SHRMingham

Social media threats study being performed by UAB

Are you an HR pro who would like to participate?

Greetings! 

We are researchers at UAB’s School of Business and are interested in learning how four distinct stakeholder groups (social media savvy students, social media novice students, HR managers, and senior management) perceive the threats of social media usage to themselves (personal threats) as well as to their current/potential employer (organizational threats). Our goal is to identify where these groups agree and disagree with respect to social media threats, and use these insights to draw inferences which we can then pass on to HR professionals and senior management. 

If you are interested in participating, please continue reading! 

WHO: We are looking for approximately 25 HR professionals to serve on an expert panel to evaluate a set of social media threats as they relate to current/potential employees and current/potential employers. Members of the expert panel of social media savvy HR managers should be willing to participate in a series of three to four surveys, with each survey lasting approximately ten minutes. WHO: 

WHAT: The three to four surveys would be stretched out over three to four weeks (i.e, one survey per week) and will involve selecting a set of social media threats (in the first survey) and then rank ordering, in order of significance or risk, these threats in the subsequent rounds. Since continuity on the expert panel is critical, the people who sign up are willing to stay with the process throughout the entire series of surveys. 

HOW: If you would like to participate as a member of the HR Managers Expert Panel AND are willing to commit to complete each of the surveys in a timely fashion, click on the link below. 

http://uabbusiness.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_cwlvPhHLP3Gy8WU 

WHY: Participants who complete all surveys in the study will receive a whitepaper detailing our results. 

Thank you for your consideration and support. 

Jamey Worrell & Allen Johnston 
Assistant Professors, UAB School of Business

Alabama State SHRM Conference - Notes

Did you miss the Alabama State SHRM Conference this year? 

Here are some highlights from the Twitter feed (remember that Twitter limits a statement to 140 charactors):

 

During the Linksters to Boomers session with Meagan & Larry Johnson:

• The existing workplace generation always has the same complaints about the incoming generation...
• Young folks - pay attention to the unwritten "policies" in the workplace before the Baby Booomers retire w/ it.
• Convo turned to knowledge drain due to Boomers leaving. Analysts say that as 401ks come back, more Boomers retire.
• Boomers need to remember their passion for the work. That helps to connect with Gen X/Y.
• Gen X wants purpose in their work...but they tend to be skeptical.
• Boomer: Do this. Gen X: What is the reason? Boomer: No need to know. - See the problem?
• Gen Y is accustomed to not only having their opinion asked but also considered.

During the Absolute Honesty session with Larry Johnson

• What do you tell a naked employer? The truth?
• Sometimes being honest requires delivering bad news. Is your culture conducive to that?
• He who speaks the truth should have one foot in the stirrup. Turkish proverb.
• Absolute Honesty law #1: tell the truth. It hurts. It's hard. But it builds credibility and influence like you wouldn't believe.
• Tact: telling a guy with a hole in his head that he has an open mind.
• Where would you draw the line on white lies?
• Ditch the “little white lie” when the risk outweighs the benefit.
• “No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar” -Abraham Lincoln
• Don't cheat the EE out of an opportunity to improve. Tackle the problem.
• Using statements to discuss working with difficult people. Change the “he/she should”; to “I can”; and things will happen.
• Absolute honesty #3 - Disagree and commit. Speak up about what u disagree w/ & be prepared to commit to the company's decision.
• If you don't like what's going on at the office, you have three healthy options. Be proactive, accept it, or leave.
• You know those people who won't offer solutions, accept decisions, or leave when they disagree? They're poison to the org.
• He asked the audience “what should go w/ whining?” We said “cheese”. Correct answer was “offer a solution” lol
• People don't care what you say; they watch what you do.

 

During the Emotional Intelligence session with Dr. Jarik E. Conrad:

• 53% of employees are ready to bolt from your company when employment situation improves
• EEs watch & take cues from HR like passengers take cues from the flight attendants.
• Our brain is designed to stereotype b/c it's efficient. We have to actively work against that.
• We notice / understand something more if we've made a personal connection. Where does that leave diversity in your workplace?
• We should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality. -Albert Einstein.
• Emotional intelligence is knowing how to use the right emotion at the right time with the right person.
• If all u have is what u see, ur brain automatically starts to put info in boxes. But experiences, interests, opinions matter too.
• A connoisseur of wine can tell the difference b/c of their intentional experiences; same with appreciating diversity in people.
• Surround yourself with similar people & end up w/ a superiority complex.
• Proactively seek a broad range of experiences to become a connoisseur of diversity.

 

During the The Laughing Warrior: How to Enjoy Killing the Status Quo session with Dale Dauten

• The gradual day weakens the will and leaks the brightness away. Does that describe your day? Be experimental!
• Imagine if at any moment at work you could be asked what you're working on - can you answer with passion? Be intentional.
• Sam Walton ended his team meetings with “come back next week with an idea worth enough to pay for your trip.”
• Steve Jobs terms EEs on spot if they cannot tell him 1 thing they're working on, w/passion that interests him
• Taking the time to critique someone and offer feedback shows that you care enough to invest time in them.
• Never trust a manager who loves everything you do. Either they aren't paying attn or they don't think u can improve.
• Success can make you flabby. Keep flexing your continuous improvement muscles.
• Put the fish on the table and let people smell it. (AKA be honest and transparent, don't sweep under the rug)
• Most relaxing sound is bird songs.
• The best managers don't answer questions, they ask them.
• HR gets two options with poor rules/policies: enforce and be a jerk or ignore it and be a hypocrite.
• Sometimes HR is known as the one who tries to kill the Girl Scout cookies. Lose / lose situation.
• You don't always have to know *how* to do things. You have to know what it takes to be great and measure your people against it.
• Become an anti-bureaucrat. New policies are not always the answer.

 

During the How Aflac HR Impacts the Bottom Line  with Audrey Boone Tillman:

• Sometimes your front-line employee is the only impression of your company the customer will get.
• Reducing turnover by 1% at Aflac was associated with $1M cost savings. Then they dropped from 14% to 11%. Bottom line impact!
• It's always true no matter what the topic: what gets measured will improve.
• Alfac worked in recent years to customize recognition programs to fit the positions. Salespeople motivated differently than IT.
• One reward program change (tiered rewards) influenced $1M in additional sales at Aflac
• High potential EEs appreciate exposure more than compensation.
• Huge key to EE engagement = focus groups

Member Spotlight - Beth Carter

1.      Name, Company and Position   Beth Carter, HR Manager for ComFrame Software Corporation, an NWN company.

 

2.      Tell us about what you do there.  NWN Corporation has more than 550 employees and was merged with ComFrame as recently as January 1^st.  In many ways I am still learning about my opportunities in the organization but I couldn’t be prouder of the degree of excellence and the number of achievements our company has credited to them.  For example, NWN is a woman-owned company whose President is a former Harvard professor who received her first patent this year!  She has established a management team that has accomplished a great deal to help our customers solve business problems through technology.

 

3.      What is your favorite part of your job?  I have the pleasure of serving NWN employees as my own “customer base”.  The most exciting aspect of my work is the integration of ComFrame’s team of technologists, which includes a talented group of Beijing employees, with  NWN’s professionals.

 

4.      How did you “get in to HR” and why?  I started my career in HR working part time while I was still in High School.  As a member of the HR team, I loved the concept of interacting with the entire workforce rather than just a small, perhaps isolated team, and was fortunate to work with a fast growing company where I was encouraged to accept as much responsibility as I cared to.

 

5.      What advice would you give to the newbies trying to break into HR?  Reach out to others in the industry with the goal of learning what you can from each of them rather than focusing on just getting a job.  You will learn a great deal of important information and that first job will come as a normal outgrowth of your curiosity and enthusiasm about the technical aspects of the job.  Also, maintaining close ties to your local SHRM chapter will ensure that you learn about entry level job openings as they occur.

 

6.      What advice would you give to a person who is still “green” in HR?  The most helpful  aspect to anyone’s career is a successful mentor relationship.  As your career progresses it is so important to have the guidance of someone more knowledgeable who is willing to devote their time to giving you advice about practical matters as well as technical ones.  The second piece of advice I would give to the ‘green’ HR professional is to pursue their formal education.  It’s certainly possible to get where you want to go without it, but I can’t overstate its value in giving you credibility in the beginning of your career.  If you cannot make the time or financial commitment to get a Bachelor’s Degree or an MBA, the HRCI PHR (Professional in Human Resources) accreditation is an extremely affordable and well respected credential to have.  You will attain a well rounded knowledge of the field (and proof that you have it!) and, by joining a local study group, you can widen your professional network and meet others at the same stage of their career that you can turn to for advice, recruiting assistance and even tips if you decide to pursue other opportunities.

 

7.      What’s your career goal in HR?  I would like to retire as Chief Administrative Officer of NWN---because I enjoy my coworkers but also because I miss our fading American tradition of working for the same company for many years and retiring there as well.  I have worked in HR in federal contracting, consulting and software for healthcare claims payment but I would like to be successful at NWN and continue to work there until I retire.

 

8.      How long have you been a member of BSHRM? 8 years

 

9.      Are you actively involved in any of BSHRM’s committees or initiatives? Tell us about it.  For the past two years I have taught (along with my co-instructor Kimberly Pruitt) both the Spring and Fall Labor/Employee Relations Module of BSHRM’s preparation course for the PHR/SPHR test.  It has been the most satisfying professional experience of my career thus far.  Kimberly has been an absolute treat to become friends with and the students have been so grateful and engaging that I always feel that I’ve gotten more than I have given!  In addition, this spring I had the honor of participating in this year’s BSHRM Leadership Training Class.  It has been great to participate as a student rather than a teacher and I have gained a tremendous amount of insight in a short amount of time.

 

10. Complete the following sentence… "I know the day is going to be a struggle when…." I have to spend the day laying off talented, hardworking people whom I respect. 

 

11.  What is the weirdest question you have ever been asked by a candidate or employee?  “Can’t I wait and go to rehab after the weekend is over?”

 

12.  What do you say to a candidate to politely turn them down for your position?  I believe that you will make a great candidate for a role like this one when you have a few more years of experience.

 

13.  What was the last book you read? Would you recommend it? Why?  It was The Secret of Channel No. 5:  The Intimate History of the World’s Most Famous Perfume and I would definitely recommend it.  It covers 100 years of world history and is extremely entertaining—spanning a variety of topics including everything from perfume to social change and military history.

 

14.  What is your favorite all time movie? Why? The cold-war classic comedy The Russians are Coming starring Carl Reiner and Alan Arkin because I can watch it over and over and laugh every time!

 

15.  You’ve just been granted a wish and can invite four people from any time period in history to dinner. Who would you invite and why?  For my first guest I would choose Truman Capote as he was a great novelist and raconteur.  Second would be Tennessee Williams as he was Truman’s good friend and the greatest playwright of the 20^th Century.  My third choice would be Eleanor Roosevelt and, finally, my Uncle Nick who was a tail gunner during World War II and used the GI Bill to become a Doctor and practice medicine in his rural home county(Monroeville) after the war.  I have missed him every day since his death.

 

16.  What is your favorite way to spend the weekend? Why? Rafting.  It’s exciting, something you can enjoy with friends, the scenery is beautiful and it’s not really dangerous.

 

17.  You can take two things with you when you are stranded on a desert island. What do you take and why? For practicality, rations.  For impracticality, Paul Newman in his prime.

 

18.  Are you a cat person or a dog person?  Definitely a dog person . . . a rescue dog, in fact!

 

19.  What would you choose as your “last meal”?  With no need to count calories or nutrients, I would choose a pasta dish covered with cream and cheese sauce.  For dessert, See’s chocolates . . . lots!

 

20.  What else does BSHRM need to know about you?  I was a Member of SHRM’s North Alabama Board of Directors for 4 years.