Employee Development Up The Pace Or Pay The Price

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