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 Printer Friendly  Bookmark this pageDecember 2007 |
Recent Articles |
December 27, 2007 5:30 AMHR's New Year's ResolutionsA look back and ahead...Category: Performance and Talent Management This year's holiday fun survey also took at look resolutions... here are a few things HR had to say about making and keeping resolutions: Favorite 2007 New Years' Resolutions for the HR DepartmentLooking ahead to 2008, HR is very focused streamlining processes, and reducing the sheer amount of paper, with 19% indicating this as their main resolution, up by 5% from last year. Next at 10% is a new entry into the top three in this category - HR wanting to serve its customers better in the coming year. Next at 5% - HR wants to get organized. Other resolutions from HR included more/better training, teamwork and making HR more strategic. Some of our favorites:
Past ResolutionsLooking forward is always important for HR departments and it seems our respondents have done an excellent job setting goals and sticking to them, both personally and professionally. Respondents say they accomplished last year's goals, with 63% saying they accomplished the professional goals they set for their departments last year -- up by 9% from last year. Way to go HR! Making it PersonalIt seems personal resolutions are just as important to those working in HR. An overwhelming 71% said that they plan to make a personal resolution this year when the clock strikes midnight. Happy New Year from your friends at Halogen Software!
December 21, 2007 8:00 AMHR's Favorite Things 2007 EditionJulia Roberts, Pizza and Dallas Cowboys Rank High with HRCategory: Performance and Talent ManagementHR had a lot to say when it came to our third annual favorite things fun survey conducted over the past few weeks. The winner of the draw for an iPod Touch is Dalia Chavez. Congratulations! Here are the results -- lots of old favorites holding strong, and a few upsets... here’s what HR had to say about their favorites... stay tuned next week for a look at HR’s resolutions. Favorite leisure activityFor the third year running, HR is spending their time between the covers, with 21% saying their favorite activity is to curl up with a good book (which is up from last year by 4%). New to the top leisure activities list are spending time with family at 9% and watching movies/TV at 6%. Other favorites are arts and crafts, and last year’s number two activity, golf. Some of our favorites:
Favorite foodIn a major upset, last year’s winner, glorious chocolate, was knocked into fifth place, replaced by pizza in the top spot. HR must love takeout and bubbly cheese, with 14% citing pizza as their favorite, followed closely at 13% by Italian food overall. Buon appetito! Other favorites are surf at 11% and turf at 9%. Interestingly, for the second year in a row, HR’s love of red meat is waning, dropping 4% overall since 2005. Other sweet, savory and spicy answers included Cantaloupe, Hostess Cupcakes, Indian, Mexican, Gyros, Strombolis and Giambo. One respondent took a culinary tour of Canada with a buffet of cuisine: "Canadian bacon, Atlantic lobster, Belon oysters and Bras d’Or from Nova Scotia, Matane shrimps, Brome Lake duck, fresh of smoked Gaspe salmon, corn fed pork, Lake Erie sturgeon caviar, Arctic char, Winnipeg gold eye, wild rice, fiddleheads, cod tongues, Alberta beef, domesticated buffalo, farm-raised pheasants, quails, reindeer, 'cultured mussels', salmon caviar and Pacific oysters." Some of our favorites:
Favorite beverageOld faithful soda is back, reclaiming its crown from two years ago after being knocked out by water and iced tea last year. A whopping 25% of HR pros say soda is their favorite beverage. Although, it does seem that HR does love their wine, with 14% picking it as their drink of choice. Plain old water ranked third, up by a percent in its popularity from last year at 9%. Some of our favorites:
Favorite sports teamFootball is still HR’s favorite, but they simply aren’t loyal fans. The Dallas Cowboys is HR’s favorite team this year with 6% of votes, followed by the New England Patriots at 3%, replacing previous winners the Bengals, Packers, Chargers and Redskins. Fickle football fans! Baseball does have a place in HR’s heart with, yet again, the Boston Red Sox ranking as HR’s fave ball team. Hockey ranks low, but the Ottawa Senators seem to be the team of choice with 2.5% of votes. Some of our favorites:
Favorite TV showThe love lives and drama of Seattle Grace still have HR riveted, with Grey’s Anatomy being voted the favorite TV show for the second year in a row at 10%. In second place at 7% is The Office, which, from the sounds of it, may be reality TV for some HR professionals. We’re sure there are some good lessons to be learned on what not to do each week! In third place, even though it hasn’t been on for more than six months, is Lost at 4%. Probably only because HR can’t wait to finally find out what on earth is going on!!! Other favorites include Dancing with the Stars, Law and Order, Survivor and CSI. Some of our favorites:
Favorite travel destinationHR definitely thinks life is a beach at vacation time. For the second year running, Hawaii is HR’s top pick at 10%, a drop from last year’s 23%, but still the favorite. Beaches worldwide from Florida to Mexico to exotic Asian locations ranked high with HR as well. Sun and sand aside, HR is packing their bags for Italy and we suspect this has everything to do with HR’s love of wine and Italian food. At 8%, Italy replaces Paris as the top European destination. Among the many unique answers were destinations around the globe including: Mackinac Island, Santorini, Galapagos Islands, Okinawa, Russia and Honduras. Some of our favorites:
Favorite gadgetHR is all about technology when it comes to gadgets, but this year they’ve left a bit of room for fun, with iPods rating as this year’s favorite gadget, at nearly 20%. Cell phones at 10% edged out the Blackberry at 9%, both of which were down from previous years by 13% and 7% respectively. A wide assortment of kitchen gadgets from pizza cutters to stand mixers rated high, with the Pampered Chef’s products being mentioned numerous times. Some of our favorites:
Favorite TV or movie personalityFor the first time, the favorite celebrity is a woman. Julia Roberts is the winner with 4%, showing that she is still a pretty woman after all these years. Not bad for a mom of three! Coming in second is another new comer -- Denzel Washington at 3%. And third place is a three-way tie between Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp and a new entry from this year’s sexiest man alive, Matt Damon, all coming in at 2%. HR can’t agree on many other favorites, the Beckhams only receiving a single vote each. So much for Posh and Becks taking over America. Honorable mentions go to the cast of Grey’s Anatomy especially McSteamy and McDreamy. Some of our favorites:
Dream carFor the third year running, HR’s preferred ride was again, a BMW. Coming in at 12%, the BMW’s popularity is waning slightly with a small decline from 14% last year and 15% in 2005. Maybe that’s because Lexus has risen in popularity, tying with the Mustang for second place with 5% of total votes. HR’s other top picks include Audi, Porsche and Ferrari. A new trend this year was the number of people picking a hybrid. Some of our favorites:
Favorite holiday -- or time of yearThere seems to be very few grinches in HR! Yet again, Christmas is the #1 favorite time of year at 43%. Christmas’ popularity seems to be in decline though, dropping from 50% last year and 58% in 2005. Perhaps the pressure of Christmas shopping is getting to HR? Fall and Thanksgiving come in second at 15%, followed by summer with 4%. Some of our favorites:
Happy Holidays to all of you from the Halogen Team.
December 13, 2007 6:45 AMWhat is HR's Value?How HR creates value within organizationsCategory: Performance and Talent Management Succession PlanningIn his blog, John Ingham has two recent interesting posts about the value of HR within an organization -- placing them at a new level of involvement with business objectives. We've been seeing for some time that in many marketplaces, HR is becoming more and more strategic and when its programs are planned and executed well, HR is offering a competitive advantage. Executives are taking the function much more seriously. And HR is increasingly being called into the boardroom to offer business-level strategy, and to defend its overall contribution to organizations. Ingham points out that traditional business is built on financial capital and customer capital. But in today's knowledge-based economy, where everyday workplace tasks require many levels of problem solving and judgment, human capital becomes the key to securing bottom-line results. So HR begins to have a role of not only meeting company objectives, but in setting those objectives. For example, they may set the objective of successfully filling all vacated executive position from within company ranks. This type of strategy (succession planning via talent pooling) can make or break a company that may be going through numerous executive transitions and team upheaval. It's all too common a story, where too many new executives in one company (Nortel, anyone?) aren't able to improve the company quickly enough to please shareholders, because the level of ramp up and change required to get them functioning at 100% capacity is too great. If those positions were filled by seasoned internal recruits, the time needed to improve company processes may be much less. Ingham challenges HR to move from providing value for money, to adding value, to eventually CREATING value for its organization. Well-thought out employee performance and talent management initiatives can do just that: creating employers of choice by investing in the careers of your employees and demonstrating to them what is expected of them, and where they are headed.
December 10, 2007 7:00 AMGive Thanks...How to Recognize Your WorkersCategory: Performance and Talent ManagementCheck out this great poll from Harris Interactive that Kris Dunn has called out on his HR Capitalist blog. It illustrates how the 18-34 set (we like to call them Gen Y, The Millenials, etc.) need praise and thanks at work, but they want it very specifically. In person, NOT in email works best, and it had better be specific to their work functions, and presented one on one -- no groups please. We're not surprised. Our customers tell us time and again how much a formal employee appraisal process appeals to their young workers. Many feel that by offerings specific goals, feedback, and an opportunity for employees to contribute to their reviews, that they are positioning themselves as employers of choice with their young staff. And the systematic approach makes everyone feel comfortable that their information is kept private, evaluated and presented fairly. Now, the poll also found that men like praise better than women. Not sure how we can help with that!
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June 30, 2008 8:15 AMSummer Lovin'Category: Goal Management Succession Planning Pay for Performance  Summer's finally here! The great days of backyard BBQs, soaking in the sun, and kicking back with the kids are upon us... But most of us still have to work, at least a little bit. So, what's your focus for these long summer days at the office? MORE 
June 26, 2008 9:15 AMSHRM Wrap UpCategory: Performance and Talent Management I'm back to the office after a few very busy days at SHRM in Chicago. Overall it was a productive show, with a ton of stuff happening! I wanted to take this chance to share just a few pieces of news coming out of this year's show. MORE
June 23, 2008 5:15 AMHealthcare Organizations Creating a High Performance WorkforceCategory: Performance and Talent Management Employee Evaluations Succession Planning Pay for Performance HR Software Traditionally, the healthcare arena wasn't one in which cultivating a high performance workforce had been a focus. Merit pay increases and spot bonuses just weren't part of the picture for most healthcare workers. MORE
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