Archive for December, 2009

Employee Engagement – for 2010

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

Happy New Year!

I think there are many of us who simply want to welcome in 2010 (AND send off 2009). It has been a tough year for most people on some level. Let’s resolve to look ahead rather than behind.

BUT . . . . .

. . . . . that said, 2009 was a year of low turnover. I recently attended a panel presentation of key talent acquisition leaders from varying large twin cities-based companies. There was little worry (in 2009) about retention stated. They were, of course, looking ahead and thinking about what may happen as the economy improves.

What can we do as we begin 2010?

In looking at as many published studies and articles as possible, there are multiple themes that emerge. In summary, however, the 2009 ExecuNet Executive Job Market Intelligence Report put it well:

“If you want your key team to be in place at the end of this year, you need to be sure you are placing at least as much time and energy into retention as you are into focusing on the company performance goals.”

A resolution for 2010!

Start the year with communication! Honesty is the best policy – and repeating messages often and in new, creative ways keeps employees informed AND away from speculating about what is happening.

One final thought for our last entry of 2009. It comes from hearing Brad Anderson, the former CEO and Vice Chair of Best Buy, speak at a recent HR Executive Forum meeting. Among his many pearls of wisdom, he stated that “employee engagement is predictive of their (Best Buy’s) sales numbers.”

This statement alone is reason enough to focus on engagement!

Wishing you all a fantastic and successful 2010!

Posted in Employee Engagement

Employee Engagement

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009

(We’ll come back to Ethics again soon!)

Talent Management: A Priority

Can we avoid a repeat of 2003? As the last recession was coming to an end, the statistics on the number of disgruntled workers started to grow quarter by quarter. By the spring of 2003, one study showed that only 26% of the working population was loyal. That same study reported some other, rather staggering, findings:

55% of the working population was miserable and just putting in their time
28% of the working population was actively looking for a new job

The number one login time for many job sites was Monday morning at 9:00 a.m.

2009 was a Rough Year for Most Employers

I am sure most of us did NOT need this as a reminder! Salary increases were non-existent; many companies instituted across-the-board freezes or cuts. Bonus plans were flat.

An ExecuNet 2009 Executive Job Market Intelligence Report found that a good cultural fit is second only to doing work that is enjoyable as “most important factor in keeping them engaged in their current role.” Another report, the 2009 BlueSteps Executive Mobility Survey found that 75% of employed executives would likely consider a new job opportunity.

So what can be done?

There have been multiple studies published during the second half of this year that talk about what employers can be doing to engage their workforce. A few of the items that the studies seem to share in common are:

Communicate to employees – the good AND the bad
Connect employees to the company through public displays of values
Emphasize the intangibles and low-cost programs
Institute an Incentive Recovery Plan

Over the next few weeks, we will talk further about these ideas.

Posted in Employee Engagement

Ethics – The Continuation!

Monday, December 7th, 2009

It’s about the client!

Dual or Parallel Processing – terms in the search industry which do not mean much to most people. Should they? And should you be reacting ‘positively’ or ‘negatively’ to the terms? The answer . . . . . it depends on who you are. Thus the title: It’s about the client!

You ARE the client!

You are conducting a search for a Director of Sales. You are considering four candidates from your retained search firm. You are very serious about two of them. There are two others that are on the ‘back burner.’

The search firm is offered a second search for a Director of Sales from another client in another industry. One of the candidates you are considering from this search firm has a background in your industry as well as the other industry. Can the search firm present the candidate (even a ‘back burner’ candidate) on the other search as well? The answer, if yes, is called Dual or Parallel Processing (of a candidate).

Do you want this to happen? As a client, the answer is likely NO. If you are the search firm, you need to decide what your stance is. Having a candidate in two places at once can be good and bad. As a candidate, you are likely thrilled.

We’re back to:

It’s about the Client!

While rare with small firms, Dual or Parallel Processing may be a more common practice with national or international firms. They are likely to be conducting more than one search in the same functional area at any given time (across multiple offices in some cases). Contingent firms do this all the time – it is part of a very common business model.

The Answer:

The key – bring it up! What is the practice at the firm you are considering for your search? Are you in agreement? As with most ethical questions, there is no one ‘best’ answer that fits everyone.

Make sure to have the discussion with your retained search partner!

Posted in Ethics

Ethics in the Search Field

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

We all have a story!

It’s hard to pick up the paper today without seeing another article on Petters, Madoff, or any number of individuals or companies that have not behaved ‘ethically.’ Ethics issues are all around us.

But . . . . ethics in the search field?

In the search field, ethical concerns are very important. Sadly, most professionals we know have a horror story to tell. Are search firms to blame? Are corporations? Are candidates? I would have to say it is the firms – and the lack of clear discussion around common ethical issues that can harm all aspects of the search and the relationship with the client and candidates.

Our goal in this entry and others in the future will be to address the multitude of ethical issues that are all too common in the search field.

We are anxious to engage you in this dialogue. E-mail us your thoughts – to david@abelnmagy.com.

What are the ‘issues’ that need discussing?

Off-Limits
- Time
- Reach
- Incoming Calls
- Placed Candidates
Dual or Parallel Processing
Conflicting Searches
Confidentiality
Sourcing Under False Pretenses
Discrimination

Let’s start with Off-Limits

Simply put, an Off-Limits policy is an agreement that a search firm can NOT recruit from your company and/or any of your subsidiaries for a pre-agreed period of time. There is sadly no standard for this area in the industry. It is up to each firm and their individual client organization to create this Off-Limits policy for their work together.

Off-Limits discussions need to take place – and in four distinct areas.

How long should a client be off-limits – and when does the clock start?
Is it the entire company – or just a single location, department or function?
Should there be a policy in place for potential candidates from a client company that call into the search firm because of a search they are aware of at a different company?
And, last and certainly not least, what about the candidate that the search firm places? Should they have a separate policy/agreement?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer. The correct answer is having the discussion. While not a scientific poll, I can say that this topic rarely surfaces in client discussions. We as a firm need to bring it up more often; clients need to for their protection and understanding.

Send your thoughts – and stay tuned for additional Ethics-related discussion points!