Why HR has become a prime target for information technology

The basic tasks of human resources departments are similar in most organizations. Staff have to be recruited, evaluated and paid. Their welfare needs must be met and records need to be kept of both their performance and their development, as well as, for example, their sick absence. Track must be kept of personal histories, skills, capabilities, accomplishments and salary. All of this data needs to be analysed and turned into meaningful information if the organization is going to plan effectively for its workforce needs in the future.

These tasks require some pretty intensive administrative work – records need to be maintained and regularly updated and they have to be accurate. This has made HR a prime target for information technology and the development of human resource management systems

A Human Capital Management Solution, Human Resources Management System (HRMS) or Human Resources Information System (HRIS), integrates HR systems with information technology. What started out as relatively simple payroll systems have developed into sophisticated data management systems capable of vastly reducing the time and expense of HR administration. They have improved the quality of the HR contribution for employers, and for their employees, as well as freeing HR professionals to concentrate on the strategic interests of the organization.

The development of enablers like employee self-service tools from CIPHR  allow employees to query HR related data and perform some HR transactions over the system for themselves. This gives them a sense of ownership of the system and improves the quality and accuracy of data. Its appeal to workers can also help reduce the risk of losing corporate knowledge.

In the current global work environment, organisations need to have reliable and up-to-date information about the performance of their employees. They wish to reduce employee turnover and so retain scarce talent and the valuable knowledge held by their workforce. Recruiting new staff has a high cost and most new comers require at least a running in period before they become as effective as the person they replace. An effective HR information system supports the effective management and deployment of the workforce.

Wendy Smith is a personal coach and writer at Wisewolf Coaching. She is a qualified coach and a member of the Association for Coaching as well as being a member of the Institute of Consulting and a graduate of the Common Purpose leadership programme. She is the author of “The WiseWolf Job Search Pocket Book: How to Win Jobs and Influence Recruiters” as well as two novels and a number of articles on management and well-being. Her latest publication is a little eBook; “How to Get on With the Boss.”  You can contact Wendy at wendy@wisewolfcoaching.com

Job Search: References and Recommendations on Social Media Sites

I’ve just found an interesting post from Susan Heathfield on About.com discussing the status of social media references. Susan Heathfield is a leading and highly respected Human Resources expert.

As she says, on-line social media sites like LinkedIn can present job reference challenges for employers. Employee job references, provided by an employee on a social media site, are not an official company reference for purposes of background checking and employment.

That leaves an employer to decide whether to take social media job references into account when considering a candidate. IN Susan’s view, sometimes they should but, as with anything to do with the on-line world of social media, the devil is in the details.

You can read her very good post at this link http://humanresources.about.com/od/selectemployees/qt/job-references.htm

Management – Challenging conversations and how to manage them

Challenging conversations and how to manage them

Today’s post comes from the ACAS website.  Acas (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) aims to improve organisations and working life through better employment relations. You can download their brochure at this link   Challenging conversations and how to manage them [302kb] You might find this book useful too Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most

Download the Challenging conversations and how to manage them in pdf form [302kb]

“Excuse me! There’s a problem.”

“What’s happened?”

“Where do you want to start?” Take your pick:

• Simon’s been posting derogatory comments about you on a social networking site
• Mary failed to get the expected promotion and is very upset
• Phil is waiting to complain about a colleague making sexist comments in the canteen

Hopefully not a typical Monday morning, but we can all be ambushed by difficult line management issues.

The first question many managers ask themselves is ‘is it my responsibility to sort it out?’

If the answer is ‘yes’ there can still be a real reluctance to get caught up in very emotional or difficult performance and conduct issues.

Get it wrong and the employee may go absent, work less effectively or you may get landed with a grievance.

Get it right and you can improve levels of performance, attendance and employee engagement.

The new Acas guide   Challenging conversations and how to manage them [302kb] and training package will help you to stay in control of whatever situation comes your way.

If you have an urgent issue to deal with and need to get some quick practical advice, the   Challenging conversations – step by step table [45kb] is available.

Watch this video to see how conversations can sometimes go wrong

  Having difficult conversations transcript [83kb]

Questions and Answers

What is a difficult conversation?

A difficult or challenging conversation is a conversation where you have to manage emotions and information in a sensitive way in order to:

• Address poor performance or conduct
• Deal with personal problems
• Investigate complaints/deal with grievances
• Comfort or reassure someone – for example, if they are to be made redundant
• Tackle personality clashes

The conversation usually takes place one-to-one and can really test a line manager’s skills.

Why should I act now?

If you do not act now then you could:

• mislead the employee by giving the impression that there is no problem
• deny the employee the chance to improve or put things right
• damage the productivity and efficiency of your business
• lower the morale amongst team members

How can I make the conversations more bearable?

You can help make conversations with your employees less difficult by:

• having a quiet word at the first sign that something is wrong
• keeping in touch with your staff and the team
• using employee representatives as sounding boards for how staff are feeling about issues

It is far better to nip problems in the bud, wherever possible, rather than waiting for them to become more entrenched or complicated.

What skills do I need to handle a challenging conversation?

Many of the skills needed to manage difficult conversations and behaviour are often referred to, in a rather derogatory tone, as ‘soft’. But there’s nothing soft about dealing with an emotional or confrontational employee who may appear to be trying to unsettle or undermine you.

In order to manage a difficult conversation you need to think carefully about:

• the way you communicate
• your ability to take control of a meeting and
• your levels of self-belief.

Training can help to give you the confidence you need.

Handling Difficult Conversations – Acas training

This training will show you how to prepare for difficult or crucial conversations, how to manage and control the workplace discussion process and how to ensure you are talking to employees in as productive a way as possible. Acas will improve your confidence and enhance your knowledge and skills for reducing stress, taking action and tackling difficult conversations head on.

View Handling Difficult Conversations course details, dates and locations orenquire online.

Other related Acas training

Discipline and grievance

Conducting investigations

Performance management

Skills for supervisors

Further information

Acas Publications

• Challenging conversations and how to manage them pdf [302kb]
  Challenging conversations and how to manage them
• Challenging conversations – step by step table pdf [45kb]
  Follow these steps table on challenging conversations

© Acas, Euston Tower, 286 Euston Road, London NW1 3JJ

© Crown copyright (2001 – 2009)

Wendy Mason is the Happiness Coach and author of a new novel, The Wolf Project.  Wendy is a life and career coach and writer. She is passionate about helping people find happiness at work and at home! She helps people reach their goals and aspirations, without sacrificing their home and personal life.  She believes coaching requires compassion, warmth and empathy. Wendy helps people reach their career goals and aspirations, without sacrificing their home and personal life. You can contact Wendy at wendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com and find out more at http://wisewolfcoaching.com

CV review and interview preparation a speciality

Managing People – The Dangers of Having Favorites!

Many, many years moons ago, I worked with children.  They were boys between the ages of seven and eleven and, for me, at the most interesting stage in their development.  I saw them gaining in awareness and personality with views of their own pretty much everything.  It was tempting to spend time with a particular child that you liked, at the expense of a child that really needed your attention. Sometime later I found the same thing could happen in nursing – that patient who was so appealing might be lavished with greater care. Favoring a particular patient or a particular child would have been, at the very least, unprofessional and if you think about it could lead to harm.

As a manager showing that you have favorites can also have quite disastrous consequences. Now, I don’t mean that excellence, high performance and value to the organization should not be recognized and rewarded.  But as valuable as one person might be, an organization cannot succeed in meeting its goals without the full cooperation and collaboration of all its members. Taken to extremes a manager who falls in to the favorites’ trap can be accused not of favoritism, but of discrimination between employees with potential legal consequences.  If people believe they do not all have the same chance of gaining a reward, they switch off and become de-motivated.  They need to know that everyone plays by the same rules and is judged in the same way.

There may be particular risks when a manger is newly promoted from within a work group.  Friendships can be maintained but they need to be kept for outside the workplace.  It is a good idea to discuss this with the friend and agree from the outset that you will both make it clear that, in fairness to others, no special benefits come from the friendship. The same thing goes for people that you did not get on with particularly well. It may be worth having a conversation to clear the air and to make sure that people understand you will be making a fresh start.

Wendy Mason is a career coach.  She helps people reach their goals and aspirations, without sacrificing their home and personal life.  Before working as a coach, Wendy had a long career in both the public and private sectors in general management and consultancy as well as spells in HR.  She now divides her time between coaching and writing. You can contact Wendy at wendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com and find out more at http://wisewolfcoaching.com

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Managing People – Dealing With Difficult Employees

Most people you manage will be good and willing employees.  They are anxious to learn, to do their best and to get on well with their colleagues. But every manager finds themselves dealing with someone who is little difficult, at some point in their career.  For one reason or another, and it is good to find out why, this particular person is a problem.

There are ways to handle problem employees that reduce stress and minimize their taxing effect.  If you follow this plan, you should be able to deal with them quickly and contain the collateral damage they tend to create.

What you need to do is flip!

• Flip the focus!
• Flip the strategy.

Stop trying to change people and start trying to create an opportunity for them to change themselves, if they decide it is in their best interests to do so. This way business continues as usual while the problem employee makes a choice as to whether he or she wants to jump on board – or jump off.

This approach is clean and easy without lots of hassle. You don’t waste the time you need to invest in the rest of the business to produce a positive return.  The new approach can help you generate a healthy, low-maintenance, low-drama environment, which is better for everyone.

Here is the five step plan;

Step 1 Paint a picture that illustrates exactly what you expect and make sure the person understands that picture.

Step 2 Set-out clearly what is acceptable and what is not.  Use terms that are specific about the kinds of behavior that will not be tolerated.

Step 3 Explain what will happen when, and if, there is a recurrence of the bad behavior (talk to your HR department if you are unclear about the formal disciplinary procedure in your work place).

Step 4 Step back and give the individual a real opportunity to behave differently.

Step 5 Follow-up and follow through.  If the person responds well, then reward with praise.  If not, then follow-up exactly as you described in Step 3. If you don’t, you send a mixed message and the situation may become worse than before.

Always give the person an opportunity to explain why they have behaved badly – listen carefully to what they say. If there are extenuating circumstances, take them into account. Be firm but be fair and treat all your employees, including this one, with respect.

Wendy Mason is a career coach.  She helps people reach their goals and aspirations, without sacrificing their home and personal life.  Before working as a coach, Wendy had a long career in both the public and private sectors in general management and consultancy as well as spells in HR.  She now divides her time between coaching and writing. You can contact Wendy at wendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com and find out more at http://wisewolfcoaching.com

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Refresh Your Job Search In 2013

Have you been searching for a new job for a while now?  Hard isn’t it to keep up that energy?  But there will be new and exciting opportunities in 2013, if you can re-energize your quest. Here are some tips to help you refresh your job search.

Update your image and your attitude.

What would really give your confidence a boost?  How about a new hairstyle or should you considering a new style of dress?  What kind of change could you make as an out ward sign that something is different in 2013? You could make a change to represent the new you and your new approach.

Work hard on your commitment to positive thinking and your self-belief.  If you catch yourself thinking negatively, stop in your tracks, catch that thought and flip it over in mind. Think of yourself as not so much looking for a job as looking for an opportunity to add value. You know that given the right opportunity, that is exactly what you will do. Think every day about the benefits that you will bring to your new employer.

Revamp Your CV/Résumé

An important step in every job search is to equip yourself with a CV that really sells you, your skills and your abilities. How good is your CV?  Take time now to check it and remember this CV is just a baseline that you will tailor for each new role.  Here is some guidance on preparing a CV to be proud of; http://wisewolftalking.com/2012/07/26/job-search-part-4-writing-that-winning-cv/

Consider new options

Maybe now is a time to think about quite radical new options.  Changing careers isn’t easy. But nor is it as hard as you might imagine. I’ve done it four times in my life successfully. I’ve enjoyed the different careers at the time and I really was successful in each one. For me, there came a time to consider new options. Changing in this way has allowed me to come to terms with a changing economic environment and each new direction has built upon the experience and knowledge gained in the last one. Here are some thoughts for you to consider on the process. http://wisewolftalking.com/2012/10/17/changing-careers-part-3-deciding-whether-to-make-the-change-a-checklist/

Find New Ways to Network

Social media in particular gives all kinds of new ways to find new people to network with.  Are you making the most of sites like LinkedIn?  Are you approaching social networking in a professional way – here is some advice http://wisewolftalking.com/2012/01/06/using-social-networking-to-help-your-career/   If you just want to brush up your general networking skills – here is some more general networking advice http://wisewolftalking.com/2012/11/15/job-search-networking-asking-friends-for-help/

Find yourself a coach

A Career Coach will work with you on all the practical aspects of applying for jobs.  The coach will help you to look at your achievements and results so far and how you can build on them to make your next career move work out well. A good coach will help you build your confidence and maximize your chances of landing the right role. (I am happy to offer a free one hour coaching session by phone or Skype to readers of this blog.)

Even though looking for a new job is a big challenge now, with a positive attitude and the right tools and support, I know that you can be successful in 2013.

Wendy Mason is a career coach.  She helps people reach their goals and aspirations, without sacrificing their home and personal life.  Before working as a coach, Wendy had a long career in both the public and private sectors in general management and consultancy as well as spells in HR.  She now divides her time between coaching and writing. You can contact Wendy at wendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com and find out more at http://wisewolfcoaching.com

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Career Development – How To Enhance Your Skills With Continuing Professional Development.

Many of us study for a professional qualification and then take up our first qualified post with a great sigh of relief.   But how do you make sure that you continue to be effective and that you keep up with new developments?  Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is the learning and development you undertake that contributes to you doing just that.  CPD can also be undertaken if you started a new job without any special qualifications but want to develop your skills to do your job better and to get to the next level.

What activities contribute to your CPD?

There are lots of activities that can add to your own CPD but you need to make sure that they really do deliver value to you as a professional. According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) the kind of things that could be done include;

1. Formal study leading to a qualification, which may be related directly related to your present job or to what you would like to do in the future.
2. In-house or external training provided by your employer
3. Conferences, workshops and seminars about your profession or your work sector – a great way to make contacts and find out about new developments
4. Membership of a planning groups or committees – for example, within your employing organization or within your professional organization
5. Work-based research – find out more from the internet or at your local library
6. Reading professional magazines and journals – lots of these are now on line
7. Relevant hobbies, leisure activities and voluntary work are a great way to network and make new contacts, as well as to contribute and to enjoy yourself.

Remember, the key to CPD is reflection on what you have learned and how you can apply it.

Once you understand fully what your work and your profession requires, make a plan for your CPD and make sure to keep any evidence you have of your CPD as it develops – keep certificates from previous study or training. Start a CPD portfolio.  Don’t overlook internal training – make a note of what it was and who provided it with dates – add how it changed your ability to do your work.

Your CPD record and portfolio may prove vital when you apply for jobs in the future and it will certainly be useful when you are thinking about promotion.

CPD not only helps you to improve your knowledge, skills and competence in the workplace but to achieve your career goals. Over and above this, it contributes to your lifelong learning.

The CIPD provides useful guidance on organizing your CPD, including questions to help you reflect on your learning experiences and templates for recording CPD activity. There is also a section on managing CPD while on a career break.

Wendy Mason is a career coach.  She helps people reach their goals and aspirations, without sacrificing their home and personal life.  Before working as a coach, Wendy had a long career in both the public and private sectors in general management and consultancy as well as spells in HR.  She now divides her time between coaching and writing. You can contact Wendy at wendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com and find out more athttp://wisewolfcoaching.com

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Managing People – Can an employer make an employee take a day as holiday?

Here is yet another timely and very useful post from Annabel Kaye,  Irenicon – employment law in a mad world, 

Many employers have been asking staff to take a day’s holiday if they could not come in because of the snow. There have been a lot of misleading headlines about holiday and absence. Here are some useful facts.

1. An employer cannot make someone go to work
2. There is no general legal entitlement to be paid for days not worked and many contracts/staff handbooks specifically say employees won’t be paid for absence except under the sickness, holiday or parental leave scheme
3. Employers who keep the workplace open may ask absent employees to chose to take holiday IF they want to be paid (as opposed to unpaid leave is there is no underlying entitlement to be paid in any event)……………You can read the rest of this post at this link 

Can an employer make an employee take a day as holiday?

 

Wendy Mason is a career coach.  She helps people reach their goals and aspirations, without sacrificing their home and personal life.  Before working as a coach, Wendy had a long career in both the public and private sectors in general management and consultancy as well as spells in HR.  She now divides her time between coaching and writing. You can contact Wendy atwendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com and find out more athttp://wisewolfcoaching.com

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Job Search – What are the most common interview questions? Help from monster.co.uk

Although there is no set format that every job interview will follow, there are some questions that you can almost guarantee will crop up. Here’s a list of the most common questions and a guide to the kind of answers your interviewer wants to hear.

• Tell me about yourself – This is usually the opening question and, as first impressions are key, one of the most important. Keep your answer to under five minutes, beginning with an overview of your highest qualification then running through the jobs you’ve held so far in your career. You can follow the same structure of your CV, giving examples of achievements and the skills you’ve picked up along the way. Don’t go into too much detail – your interviewer will probably take notes and ask for you to expand on any areas where they’d like more information. If you’re interviewing for your first job since leaving education, focus on the areas of your studies you most enjoyed and how that has led to you wanting this particular role.
• What are your weaknesses? – The dreaded question, which is best handled by picking something that you have made positive steps to redress. For example, if your IT ability is not at the level it could be, state it as a weakness but tell the interviewer about training courses or time spent outside work hours you have used to improve your skills. Your initiative could actually be perceived as a strength. On no accounts say “I don’t have any weaknesses”, your interviewer won’t believe you, or “I have a tendency to work too hard”, which is seen as avoiding the question.
• What are your strengths? – Pick the three biggest attributes that you think will get you the job and give examples of how you have used these strengths in a work situation. They could be tangible skills, such as proficiency in a particular computer language, or intangible skills such as good management. If you’re not sure where to start, take a look at the job description. There is usually a section listing candidate requirements, which should give you an idea of what they are looking for.

You can read more at this link
Wendy Mason is a career coach.  She helps people reach their goals and aspirations, without sacrificing their home and personal life.  Before working as a coach, Wendy had a long career in both the public and private sectors in general management and consultancy as well as spells in HR.  She now divides her time between coaching and writing. You can contact Wendy at wendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com and find out more at http://wisewolfcoaching.com

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Why don’t you want to manage older workers?

We hear much about the efforts required to get young people into work. And, of course, that is important. But spare a thought for those of us at the other end of the age spectrum.

There may be lots of reasons why older workers are finding it difficult to stay in, and find new opportunities for, work. Lots of those reasons may not be valid for the majority of older workers but they have built up into a prejudice.

Unfortunately, it is true that many who are making hiring decisions believe older workers don’t perform as well as those between 25 and 35 – that seems to be the new “golden zone” for recruits. Older workers are said to demand high pay, cost more in terms of resources, resist change and don’t respond flexibly to fit in with a team. As a result , sometimes carefully disguised, discrimination against older workers is widespread.

Managing an older worker does not require a hugely different approach, to managing a very young person. But some younger managers find the whole prospect daunting – so they do their best to avoid it. The biggest concern employers’ express about hiring older workers is that there will be conflicts when they are managed by younger supervisors. In the US, it is said that an incredible 88 percent of employers worry about hiring older workers because they fear such conflicts.

Managing someone older than you, does seem to touch a very raw nerve in managers and there seems to be a high level of distrust on either side. So how can managers get the best out of their older workers?

In most circumstances, older workers are like other workers – they are unlikely to respond well in a command and control culture. Except in an emergency, older workers are not likely to respond well to being “given orders”. But, they are likely to respond well to an intelligent and enlightened leadership style. This means communicating clearly about issues and challenges.

They welcome being involved in decision making and having tasks delegated to them. Give an older worker responsibility and most are likely to give you their all and share with you their wealth of experience. So, then they expect you to give them recognition for what they have done, including for the wisdom they share with you. If you give your older workers the opportunity, their work will shine just like the grey hair on their heads.

Wendy Mason is a career coach.  She helps people reach their goals and aspirations, without sacrificing their home and personal life.  Before working as a coach, Wendy had a long career in both the public and private sectors in general management and consultancy as well as spells in HR.  She now divides her time between coaching and writing. You can contact Wendy at wendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com and find out more at http://wisewolfcoaching.com

Would you like to reach your career goals and aspirations, while having a fulfilling home and personal life? Find out more at this link

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