show in general HR is focusing on the business and not compliance, even ifsuch examples are misguided (which isprobably the only positive to draw from it!).  It would certainly make my job so much easierif I knew exactly what a hiring manager wanted. Instead of an experienced HR Business Partner, they could tell me anexperienced Business Partner who is young enough to dedicate their time to workand not family. 

Lookingat this side of the argument, is it time we reduced or scrapped legislation?

BeforeI draw my conclusion, I will add an addendum of sorts.  This is my fourth re-write as it was apparentthat I was in danger of damaging my reputation in a Gerald Ratner moment.  The early reviews of the article resulted incomments which implied I condone and collude in such practices.  All of which was rather stern considering I neithercondoned nor colluded in these decisions, but simply expressed the truth of thesituation.  This has clearly touched avery sore point.

Mypersonal opinion on this matter is that I believe the vast bulk of employmentlegislation was introduced for very good reason to protect those that are in aposition to be discriminated against.  Myinitial conclusion for the first, second and third re-write was that thecurrent system works if we ignore the little lies expressed about being “too experienced”.  However, on my fourth (and hopefully last) re-write the reality of the situation hit me,the current system is clearly not working. Is it a case of educating these organisations in the benefits offlexible working that provides a viable alternative?  Unfortunately, I feel that is a ratheridealistic view.  The comments listedwere all made by HR professionals who surely must be in a position tounderstand the benefits of the alternatives, yet choose to ignore them infavour of what they feel would be best for their business.  I do not believe scrapping legislation is theanswer either, as I would strongly oppose any action that increaseddiscrimination.

Ifeel it is time we stopped denying the situation and sweeping these statementsunder the carpet.  The current system maypublically protect, but it certainly isn’t providing that protection frombehind closed doors.  It is also notworking for the employer and surely any such legislation must work for bothparties – so the simple question is what is the solution?

Illegalvs Unlawful

Illegal means against the law.  Anillegal act can land you in a criminal court, and with a conviction, a fine,and even a spell in prison.  An unlawful act is something that breachesthe rules that apply in a particular context.  If the matter is pursued incourt, it will be a 'civil' court, not a criminal one, and the consequence willusually be that you have to pay compensation to the person who was been'wronged' by you.

Definitionkindly provided by Irenicon

About the author

Ed is an HRrecruitment specialist and social media trainer.  He holds over 8 yearsindustry specific experience recruiting mainly for middle and senior HRmanagement positions. He stumbled upon social media a few years ago and hassince become passionate about the subject.  He now trains job seekers andindependent consultants in social media techniques. He is the Group Manager ofHuman Resources UK and Editor of Discuss HR and occasionally his humour willcreep into articles!

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Discuss HR is the blog for Human Resources UK, the leadingLinkedIn group for those involved with HR in the UK.  Next week’s Discuss HR will be published onThursday 21st September and will be written by Training Consultant Jill Hart-Sanderson. 

Holiday Time

Another week, another Discuss HR, the weekly blog written by the members of Human Resources UK.

This week’s article is especially relevant.  It’s not about Australian oligarch’s dodging custard pies, or Lord Sugar’s complete lack of attention to absence management.  No, it’s about your holiday.  No doubt many of you are reading this in between the final tasks before you jet off for a fortnight, or if like me going to spend time at a wet camp site! Today Jill Hart-Sanderson looks at how to deal with the mountain of work that grows in your absence. (Ed Scrivener)

Holiday time

The start of the holiday...

The holiday season is now up on us and whether you’re rushing to get everything completed before jetting away to a sun kissed beach, or trying to figure out how you can run an efficient service with less than half of your team present, time pressures can start to build and build.

You know the story – you’ve saved hard and been looking forward to your annual two weeks of what should be a blissfully relaxing time. You’ve planned your workload but still find last minute crucial work landing in your in-tray. 24 hours before you jet off, you’re still trying to fit three weeks worth of work into three hours, and when you return you know you will have another three weeks of trying to catch up!

So what can you do? There’s been an ocean of books written about time management, and hundreds of theories and models to show us how to increase  productivity – but when the pressure is on, how many of us actually take the time to stop and look at what we’re doing?

Having the right mindset has a huge impact on how we use time. I’ve found by stopping and thinking about what tasks are in my own control and asking some pertinent questions really helps:

·         Which emails actually need my response?

·         What value will I get out of going to that meeting?

·         Could I use my answer phone so I’m not distracted when I’m in the middle of something?

·         Am I the right person to do the task or can I delegate it to someone who can do it better than me?

·         What’s the best use of my time right now?

·         Is this something that really needs doing – how will it affect the overall organisation if it doesn’t get done?

·         And for those outside my control - I can’t always change the situation but I can always change and choose how I feel about it and act upon it.

...the end of the holiday!

Another challenge for HR teams is how to get managers to set aside time for HR related tasks such as recruitment and employee reviews. I remember being given the responsibility of overseeing employee reviews for a large organisation, liaising with departmental managers to ensure they were completed on an annual basis. Initially I met some reluctance to the process from the managers, mainly as it was seen as very time consuming and not their core role. By streamlining the actual procedure and taking time to clearly explain the benefits to themselves, their teams and the overall organisation I was able to rapidly increase the number of reviews completed on time. I even persuaded one of the most reluctant managers, who initially said he didn’t have time to ‘do’ reviews, to use some of his time to help me refine the process before sharing it with the rest of the organisation.

By helping to build a culture of responsibility and understanding, with clear goals and expectations, people are much better positioned to make the right choices when time-pressed. By instinctively knowing what is urgent and important, and knowing that they’ll be trusted to make the right decisions when prioritising their work, people feel less pressured, in control, and able to work more productively.

What works for you when you are time-pressed? What are your top tips for taking control and getting what needs to be done – done?

About the author

Jill loves working with the team at Rambutan helping people to think, lead and communicate brilliantly in order to achieve business, team or personal goals. Before joining the Rambutan bunch, Jill was part of the HR Consultancy Team at University College London. Her previous management experience in both the public and private sector means she has seen how great HR support can make a real difference to individual managers and organisations as a whole

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Discuss HR is the blog for Human Resources UK, the leading LinkedIn group for those involved with HR in the UK.  Next week’s Discuss HR will be published on Thursday 28th July and will be written by HR recruitment specialist Ed Scrivener. 

Leaving on a jet plane

Welcome to another Discuss HR.

For new members, Discuss HR is a weekly article written by fellow group members to do exactly that, discuss HR!  The world of HR is extremely diverse and we reflect that with our topics, but we also try to be a little different from the norm.  From our recent survey it appears we are achieving this but we also have some very good suggestions on how to improve.

Today we welcome back Sheena McLullich whose articles always reflect her own experience and today is no different.  Sheena explains her frustrations with the (un)glamorous world of business travel! (Ed Scrivener)

Leaving on a jet plane

If you’re about to jet off for your summer holidays and are contemplating check-in queues, delays, cancellations, security checks, crowded airports and so on, spare a thought for those of us for whom travel is an on-going occupational challenge. 

How Sheena travelled...

I’ve often had to travel as part of my job responsibilities and any perception that this is a glamorous way of life is soon dispelled.  Although I’ve been to lots of fascinating destinations, if your purpose for being there is for work, sightseeing is a rare luxury and you tend to see no more than the interior of the local office, your hotel room and the airport.  However I generally enjoy being a business traveller, although I’ve had my fair share of problems to contend with.

Back in the ‘old days’ (pre 9/11 and before airport security became of paramount importance), it used to be possible to saunter up to the departure gate two minutes before the flight was due to leave – and still be allowed to board.  I know – because I was a master at this act of nonchalance and it was a stunt that I performed on a regular basis.  I worked in London during the week, flying south on a Sunday evening and returning to my home in Aberdeen on the last flight from Heathrow every Friday night.  I did this journey so regularly that I got to know the ground staff and I was expert in fast-tracking security and getting though the airport in record time.  It only went wrong once when I was late leaving the office, the train was held in a tunnel for ages and I finally made it to the gate with less than 30 seconds to go.  I would probably have got away with it, but for the fact that there was a woman in front of me (who had presumably been on the same train) remonstrating with the ground crew who retaliated by refusing to let her through – and then promptly did the same to me!  My hotel room for that night cost me nearly £300 – it was a mistake that I never made again!

...or too often the reality!

Worse was to come when a cost-cutting initiative resulted in my weekly commute being re-assigned to a low-cost airline.  One foggy Friday night, after numerous delays to our flight taking off from a different ‘London’ airport, the pilot announced that he was unable to land in Aberdeen and that the flight would be diverted to Edinburgh – some 100 miles south of my intended destination.  On landing, we were told that the replacement bus had yet to leave Aberdeen (a two-hour drive away) which meant that I was at least four hours from home.  There were no hire cars available and I finally reached home at 4:00 am on Saturday morning.  I was incensed to discover later that the scheduled flight from Heathrow to Aberdeen had landed as normal at 9:00 pm the previous evening.  Shortly after that episode, I relocated to London …

I’ve endured all the hassles associated with lost and damaged luggage.  On a flight to Aberdeen to sit a final University exam, one of my two suitcases didn’t get to join me on the plane. Needless to say, that was the one which contained all my revision notes.  Luckily the airline found it languishing at Heathrow and sent it on a later flight and then, by taxi to my hotel.  Impeccable service, although I have since determined that anything essential (including a change of clothes) always travels with me as hand luggage. 

Well at least the room came with a view!

By far my biggest disaster came on a trans-Atlantic flight to the USA.  It was a routine journey to visit our New York office and one which I undertook several times a year, usually without incident.  On this occasion however, I collapsed, almost without warning, with crippling abdominal pains.  Luckily, my memory of subsequent events is somewhat hazy, although I do recall being treated by a doctor who (even more luckily) was on the same flight and of being stretchered off the aircraft into the arms of medics from the New York Fire Department.   I woke up the next morning in a hospital in Queens, attached to a drip and without any clear idea of what had happened – or even how I’d got through Immigration!   It was all explained to me later by a lovely American nurse who also presented me with an invoice amounting to several thousand US dollars for the treatment I’d received. 

So what’s the moral of these stories for HR practitioners?  Well, apart from the obvious factors of ensuring that the company has appropriate travel and medical insurance polices in force for its business travellers (all my previous employers have been excellent in that respect – it’s just as well!)  HR should also recognise that business travel sometimes requires a resilience and sense of humour that is not so necessary in other facets of corporate life. 

A friend of mine recently left a role which involved frequent, global travel to all corners of the world.  He had worked for the company concerned for many years and had accumulated many thousands of air-miles.  His leaving present?  A pair of airline tickets for a round-the-world trip.  You have to laugh ….!

I have a feeling that some of you reading this will also have ‘traveller’s tales’ to tell.  I look forward to hearing them!

About the author

Sheena has worked at a senior level in HR for the past 14 years, including 6 years as an HR Director, following a successful career transition from training & development. Working mainly for small/medium organisations in a variety of sectors, she has acquired a strong reputation for effecting change and for "getting things done". She is now working as a freelance HR Consultant.

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Discuss HR is the blog for Human Resources UK, the leading LinkedIn group for those involved with HR in the UK.  Next week’s Discuss HR will be published on Thursday 21st July and will be written by Training Consultant Jill Hart-Sanderson. 

Remember that embarrassing moment?

Apologies for the delay, however, Blogger now seems to be back in working order, so here we are again with another Discuss HR.  The excellent guest spot by Wendy Mason touched upon a very topical point about the transition from public to private sector.  This week regular columnist Jill Hart-Sanderson discuss another, potentially even more relevant topic, namely the use and misuse of social media in the work place. (Ed Scrivener)

Remember that drunken embarrassing moment?

Remember that drunken, embarrassing moment when you were 19 that someone captured on camera? Well your friends might, and they may think it’s hilarious to post it on their Facebook page and tag you. Which means the photo will then appear on your Facebook profile page. Now is that something you want your important business contacts to see?

More and more organisations recognise that social networking is changing the way in which people do business. Love them or hate them, the rise and rise of Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter cannot be ignored. Companies can no longer afford to blanket-ban any kind of social networking interaction: by embracing it they can engage with their customers in a way never possible in the past as well as build the trust of their employees.

So what can HR teams do to support their organisations during this era of rapid change? One of the first steps should be to check there are clear guidelines and expectations and that they are effectively communicated by managers to their teams.  Once it’s been established who should be using networking sites and for what purpose, communications should be consistent with the overall values of the company.

In most cases it would be impossible to ‘vet’ all blogs, comments and tweets, therefore the individual employees must know that they are ultimately responsible for the content they publish online, whether on a social site or any other form of user-generated media. They should: be mindful that what they publish will be public for a long time; be reminded to protect their privacy; and make sure they understand a site's terms of service.

Here’s what a guideline for employees might include:

·         Is it in the right tone and does it reflect our company values and beliefs?

·         Would you be happy for any of our current or potential customers to read it?

·         Make it your own: include your name and be clear whether you are speaking for yourself or on behalf of the organisation (if on behalf of the organisation, get agreement to the content)

·         Remember customer confidentiality is essential unless the customer has made it clear they’re happy for the content to appear

·         Respect copyright, data protection and financial disclosure laws

·         Never discuss our or anyone else’s business performance or other sensitive matters publicly

·         Don't publish anything that might allow inferences to be drawn that could embarrass or damage a customer or colleague

·         Respect your audience and show proper consideration for others' privacy and for topics that may be considered objectionable or inflammatory, such as politics and religion

·         Ensure your profile and related content is consistent with how you wish to present yourself with colleagues and customers

·         Don't pick fights; be the first to correct your own mistakes

·         Once you start a discussion/blog follow the comments and reply when appropriate; remember comments may be left months after your initial post

·         Regard what you post as a document: sense-check and proof-read it

·         Keep your profile up to date and consistent with the rest of your team

·         Remember you’re reaching an international audience

·         Try to add value, provide worthwhile information and perspective

·         Clearly understand the site’s privacy settings and use them to protect the business as well as yourself

Profiles are also something that will need to be considered if you are drawing up guidance for your organisation. They need to have personality, but be aware the details are in the public domain and could be linked to the business.

Social media can be fantastic tools, but organisations need to be clear about how they’re to be used and help all employees appreciate the pitfalls and benefits of this global phenomenon.

What’s your organisation’s social networking policy? Has it been clearly communicated to all employees? What impact has it had?

For further reading, including legal implications when using social media have a look at this CIPD webpage

About the author

Jill loves working with the team at Rambutan helping people to think, lead and communicate brilliantly in order to achieve business, team or personal goals. Before joining the Rambutan bunch, Jill was part of the HR Consultancy Team at University College London. Her previous management experience in both the public and private sector means she has seen how great HR support can make a real difference to individual managers and organisations as a whole

Blog | Website

*****

Discuss HR is the blog for Human Resources UK, the leading LinkedIn group for those involved with HR in the UK.  Next week’s Discuss HR will be published on Thursday 2^nd June and will be written by HR recruitment specialist Ed Scrivener.