ERE Expo Day 1: Time for Alignment
Today was the opening day of sessions at ERE Expo Spring 2010. San Diego is still gorgeous.
The sessions today focused on alignment. Exactly what companies were aligning varied widely, but the message was clear. What you communicate during the recruitment process better be what you deliver during employment.
In the morning, I heard a thought provoking panel discussion moderated by Jeremy Eskenazi from Riviera Advisors. The panel talked about the impact of the economic downturn on their businesses (specifically on recruitment) and what they were doing to position their organizations for success as the economy begins to rebound. They talked about revamping policies and developing talent…what they were really saying was we’re spending the downtime aligning ourselves with the business. The policies, procedures and actions that are coming from human resources and recruiting need to sync with what is going on in the operation.
One particular example that was music to my ears was one company that reworked their employee referral program. Now, employees don’t wait until new hires successfully complete the introductory period. And the new process eliminated the tons of forms an employee needed to complete. Sounds simplistic, but little things like that can send a big message.
I also had the pleasure of hearing Kris Dunn, vice president of people for DAXKO. Kris shared with us what has become the typical corporate career story. Here it is (I’m paraphrasing.)
Richard is smart. Does great in school. Lands an awesome job. Gets fabulous performance reviews. Company revenues tank. Richard gets laid off.
This has created the lack of engagement and trust we see in the workplace today. No surprises. The idea of loyalty is gone. But it doesn’t have to stay that way. Organizations can create company values that align with their business practices. These values can become the foundation for recruitment efforts, performance management systems, talent development and succession planning.
Kris has started doing some interesting research on developing corporate values and aligning those values with reality. I’m sure he’s going to start sharing his findings on his blogs, The HR Capitalist and Fistful of Talent.
No matter what role you have in an organization, what you do and what you create must align with the overall goals and values of the company. Inconsistency kills all your branding efforts.
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