Employee Development | Up the Pace or Pay the Price
SHRM LV Conference—2011
Dawn LennonBig Picture Consulting
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HR Self-Assessment
Weekly Time Spent Rate from 1 most to 5 least
Recruitment & Placement
Compensation & Benefits
Performance Issues
Legal & Regulatory
Employee Development
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Business Growth Self-Assessment
Strategic Value to Company Growth Rate from 1 most to 5 least value
Recruitment & Placement
Compensation & Benefits
Performance Issues
Legal & Regulatory
Employee Development
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Employee Development: A Commitment or Just Talk?
•Who owns it?
•Who measures it?
•Who understands it?
•Who cares?
•Why bother?
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Disconnects
Organization
• We provide employee training.
• Supervisors develop employees.
• Good performance is rewarded.
• Growth opportunities exist.
• We promote from within.
Employee
Training is minimal or irrelevant.
There’s no development.
My raise is like everyone else’s.
I’m stuck in my job.
Why all the outside hires?
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The Price That’s Paid
•Unclear direction
•Dead ends
•Isolation
•Narrow view
•Frustration
•Wasted time
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What Employees Are Doing
Complaining
Looking for new jobs
Finding information from on-line experts
Seeking a community of others for help
–Social media–Twitter and G+ chats
On-line courses
E-books, blogs, videos
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Crafting the “New” Deal—HR’s Role
Build a business case for ED
Add ED ratings to supervisor appraisals
Require budget $ for ED
Cover ED with compensation at hiring
Explain the employee’s role in their development
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The Employee’s Role
Own your job/career
Commit to developing
Identify needs
Discuss ED options with supervisor
Take advantage of opportunities
Put new learning into practice
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What’s HR to Do? Up the Pace
Set the stage
•Get managers on board
•Clarify their role and the company’s expectations
•Give them tools like career ladders or position descriptions with ED components
•Include ED in the appraisal for managers and employees
•Lay out ED options
•Integrate social media
•Generate pace
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What Employees Are Saying
• Open up tuition reimbursement to encourage new skill development.
• Increase training budgets. Grow talent to increase retention.
• Engage mentors who will have an actual impact on mentees.
• Define career paths and how to pursue them.
• Ask employees: “What are your goals?”
• Stop connecting development with staying with the company.
• Invest development money in programs that will add capabilities, instead of attendance at “fluff” conferences.
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No-Cost & Low-Cost Initiative—#1
In-house Book Clubs
Identify development topics
Select a facilitator
Invite participants to select a book(s)
Schedule time to meet and discuss
Plan a culminating activity
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No-Cost & Low-Cost Initiative—#2
2-hour Workshops
Survey employees re: topics of interest
Identify in-house/outside expert to develop the program
Identify in-house/outside instructor(s)
Schedule time
Identify a post training, job-related task required for skills transfer
Assess
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No-Cost & Low-Cost Initiative—#3
On-Line Chats
Locate expert chats on line like #Twitterchats and at Google+
Select chats relevant to employee development needs
Arrange for participation; develop questions
Require attendees to summarize idea streams and new ideas
Plan follow up
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No-Cost & Low-Cost Initiative—#4
Blog Subscriptions
Identify quality blogs on development areas
Enable employees to subscribe
Establish a standing, staff meeting agenda item where employees share blog insights
(You may have an opportunity to establish an employee as a blogger for your organization.)
Examples
“Leadership Freak” by Dan Rockwell
“Alexandra Levitt’s Water Cooler Wisdom”
“Seth Godin”
“Wally Bock’s Three Star Leadership Blog”
“Sales and Sales Management Blog” by Paul McCord
“Business Fitness” by Dawn Lennon
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No-Cost & Low-Cost Initiative—#5
Coursework/Conferences
Revisit your tuition refund policy
Require employees to share formally findings from coursework experiences
Written summariesStaff meeting reportsInstruction for coworkers
Review the employee’s coursework portfolio routinely and note on appraisal.
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Sites to Follow
Toolbox for HR
http://hr.toolbox.com/home/
Glassdoor.comAn inside look at jobs and companies
http://www.glassdoor.com/
Brazen Careerist
http://www.brazencareerist.com
Business Fitness
http://dawnlennon.wordpress.com