First Impressions

I was talking to a friend that works in HR for a fairly large organization about how his group was being temporarily relocated to some makeshift office space (think Trailer Park HR) while the 'proper' HR offices are being remodeled.

As I recalled their HR offices to be fairly normal, a bit non-descript, but certainly not awful, I asked what was the impetus for the remodel, particularly in a time of tight budgets, moderate to zero salary increases, etc.  The answer was, 'Our leadership is concerned about the impression that our offices make to candidates and new employees.  This is their first impression of us as a place to work, and we need to enhance the experience if we want to be an employer of choice.'

While having a welcoming office, with a pleasant and helpful person at reception, and a comfortable place to sit and wait for an interview are all important, and certainly can support the new employee or candidate experience, they are far, far from being where 'first impressions' are forged I think.Flickr - sammo371

So where are 'first impressions' formed today? Here are just some I came up with, I am sure there are many more

Google searches of the company name, or the 'Company Name Jobs' string - For many candidates, and ones that eventually get hired, this is the very first interaction with your company and brand.  Assuming you are not a major consumer brand, or a retail organization that is well known in your local market, Googling the company is Step 1. Have you checked recently to be sure that 'Company Name Sucks' is not on the top of the list for this search?

Corporate Web Site - still relevant, but increasingly less so.  Most folks realize that the corporate web site is basically marketing material, and thus maybe only about 10% of the message really sinks in.  My view is a really amateur looking corporate site could turn a candidate away, but for the most part it probably is not as important as the actual 'job' or 'career' sections of the site.

Corporate Job Site - important, a bad experience here starts the candidate relationship on the wrong foot, a horrible experience will end the relationship right there.  Almost all organizations require applicants to run through an online application process that can vary in unpleasantness from root canal all the way through a day at the spa.  Making the candidate experience better is probably 100 times more important than making the tough call of 'eggshell' or 'off-white' for the paint in the HR lobby.

Official presence on major social networks and company blogs - probably not as important in many industries and segments, but for some a very critical source of content and relationship building. Just like every company had to create a website a few years ago, most every company these days has established some kind of social networking presence.  But the effectiveness and impact of these efforts varies widely, and not all candidates and new employees care, but in time this will definitely increase.

Unofficial presence on major social networks - Think Facebook pages and groups created by employees and community members, or simply Twitter searches mentioning your company or brand name. Candidates and new employees see these.  How important they are is certainly debatable, but how many organizations actually consider the effect on the employer reputation of these activities.

Rating sites - sites like Glassdoor and Vault that contain unvarnished reviews of your company as a place to work from current and former employees.  The veracity of these ratings is certainly subject to debate, but the fact is they are out there, and there is some chance that candidates and new employees are reading them way before they get the opportunity to admire that new Ficus tree in the HR reception area.

What their friends say - This is likely more imporant that all the other individual factors above, but certainly is infliuencesd by them all.  We trust our friends.  We want to find out as much as we can about potential employers.  What our friends say about the company is shaped by all the various encounters they have had with the organization in the areas above, and by direct experience.  You can't control what people will say about your organization as a place to work, but by honest assessment of your efforts (web, social, community, etc.) you can take steps to influence what is said.

A final thought, the last time someone asked you, 'What is it like to work there?' have you ever mentioned the decor of the HR offices?

HR Technology Conference - Choosing Technology

Wrapping up observations from the HR Technology Conference in Chicago with a question that I get all the time in one form or another:

What solution is the best for (insert among the following: ATS, Performance Management, Comp. Planning, LMS, collaboration, idea management, etc.?)

The answer, as always is: 'It depends'.

I know, classic consultant-speak cop-out. And while Salary.com did a great presentation in the HR Technology Shootout, easily out pacing SAP, Lawson, and Plateau in the minds of the conference attendees, does that mean that they offer the 'best' solution? Honestly, for large portions of the shootout, the solutions presented were fairly indistinguishable from each other.

It is not really possible for an observer, even a relatively informed one, to give a quick answer to the question. There are so many variables that have to be considered in determining what the 'best' solution is for a given organization's unique set of problems.

So while I can't tell you what technology is the 'best', I can offer a few suggestions to help evaluate from the literally thousands of HR Technology providers.

Understand the problem - What are the business problems you are trying to solve? 'We need Talent Management technology' is not good enough.  Try to focus on the most pressing current issues that need attention, while also considering the state of the organization three years out.

Know your capabilities - How proficient are your end users with technology? If you are deploying a new system for employee performance management, the primary users of the system will be first-line managers.  Make sure you understand their ability, motivations, and what is in it for them before making the final decision on a vendor.  Better still, include some of these end users on the selection team. Do you have internal IT support? Are there company rules on data privacy that make implementing solutions hosted on the vendor's servers unappealing?

Learn the market - Not easy, but necessary.  You have to avail yourself of all available resources to learn about the vendors in the market space. Obviously attending the big HR Technology Conference is a quick way to get in front of representatives from all the major vendors in the space. Most vendors typically offer periodic webinars and/or recorded demonstrations of their solutions, and many even offer free trials of their solutions. But beyond assessing capability and features, and assessing gaps in functionality, take a long hard look at the market position of the vendor.  Are they financially stable?
Are they on some larger firm's takeover radar? Do they have a commitment to continuously innovate, and are those innovations easily applied to all customers?Flickr -8 Skeins

Trust, but verify - Obviously many if not most vendors will tell you what (they think) you want to hear. If a needed feature is not currently in the solution offered, many vendors will promise that it is coming soon, or if you enter into contract with them, that they will add the feature for the customer. Historically, one method of 'verification' of vendor claims or promises has been the customer reference. The vendor provides a hand-picked list of their current customers that the prospect is encouraged to contact to learn more about the customer's experience with the vendor. But of course since all the customer references are vendor-supplied, how do you know how much to trust the information you get from these references?

Leverage your networks - An advantage of cultivating and maintaining an active network of HR and HR Technology professionals is the ability to connect with current and future users of a given technology solution. Posting questions on LinkedIn groups, or in LinkedIn Q&A, or on Twitter can almost certainly yield relevant information and additional connections that are not necessarily filtered through the vendor's prism. Just like you read the reviews on Amazon.com before you plunk down for that new plasma TV, take the time to uncover some independent insights on the technologies you are considering.

Investing in new HR Technology solutions can be one of the most important decisions that you organization makes, effecting employee productivity, engagement, and ultimately business performance.

Better choose wisely.

A Reader asks: How to get more 'Strategic'?

I have a few more posts to write from things I saw and heard at the HR Technology Conference, but this question came in from a reader in reaction to my 'Be Curious' post:

I am only provided information on a "need to know" basis. Never included in planning meetings, etc. What can I do to prove my value and become more strategic?

I did reply to the question, but I figured I would throw this one out to the community. What do you think, how does the average HR Generalist in a company that does not seem to place much value in the HR function break out of the administrative, paper-pushing role and become more 'strategic?

What specific steps should he/she take?

Thoughts?

HR Technology Conference - Silos

Two of the consistent themes that I picked up on at the HR Technology Conference were:

One - Most, (if not all) of the Talent Management vendors (SuccessFactors, Taleo, Halogen, Salary.com, etc.), are working diligently to expand the breadth of their offerings. Some are introducing new modules to their suites (SuccessFactors now offers ATS capability for example), entering into partnerships with other vendors (Taleo with Learn.com) or building more functionality to 'compete' with or at least offer an alternative to traditional HRIS vendors for the coveted 'System of Record' position.Flickr - Zoom Zoom

Two - One of the most significant barriers to success in the implementation of these so-called Integrated Talent Management suites are internal organizational silos.  Said differently, in large organizations the Talent Acquisition, Compensation Planning, core HR, and Training and Development groups are separated in the company, are many times working at cross-purposes.  The needs of these different groups often have to be reconciled, and sometimes compromised to 'fit' into an integrated solution.

I heard this 'silo' issue at least three different times at the conference, and after being initially surprised it began to make perfect sense. The larger a system footprint gets, the more internal process and functions it impacts, the more people have to be involved, and the greater the need for increased coordination and collaboration.

The larger systems get, the more complicated they are to implement, and the more likely that some area of the organization will not get what they want.  This is almost unavoidable, and the reason why most of these Talent Management vendors have risen up in the first place is this phenomenon in the ERP market.

I think the challenge going forward for the vendors themselves, and for the customers looking to implement these ever expanding systems is to avoid the issues faced by the large ERP systems.  There is a fundamental difference as some of them transition from their position as 'Best-of-Breed' to something much larger.

Developing, selling, and implementing large systems that cross so many processes and organizational functions is a much more complex undertaking that slapping in a new stand-alone ATS or online Performance Management tool.  Customers will have to be smarter, vendors will need to get better at supporting these implementations, and HR and business leaders had better be prepared to deconstruct their silos.

HR Technology Conference - Take Your Chances

Finally made it home from the HR Technology Conference in Chicago and still trying to process all the information from meeting vendors, attending sessions, and talking to old and new friends.

And recovering from Thursday night's Epic HR Happy Hour show.

One thing I noticed as I walked the massive Expo hall that in the Taleo booth (and I suspect a few others), there was a giant prize wheel that prospects, customers, or random passers-by could spin for the chance to win items like Subway gift cards, Amazon.com credits, or free stays at a popular resort.

You did have to get your badge scanned and listen to the 10 minute overview of Taleo 10 for the chance to spin the  wheel. It did seem a bit too 'time share presentation-ish' for me, but I get the need for vendors to capture prospect information at the show.

After the demo I attended was completed, and one lucky attendee spun the prize wheel, (I think he won a free Quiznos Sub), I thought a more fun 'prize wheel' would have all the possible outcomes of a major talent management implementation project.

Maybe the wheel would look something like this:

Technology projects, especially large complex ones, are tricky undertakings.  So many things are needed to hit the sweet spot on the wheel, and achieve enduring organizational transformation.  Correct understanding of the important business issues, selection of the correct tool to address these problems, effective project management, executive support, a vendor not only committed to customer success, but also one with a sound and perhaps even visionary product strategy, and managers and users that see the value the real 'What is in this for me' of the solution.

Missing any one of these key factors might be enough to scupper the project.  But without them, your chance for success are dicey at best, and indeed you are just spinning the wheel of technology fortune and you may not even realize it.