Do The Work

Memos to the Universe

Archive for category To: HR

On Being a Fan

Nov 4

Posted by Frannyo in TO: Applicants, TO: G/A Leaders, To: HR, TO: Line Managers, TO: Owner or CEO, To: Staff, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

I’m reading Keith Richard’s autobiography right now. I wouldn’t have expected the hard-partying lead guitarist for the Rolling Stones to be able to put a short story together, let alone 563 pages of detailed rememberances, but he (and most likely an exceptionally patient ghost-writer) sure did. And it costs $30 bucks at the airport book store.

Even though I’m not big on the Rolling Stones, this book is riveting. Keith Richards comes across as an amazed, affectionate, somewhat baffled witness to the birth of something Really Big – this giant mega phenomena of a band he found himself in.  Richards almost never talks about himself. Instead, he spends entire chapters talking about his awe of American blues musicians, John Lennon, and Gram Parsons, pages discussing who taught him open tuning and how it changed the way the Stones sound forever, and paragraph upon paragraph explaining the history of a particular riff, the references to particular old blues or gospel songs and the like. This guy flat loves guitars and the rich history of all the other people who have also played them.

Yes, sometimes he can come off as a bit pedantic, Granpa Keef schooling the young-uns , but mostly his gratitude, sincere awe for those who played the guitar before and with him, and honest humbleness about his own skills really shine through. Keith Richards is unbelievably lucky to still be a fan, a true enthusiast. Given everything he’s seen and done, it’s amazing he hasn’t become a know-it-all and cynic, but at least in this book, not a bit of that comes through.

I think the people who are most successful in business and in life never lose their enthusiasm, that spark of innocent longing and awe. I myself am a huge fan of way too many HR thinkers, leaders, writers, and bloggers. I get a little nervous around them, I talk too much or not enough, I am too aware of my respect for their accomplishments and may make them a little uncomfortable with my fawning.  But I’m cool with that little flaw, because hey! at least I’m feeling something. And introducing myself.

Keith Richards was said to have passed out (soberish) when he met Bo Diddley*.  At least I’m not fainting at anyone’s feet.  And by paying attention to what they’re doing, and trying to learn from them, I’m pushing myself to get better and better at my job. I’m not sure that this will lead to long afternoons smoking hash in Marakesh with Anita Pallenberg, but that’s probably all for the best.

*(or somebody like that, I’m too lazy to go get the book and look it up. But really, you should read it if you’re at all into the Stones. or the 60′s. or women. he talks a LOT about women, too, he’s a huge fan of them. I’ll send you my copy if you like, I’m pretty sure Keith Richards doesn’t need any more royalties.)

The Benefit of Benefits

Oct 25

Posted by Frannyo in To: HR, TO: Owner or CEO, Uncategorized | No Comments

Benefits are the least interesting part of my job, honestly. I don’t think they motivate or reward anyone, and I don’t think most people appreciate them except when they are really in need of them. But since I’m responsible for making sure our entire compensation package is competitive, and all of our biggest competitors offer good benefits, my life right now is all about vendor meetings, plan selections, plan communication offerings, and open enrollment process creation/revision and then of course, actual enrollment.

It’s not easy to compete when your company is literally 1/100th of the size of the companies going after your staff, but we do it, and generally win. Here’s how. We do things right. Every time someone talks about progressive policies, I laugh – my company already lives them. For instance:

  • We don’t care where you work. All of our staff can work from wherever, whenever, provided that the quality of their work doesn’t suffer.
  • We don’t care when you work. There’s no penalty for being “late to the office,” even as just a perception issue.
  • We don’t care how you work – if someone wants to work as an IC, great, we’ll do that. Part time from home? No problem! Road warrior? We’re on it. And you keep the miles or tickets you’re double earning on the airline credit cards.
  • We DO care that your work is impeccable and that you are building a fantastic reputation for yourself, and we want to have staff with personal brands bigger than our brand. We do everything we can to facilitate that.
  • All salaries, all individual performance measures, and how every employee is doing against those measures, is public knowledge inside the company.
  • We throw world-class parties. No, really. Like “take the company to Mexico as a surprise” parties. We foster fun, fulfillment, and friendship on every level, and HR doesn’t plan those parties – the staff do.
  • Instead of planning parties, the HR department helps the company make money. I have revenue responsibilities directly related to finding great independent contractors and connecting them to work that our sales engineers may not have known they could fill internally.

Will benefits be a deal breaker for current staff? Nope, as long as I keep them somewhat in alignment with what our competitors are doing. Will a great company culture where people are valued for their work and their relationships, and are celebrated for just being themselves, authentically, help retain and engage folks? So far, so good. And the fact is, though benefits aren’t what keep them here, it’s worth it to make sure we’re taking every opportunity to show our appreciation for these hard working folks. Even if it means another bunch of lame powerpoints discussing deductibles, plan coverage, and Obamacare.

Missed Connections at HR Southwest

Oct 17

Posted by Frannyo in To: HR, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

The HR Southwest 2010 conference has come and gone, smooth as can be. The speakers were professional and prepared, the record-breaking number of attendees seem to have all gotten their dance cards stamped by every vendor on the floor, and everyone was fed delicious meals efficiently.  The  conference ran, as many mentioned, “like a well-oiled machine.” Everyone did exactly what they were supposed to do – the participants, the volunteers, the organizers, the vendors, the caterers, and the presenters.  65% of the presenters were repeats, brought back because of their popularity the year before and their skill presenting.

Which leaves me personally a bit cold.  I think magic happens when people screw up, speak authentically, go off script, bump into one another, and learn from it. I’m attracted to any group of authentically excited people pushing things forward, creating excitement, and generating buzz.

As someone who lives for the opportunity to try something new, I am often impatient with those who live life with a bit more planning and focus. I think that the stumbling, embarrassing, friendly-to-the-point-of-overbearing way that I interact is what everyone should want. Why do something the same way every year when you can try something new?  Why be reserved and professional when you can speak from the heart?

I’m learning that there’s real value in control, in not messing up something that’s not broken, in keeping your game face on. While in Fort Worth, I ran into a couple of friends who attend HR Southwest every year.  These two have had the same jobs for ten years. They contribute steadily to their company and rarely speak out of turn. They’re great. They’re totally needed in their organizations. They have dignity, integrity, and they are respected for their hard work. They may not be the most networked people in the world, but they know the names of every employee and have the ear of their CEO, because they rarely abuse it. They’re not on LinkedIn, or Facebook or Craigslist, they’re not using social media to recruit and they don’t care that it’s blocked at their work. They get the right applicants for their jobs using traditional job boards and they’re happy as can be.  They rolled their eyes when I brought up social recruiting. And that was pretty much the response that most of the social media crew got when trying to make that connection with attendees.

What’s hard is finding common ground between those of us in HR who are more restless, excitable, focused on the future, and those who really are great at doing the real, day to day, steady work of impeccable HR.  I think that common ground starts with respect. So let me state right here that I have the utmost respect for the organizers, volunteers, and attendees of HR Southwest. I appreciate that every HR department is shaped by the organization it serves, and that every conference is shaped to fit what the audience requests year to year.  Thank God there are people who are awesome at putting one foot in front of the other, staying on the path, while people like me tumble from shiny object to shiny object. We need you to keep at it! Thank you for your diligence, discretion, and professionalism.

But you really should try LinkedIn.  Really. 

http://indierawk.tumblr.com/post/405851647/anatomy-of-a-hipster-162

HR Florida 2010 Quick Update

Aug 30

Posted by Frannyo in To: HR | 1 Comment

So first, let me just tell you. I am blown away by how impeccably the HR Florida conference is run. Professional, friendly, and just plain nice. I can’t imagine how many collective volunteer hours it must take to pull something like this off, but my easy guess is that it’s in the range of thousands.

HR Florida Presentation Report –“Are You Keeping Up?”  with Linda Bailey, SPHR

This class was completely full – and by completely full, I mean standing room only in a room for maybe 250. Bailey covered some really good basics, but it felt a little like a 45 minute master’s program. There was no room for discussion, action planning, or examples – just solid tips, read from a paper, with no Powerpoint or other illustrations. This needed to have been at least a three-hour preconference session. The participants must have felt that they were drinking from a fire hose. Or trying to keep up. So to speak.

Some of Bailey’s many, MANY tips:

  • Get to know the business by showing up, wandering around more, working with operations folks more.
  • Know what key indicators your business leaders use and use their terms. Don’t use soft and squishy phrases. Be more numbers driven.
  • Pay attention not to the process, but to the result you are you looking for – for instance, if you’re looking for higher engagement, take a look at better attendance, lower turnover, etc.
  • Pick one or two measures to start, and get your boss’s buy-in on what to measure.
  • Only as little as 28% of a company’s value shows up on the balance sheet. #HRLF10 “You won’t get a raise by administering FMLA or COBRA right, that’s expected.”
  • Be a credible activist – you’re respected, you have a point of view and you share it. HR with an attitude. HR pros who are credible but not activists are admired but silent. HR pros who are activists but not credible are not heard.
  • Negotiation, project management, presentation skills, coaching, OD knowledge are critical.

I had originally titled it, “Thats MR Lady to You”

Aug 11

Posted by Frannyo in To: HR | No Comments

But that was a little confrontational, even for me.

I have a little rant  up at Women of HR about people’s obsession with transgender issues at work, and our role in channeling people back to their actual jobs, no matter where the distraction may come from. Feel free to have a look if you want to see me at my hyperbole-est.

Thanks, Women of HR, for allowing me a much higher soapbox to stand on!

Waffle House to James Beard Award? Great Hiring

Aug 1

Posted by Frannyo in To: HR, TO: Line Managers, TO: Owner or CEO | 5 Comments

Bryan Caswell of Houston’s current favorite restaurant, Reef, has some very smart things to say about hiring.  Caswell commented that he strongly prefers to hire chefs who’ve worked at The Waffle House, a southern breakfast chain.  Jason Sheehan, food critic for the Seattle Weekly and another former Waffle House chef agreed. Take a look at Caswell’s short comments:

Caswell has it exactly right. When looking at a set of resumes, I’ll pick the person with hard-won experience, particularly restaurant or farm experience,  over fancy schools any day.  Similarly, I’ll almost always pick the candidate with a lower GPA who worked their way through school over the candidate who has a high GPA but hasn’t ever had to make rent or pay their own bills.

Don’t be mesmerized by big-name colleges or Fortune 100 experience – go with the person who can show you that they made home runs the old-fashioned way, not just by being born on third base and getting a walk. I’ve rarely seen people successfully move from a huge company to a very small one, and have often seen people with lots of small company, high intensity, broad experience help grow their companies into very big, very successful ones.  They don’t fool themselves that privilege is the same as talent. And neither should you.

Don’t Try This At Home

Jul 28

Posted by Frannyo in To: HR, TO: Line Managers | 7 Comments

After fifteen years in HR and recruiting, a Masters, an SPHR, and reading a book or two about interviewing, I kinda have hiring down. I am a complete harpy about hiring managers who “go with their gut,” aka “listen to their lunch.” I am a ruthless reference checker, using every trick in the book to suss out fibs, exaggerations, and real feedback. I learned in grad school that references, done properly, are more accurate assessors of a future employee’s success than interviews, and spend as much time checking references as I do sourcing or interviewing.  In other words, I’m a bit of a hiring know-it-all process snob.
My company is filling several beginner engineer positions in Houston. The ideal candidate is a Chemical Engineer with strong people skills and a high level of initiative who wants to work for 35% below market for first-year Chemical Engineer graduates. I’ve just completed several days in a row of phone screens and face to face interviews for some beginner engineer positions, explaining the career growth curve in consulting and the demands of consulting in general and this job in particular. (I’m a big believer in transparency in the hiring process.) I had found some good candidates who seemed like they could do it, but few seemed truly excited about the job – particularly the social aspects of the job.
mmm...cookies
Then, after one more lunch in which the latest candidate said that she had a lot to think about but she’d call us, a kid in a suit showed up in our lobby. Bearing cookies. Delicious, warm, chocolate chip cookies. He introduced himself as one of the candidates I’d been playing phone tag with, and asked if I had five minutes to visit face-to-face. He ended up going through our entire interview process in our break room, talking to hiring managers and potential peers over cookies and coffee. His answers were solid, his hands shook a little but he stayed engaged with everyone and asked great questions, and he was completely respectful of the fact that he might be taking up too much time given his unexpected arrival. I checked through all my typical interview questions for the job – now that I include potential peers in interviews, they ask most of them for me, but sometimes they miss one or two. I probed. I pushed. I looked everywhere for inconsistencies – and there just weren’t any. This kid had it.
Reader, I hired him. On the spot.
Okay – actually contingent on our usual background and reference checks. I may have been listening to my lunch. I’m checking his references today but my guess is, his story will check out completely – he is just one of the young people who’ve gotten caught up in this bad economy and has had to learn to show more initiative and creativity than the competition. His actions and his answers were completely congruent with a great future leader at our company, and we have a good story and a full belly to boot. Maybe we can get him to make us bacon chocolate chip cookies for his first annual review.

Houston ERE Meetups!

Jul 25

Posted by Frannyo in To: HR | 1 Comment

Last month, I hosted Houston’s first ERE Meetup.   After a few tense moments when I thought I’d be left alone at Block Seven Wine Company to read my Angelina-cover Vanity Fair Magazine with a bottle of wine and some truffle popcorn all to myself  (ok – not SO tense,) several interesting and interested HR and recruiting folks from across Houston started popping over to say hello. We had recruiters from the hospital industry, the temp industry, and the refining industry there. We also had a couple of folks without jobs who are staying positive while on the hunt.

The conversation was authentic, lively, and engaging. We had laughs, we told the truth about how things are going, and we engaged far beyond the usual stiff  ”elevator speeches” often found at networking events.

I was thrilled. I’ve been looking for a community of smarty-pants HR pros in Houston, people who want the best for their organizations and aren’t afraid to take risks to make things happen. HRQ occasionally holds evening meetings that are focused on conversation rather than Powerpoint slides, and I’m sure there are other private group meetings as well. But this group just fits me. (Plus, since it was open, I was invited!)

We’re meeting again August 17th. Click here to sign up, or if you’re not from Houston, click through to sign up for the ERE meetup in your town. You won’t be sorry!

My Great Grandmother Was Too Busy To Die. Are You?

Jul 18

Posted by Frannyo in To: HR | 6 Comments

My great-grandmother, Francelia Crittenden, was a force of nature.  She lost her husband in the Great War, and raised her two sons on her own by working as a business organizer and community activist. She died, at the age of 103, in an old folks home she helped found. Gran had two sayings that have always stuck with me: “The only sin is not using the talents God gave you to make the world a better place,” and “You are how you spend your time.”  She stayed busy until the very end, walking the halls of the home, “offering suggestions” in her gracious but firm way.  I often fail her model, but she’s always on my mind.

In the last six days at work I’ve:

  • Placed job postings at 45 universities
  • Processed 120+ resumes for three positions using only Outlook and my good judgement
  • Performed 30+ phone screens
  • Set up eight face to face interviews
  • Participated in three face to face interviews
  • Checked references on five candidates
  • Made four job offers
  • Set up a rule in Outlook which sent 95 “no thanks” responses to resume submittals
  • Processed a couple of employee exits
  • Talked to our company employment lawyers three times (all good things, thankfully) and our tax accountant once
  • Worked through some 401(k) issues and checked references on a couple of potential new vendors
  • Worked with employees on performance issues and opportunities
  • Talked company execs and a few staffers into seeing eye-to-eye on various cultural or retention matters
  • Analyzed compensation and performance metrics across the company and recommended a couple dozen compensation adjustments
  • Improved the hiring process to allow all new hires to be more effective from day one of employment
  • Made recommendations regarding operational effectiveness opportunities
At home, I:
  • Celebrated my partner’s birthday
  • Moved from a Blackberry to an iPhone, with lots of “training time” on my part – aka “Angry Birds” and “Words with Friends”
  • Hosted the first Houston ERE meetup
  • Started a conversation about an oil and gas/petroleum industry-specific recruiter’s group
  • Provided a couple of quotes for a local paper regarding business uses of social media
  • Cleaned out my garage to give my crib and some of my daughter’s infant stuff to some friends
  • Took my daughter to four birthday parties, including buying and wrapping the presents and wrapping my daughter’s brain around the fact that the presents aren’t for her
  • Hosted a neighbor for swimming and dinner
  • Reconnected with some online friends over the phone
  • Unexpectedly babysat another neighbor’s child when the neighbor had to run to the hospital to check on her dad
  • Had an intense but productive conversation with the principle at my daughter’s school
  • Read most of two books – “The Upside of Irrationality,”  and “I Thought it Was Just Me“
  • Read 160 postings regarding business, HR, economics, and just flat interior design eye candy, (according to my RSS feed)
  • Made a tiny nod to my health by sleeping 8 hours a night and attending a weekly yoga class
  • All while acting as the primary caregiver to my little stinkbomb, since my partner is working nights and sleeping days this month.
I have to admit, I rarely enumerate how I’m spending my time like this. When I see it in black and white, I feel, frankly, sick. Because the fact is, it’s Not Enough. There’s still laundry to be done, a regular exercise program to pursue, that employee manual that needs a serious overhaul ASAP, that staffer who’s still waiting on my confirmation that her address has been changed in payroll. You’ll notice I neither lent an hour to any volunteer efforts, nor listed “made it to church” as one of my achievements.
Being busy is not the same as being effective. I can delegate more, make better use of help at home, and deepen my impact with company owners.  I’m still struggling there, and I’ll keep exploring that intersection, hopefully until I myself am 103.  Though I’m no expert, HRFlorida has been kind enough to extend an opportunity for me to lead a conversation on effectively using your time at work. We’re sending out a brief survey to all attendees ahead of time, to make sure we cover what the participants want to learn, and we’ll discuss both practical and philosophical tools to lead the HR departments, or be the HR department, for small companies. I hope you’ll join us. Maybe you can teach me a thing or two, and I can offer you a couple of pointers as well.

SHRM 2010: Don’t Waste Your Time

Jun 2

Posted by Frannyo in To: HR | 13 Comments

If you’re attending SHRM 2010, don’t waste your time, or your dime.

Use this opportunity to learn something new, make new connections, land that next gig, get those new clients – whatever is truly on your mind as your Next Big Step. With a conference this big, attracting so many HR Pros and business leaders, you have the perfect opportunity to do what you want. But don’t show up, expect to be spoon-fed training, and leave. That would be a big waste.

I once landed my dream job at a National SHRM conference. I was working in a small town, disconnected from other opportunities, and I knew I wanted a bigger platform to do my thing. So since the SHRM National conference was being held nearby, I set my sights high. I decided I was going to walk out of the conference with at least three funny stories, fifteen new friends, two major job leads, and thirty-five non-vendor-related business cards. I asked a friend, who wasn’t attending, to help me keep score every morning – and I went to work. Here’s how I did it.

  • I spent time on the SHRM bulletin boards before the conference, getting to know some people and arranging for a meetup or two.
  • I went alone, so no one could bust my momentum or distract me from my goal.
  • I came up with a loose elevator speech explaining what I’d done up to that point, what I was looking to do, and my goals for the conference. This was important – it helped get strangers at the conference “on my team” and they introduced me to lots of their friends and invited me to parties.
  • I made myself show up. I went to every party, every luncheon, every large class I heard of. I also, frankly, crashed a party or two – sorry SHRM Best Small Companies partygoers, that was me with the lampshade on my head.
  • I applied for jobs through the SHRM on-site job board, and asked to meet with company interviewers during the conference. This is actually what did it for me. I was in the computer room and saw that Dream Job had JUST been posted. I quickly shot an email out outlining why I was The One and asking to visit immediately. The recruiter, Shannon Maroney of HR Backbone,  introduced herself, and we talked right there! We immediately clicked, and over the course of the next couple of days, she and I got to know each other much better. I told her about my goals for the SHRM conference and we attended a couple of the same parties. On the last day of the conference, I took her to lunch and to the airport. By the time she introduced me to her client, she was comfortable selling me as the best possible match to Dream Company’s CEO.

I know SHRM National is about more than networking. The seminars are great and you can learn a great deal just by listening. But if you are one of the attendees who goes to every seminar, takes notes, and then watches bad cable in your hotel room all night, you are REALLY missing out.  There’s no reward for being a wallflower.  You don’t need to be me, totally goal-focused and intent, but you do need to stretch yourself.  HR is an isolating and often depressing job. Use this time to make some new friends and have a laugh or two.  If you don’t, you may be wasting your time.