Endless Escalator

There is a deep contradiction brewing within the constructs of the working world that is psychological at its core. Although this is not a new problem, it seems to be a growing topic of debate (as are many issues) with the newer generation of the global workforce.

When we as human beings work hard to achieve success and finally attain a lofty goal, the typical progression is not to celebrate and decompress, but to set an even more aggressive benchmark to strive towards. Although admirable, the core flaw in this logic is that for many individuals, success equals (at least in part) a large portion of our happiness. In addition, happiness facilitates productivity. 

To summarize, what we have is a subconscious, ever-cycling meme within the workforce that speaks to our conscious mind only one future– a continuous flow of more work. While in theory this may seem good for business, at least from an economic standpoint, our brains are left wondering why we work so hard and achieve goals, while never realizing true mental success.

Author and “Happiness Expert” Shawn Achor recently gave a humorous and convincing speech at a 2011 TED conference titled, "The Happy Secret to Better Work" where he touches on this issue. In regards to goals he says, “Every time your brain has a success, you change the goalpost of what success looks like. If happiness is on the opposite side of success, your brain never gets there.” Aside from the long-term psychological effects this has on your brain and its outlook on the corporate world, it’s simply bad for business. If the only reward for plowing through a workload in record time is another stack of work, burnout eventually ensues and productivity dips exponentially into the red.

Paradox Within a Paradox

Another contradiction springs to mind when looking at the overall association between goal attainment, happiness and their intertwined relationship with productivity. In a utopian work world, employees would finish a large project or close huge sales, then perhaps take a week or two off to be with their families and breathe in the successes – coming back to the office rejuvenated and ready again to take on the world. However, we do not live in a utopian society and in our current construct, those individuals would come back to the office after the decompression period with monstrous workloads, unhappy managers, and companies suffering dwindling sales numbers in their respective departments.

Formula for a Solution

In our current model, the solution lies not within bonuses, time-off, or material recognition, but through a continuously positive workplace culture where increasing happiness is equally important as increasing the bottom line. The brilliance with this formula is that the heightened satisfaction achieved through the work environment and culture will by proxy drive stronger productivity, higher sales numbers, and a healthy bottom line. Citing rigorous research, Shawn Achor reports, “Only 25% of job successes are predicted by IQ. 75% of job successes are predicted by optimism levels, social support, and the ability to see stress as a challenge instead of as a threat.” If we hire intelligent individuals to account for the initial 25% of success (IQ), and create an environment where those employees can flourish within the other 75% (culture), we will in theory be operating at a 100% success rate.

Trickle-Up Effect

It is crucial to be inclusive and create a unique culture where positivity thrives. Here are a few ways you can heighten the environment at a grassroots, personal level.

• Don’t wait for your manager to drive team recognition. If a peer does something well, be the first to send out a congratulatory group e-mail
• Extend celebrations outside of the workplace. Creating an event out of recognition further solidifies a positive mental success
• Incorporate these ideas into discussions with prospective candidates to showcase your culture
• Create a section in your new hire on-boarding that covers recognition philosophy in the workplace
• Don’t submit to cynicism. Drive solutions instead of contributing to the noise
• Write articles, blogs and publish media that continues to push this aspect of your brand. Make it part of your social legacy to change the psychology of the working landscape

Please weigh-in on the comments section with some healthy debate and more ideas on how we can increase happiness in the workplace and drive production.

On Wednesday, May 2nd, Bruce Morton, Allegis Group Services' CMO, will be speaking at the HRO Today Forum. Join Bruce, and other top HR industry leaders and policy makers for an event of learning and networking. 

Bruce Morton: Hi. I'm Bruce Morton, Chief Marketing Officer of Allegis Group Services.

I'm going to tell you about the great event that HRO Today are putting on:

An HRO Today Forum, in Washington, D.C., April the 30th to May the 2nd. 

We've got a great lineup of speakers.

If you're in the world of HR, and you're challenged with finding great people and putting them into great jobs, it's the place to be.

The lineup includes the former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle.

And I'll be speaking myself, as well.

I'm going to be talking about the changing social contract.

So, hey, check out the website: HROTodayForum.com.

Hope to see you there. 

We are often asked by potential customers, “So tell me … what is different about your company?” They want to understand, what differentiates us from our competitors?  Perhaps the customer currently has or previously had another RPO firm providing services or they may be exploring making the initial move to an outsourced provider. Either way, there are a few key differentiators that add value to customers, their candidates, hiring managers, and other stakeholders.

1. Recruiting resources that are “right-sized” to the customers’ hiring requirements.  At both pre and post-launch of services, providers should work side-by-side with their customers to fully analyze client historical and current data. Projected business plans must be determined so that both parties can collectively develop and agree on the scope of hiring and size, skills, competencies and location (on and off-site) of talent acquisition resources. 
2. Greater emphasis on sourcing and attracting candidates.  First, all companies should place an enormous premium on attracting, hiring and retaining the best recruiting talent in the marketplace. Recruiters must be “hunters” of talent who understand the value in identifying passive talent and then have the experience, skills and depth of knowledge to attract and present the most qualified candidates to hiring managers.  Second, recruiters  should be aware of the best social sourcing tools. Just using LinkedIn is no longer good enough. In the new social economy, recruiters must actively develop innovative sourcing strategies – and continue to evolve with the marketplace focusing on social networking, talent communities, search engines, referrals, and job boards.
3. Greater focus on alignment with business strategy.  Account leaders and their teams must be trained and experienced in developing deep and broad, relationships with senior business leaders, hiring managers and key process stakeholders to ensure that recruitment efforts are completely aligned with the goals of the business. A firm that is a seamlessly integrated partner will be the greatest value to your company.

 Focusing on these key differentiators will provide recruitment platforms that can deliver improvements in:

• Time-to-Fill
• Candidate experience through increased contact and relationship management 
• Quality of candidates through more highly focused sourcing and screening 
• Responsiveness, communications and issue resolution

So many RPO providers today are selling the “P” in the RPO formula, rather than the “R”. They are offering “off the shelf” solutions that appear glitzy and easy to “plug in”. And while these models fit a provider’s internal financial needs, the reality in most cases is they do not have the will or the experience to put forth effort to build flexible, customized solutions that a true RPO partner will seek in order to guarantee long term success. However, the unfortunate demise of many RPO engagements can be directly attributed to the fact that many RPO providers often do not listen well. An RPO provider who is driven by the passion to find top talent in the marketplace, who listens to the client and can evangelize that message out to the marketplace, is the one that can make the most strategic impact to your organization. While everyone wants more efficient processes, it isn’t process that gets you better talent. It is innovative, unrelenting recruiting that gets you the best people for your organization.

The DNA of The RPO Provider

The difference between a successful and unsuccessful RPO often lies in the fundamental DNA of the provider. In today’s marketplace, the core of corporate recruiting has been turned into a processing and administrative function, rather than the hunt to find the best possible talent in the shortest time. For example, a vendor who is proficient in call center recruitment will find the leap to corporate/mid-level recruitment an enormous canyon to cross. Whereas, an RPO provider, whose roots are in executive search, and whose culture is focused on the relentless recruitment of top-tier talent in the marketplace, will succeed in upgrading an organization’s talent when compared to a firm that focuses primarily on the process of hiring less complex, high volume roles. RPO firms who evolved from true search are trained to dig and listen, to understand your business and then tell your “compelling story,” one candidate at a time.

Cost is Important, But so is the Cost of Failure

In today’s economy, companies understand that they are engaging RPO providers for purposes other than supplementing recruiting needs. Utilizing an RPO engagement in a volatile economic climate can keep your organization lean and efficient. In a majority of instances, RPO will be a cost efficient measure. Companies who are looking for flexible, scalable recruitment solutions should recognize that cost is as important as price flexibility in terms of selecting a provider. An RPO provider should deliver savings, however a true RPO solution is an investment into the recruitment of quality hires. The real value of an RPO provider will be determined by its ability to deliver on business strategy through full client partnership.

Choices, Choices, Choices: The Candidate Experience

Do you remember back to when you accepted your current or previous position? Why did you choose to join the firm? Research has proven we buy mostly on emotion, or the “feel” of something. The top marketing companies know they need to create an emotional connection with a buyer. An RPO provider is the face to your candidates and they are responsible for ensuring the superior candidate experience from first phone call, to interview day, to presenting the offer. Great candidates must feel at home from the very first contact if you want them to become great employees. RPO firms who evolved from search are uniquely trained to care for each candidate, recognize the value of successfully acquiring the best candidate, and ensure that all candidates have a positive “brand” experience in the process.

One Size Can Never Fit All

The best partner is one who listens to the client and then offers customized solutions which are relevant to their needs. The same then is true for the best RPO partner. They understand solutions are long term in nature and take work and mutual commitment. It’s like getting married and never taking the time to find out what the partner wants out of life. Just like in a marriage, compatibility, compromise and partnership is at the heart of success. Together, your goals, values and cultures need to fit well. As such, a successful RPO partner should be able to offer flexible solutions such as a best-in-class hybrid model. This may include integrating RPO staff with existing internal staff, focusing on process improvement and cost reductions, evaluating the workforce and changing the source mix.

Conclusion

Let’s face it - there is no mold that all companies fit. During the vetting process, it is very important to speak about the details of how a relationship might work. Be specific regarding operational issues. In order to truly succeed, partnership must go beyond just a client/vendor relationship to one that is vested in mutual success. Start listening to each other from the very first meeting and it will make the likelihood of success much greater.

Monday, January 9th, 2012
11AM - 12PM ET

There is no question that RPO is an evolving and innovative business solution, especially in the Contact Center Industry. Join Kathy Clem, Operations Manager at AllegisTalent2, as she guides you through the process of building, identifying and selecting the best practices for contact center recruitment. Contact Center businesses are obviously concerned with improving customer service, retaining top talent and increasing productivity. Complex problems require creative, innovative solutions. Quality, cost and time are the fundamental drivers in recruitment outsourcing effectiveness.

Attending this webinar will help you to broaden your knowledge on: 

• Building Success Profiles

• Leveraging social media to attract top talent

• Comprehensive analytics and reporting

• Customizing talent resourcing and consulting solutions

• Improving both quality of candidate and the time it takes to fill your position

Addressing the advantages of RPO for Contact Center Recruitment is just the beginning to success. Recruitment Outsourcing solutions drive businesses to rapidly acquire high performing staff, optimize their workforce and reduce operational costs and risks, while benefiting from unparalleled recruitment expertise.  Click here to register now.

This webinar is done in parternship with HR.com

Can you believe it’s already time to come up with a New Year’s resolution again?  Personal resolutions come and go, especially if they contain the word “gym,” but commitments you make for organizational change can’t slip.  Does your recruiting department need a New Year’s resolution?   Not sure?  Ask which model most accurately describes your recruiting department?

Reactive recruiting

Holistic recruiting

• Anticipates talent needs based on workforce planning    
• Talent network oriented
• Sustained talent pipeline for difficult jobs 
• Short time to fill

The biggest difference between these two models is in the result.   Reactive recruiting attracts people who need a job.  Holistic recruiting attracts high potential employees with the skills and career goals that match the trajectory of your organization.

These steps will help your recruiting department adopt a more holistic approach in 2012 and beyond:

1. Workforce Planning

Workforce planning must start at the leadership level.  The purpose is to align the workforce with the organization’s objectives and growth plans.  It is a complex subject that cannot be fully outlined in this space, but the key elements that will affect your Talent Acquisition strategy are:

• Build a competency model for each title/function
• Measure your current staff against that model
• Perform a gap analysis

Too often, competency models focus only on skills, but it should also include knowledge and attributes relevant to your culture.  For example, someone might have the right skills for a job but their work ethic does not fit your performance culture.

2. Interview Planning

The work you put into the competency model feeds into the interview questions that should be covered for each title/function.  Questions should measure specific performance indicators (skills, knowledge, and attributes).   Each interviewer has a specific role based on her/his area of expertise.  Interviewers communicate results on a scorecard; rating candidates based on specific performance indicators.

3. Candidate Sourcing Strategy

Despite the high national unemployment rate, qualified candidates for skilled positions are harder to find than ever.  Whether you are recruiting for an HVAC technician or a Software Architect, a dynamic sourcing strategy is required.  Consider the following to develop your sourcing strategy:

• Identify positions to focus on.  Which positions have the longest time to fill?  Which positions have the highest turnover?  What skills are required?

• Competitive intelligence.  Who are your talent competitors?  What organizations should you target?

• Talent communities.  Where do these people congregate?  What social networks are most often used by target candidates?  Can you expand outreach to additional communities such as diversity, disability or veteran candidates?

• Recruiting channel options.  What is the most effective way to reach candidates?  The channel options are many:

• Job boards such as Monster, CareerBuilder, Dice, and Workopolis
  - Job aggregators such as indeed and simplyhired
  - Search engines such as Google and Bing for “X-Ray searches”
  - Social networks such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter
  - Employee referral programs, a great benefit that helps keep your cost per hire down.
  - Candidate referral tools such as Jobvite and Wildhire
  - Campus recruiting
  - Career fairs
  - Trade associations Many associations will allow you to post your job for free. 

4. Build a Sustained Talent Pipeline

Reducing time-to-fill (TTF) is one of the main benefits of a holistic approach.   The key to reducing TTF is in the development of a true talent pipeline.  Starting from scratch every time a new requisition opens can only lead to frustration.  Holistic recruiting builds a talent pipeline by interacting with talent communities on a sustained basis.  To do this, you need a communication strategy focused on engaging candidates in a two-way dialogue.  It is not about advertising!   Instead, you ask how the talent market currently views your organization and what elements make it a unique and exciting place to work.  You then develop integrated campaigns targeting prospective candidates and former employees.  Candidate Relationship Marketing (CRM) tools such as Avature, Jobvite Source, Find.ly and Jobs2Web can help automate the process. 

5. Recruitment Team of Brand Ambassadors

Recruiters are a quirky bunch and asking them to change is easier said than done.  The transformation from a reactive mindset to a holistic approach requires a significant cultural shift.  Developing a recruitment team of brand ambassadors does not happen overnight.  This struggle has led many organizations to adopt a Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) solution.  The best RPO providers have helped clients make the transformation many times over.  It does not require drastic steps and layoffs, just expertise and committed leadership.

The U.S. economy just shed 8 million jobs.  While many companies are trying to find solid ground to stand on and looking to invest in infrastructure and growth, they are finding it surprising and difficult to find solid IT job candidates.  How could this be?  The danger all companies face is believing that what they hear on the nightly news; panic, desperation, high unemployment rates, is true for all types of workers.  During this webinar, AGS labor economist Ron Hetrick will show the truth about what has been happening to the IT labor pool since Y2K.  Learn how competitive the market is and get solid tips on how to find and successfully recruit today’s IT workforce.

Click here to find out more and register.  
 

About Ron Hetrick:

Ron Hetrick brings nearly 20 years of labor force economic experience to AGS. Primarily, Ron works with companies across different industries as a site selection and workforce planning consultant. He also provides economic analysis for the long-term strategic growth of Allegis Group and its operating companies. Prior to working for Allegis Group, Hetrick spent nearly eight years as an economist with the Bureau of Labor Statistics in Washington D.C. He was a supervisory economist overseeing the monthly employment estimates and acted as the primary media liaison for manufacturing employment for the division. Quoted by NBC, CNN, USA Public Radio, The Wall Street Journal, and numerous other news agencies, Hetrick provided analysis for Alan Greenspan, The Council of Economic Advisors, and Congress. He also published three articles on labor trends in the Monthly Labor Review and continues to publish white papers on sector hiring trends and contingent rate card development and rate philosophies.

 

RPO Evolution

As the Recruit Process Outsourcing business practice evolves, organizations are beginning to understand the components and benefits but continue to struggle with identifying an optimal strategy that ensures consistent processes and value at every level in the business.

On October 20th, at the SIG Global Leadership Summit in Seattle, AGS's Gil Smith will join CA Technologies' Senior Director for Human Resource Operations, Pouya Khani to speak about this topic. The presenters will provide an overview of RPO fundamentals and current market conditions. Pouya Khani will discuss how the RPO approach at CA Technologies supported strategic, global recruitment of the best talent in the marketplace. Attend this session to learn best practices and methodologies to improve sourcing and recruiting effectiveness, heighten brand awareness, increase retention and lower operating costs in RPO.

Join us for a live interview and Q&A with Faye Holland, Managing Director, European & Asia Pacific Operations, SharedXpertise, Global Executive Director of HROA , as we interview Faye about the upcoming HRO Europe Conference (November 2 – 4, 2011). Learn about the conference’s benefits and why it is imperative that you attend.

At this live Webinar/Interview you will have the opportunity to:

When: Wednesday, August 17, 2011 10:30 AM-11:00 AM

Where: (US)Conference line (866) 246-4691, code 7039509 or International Call In: Global Numbers

Go to: https://allegisgroupservices.webex.com/allegisgroupservices/j.php?J=596391230

Start the dialogue now and leave your questions in the comment section below. 

Successfully managing both family and work commitments is nothing short of a remarkable balancing act. Planning is the most important aspect to maintaining this balance.  As a working mom or business consultant, I plan everything!

Here is a personal example of how that balance was recently thrown off for me. While at a conference, working from a Boston hotel room, I had found out that the nanny didn’t arrive at the right time for my husband to get to his early morning meeting. Was this my fault? Despite my need to be responsible for everything (a common working mom trait) I’m going to go out on a limb here and say no, this was not my mistake.  And in all seriousness my husband would completely agree. 

There is a direct correlation to the advice I give to my clients, to how I run my consulting projects and how I manage my own home life.

While I have been in a project management type role for the vast majority of my career, it’s really in my current career as a consultant that I recognized the value and skill that project planning really brings to everything in your life. 

So whether you are seeking to implement a MSP/VMS, a new strategy or just looking for that perfect summer nanny, using the fundamentals of a good project plan will help you get there. There are a vast amount of resources from books to certification and on-line resources to take you through the formal fundamentals of a project plan.  Here’s just a few of my basic favorites:

• Define the scope-What are you trying to accomplish?

• Estimate a timeline and then the corresponding details-When you start putting activities to a realistic timeline, it’s often very enlightening.  This exercise seems to make a big impression upon my clients and my spouse.  Putting a timeline to paper brings a big dose of reality to the undertaking at hand.

• Document Everything-Keep records and notes. Every time you change from your baseline, write down the change was and why it was necessary. Every time a new requirement is added to the project write down where the requirement came from and how the timeline or budget was adjusted because of it.

• Communication, communication, communication-Have a weekly status no matter what.  Sit down with your project team, husband, nanny or customer.  Even when you’re inclined to say there isn’t anything to talk about, the opportunity for both parties to communicate and expect the regular interaction and feedback is critical.