HR Technology Trends In The Workplace In 2015

Technology and the HR function. Not always comfortable bedfellows. Looking ahead, what will be the major technology trends and challenges facing the HR profession in 2015?

Last year, the HR technology buyer began to really get in touch with their end users and look for technology designed to support people, not just processes, says Steve Parker, head of business transformation at Achievers. “This meant moving away from the outdated but consolidated offerings that employees, managers, and executives used only when they had to such as HR “self-service” to providing tools that people used because they want to – technology designed to engage and help people be more productive.”

Parker argues that there are two major HR technology trends that will emerge in 2015. They are:

Technology will provide transparency. Whether we like it or not, employees will be taking a page from the Yelps and Trip Advisors of the world and will rely on using tools like Glassdoor and social media to describe and evaluate their companies’ true employment brand. With today’s social-enabled consumer technologies, disengaged or disgruntled employees, like customers, can immediately express their dissatisfaction, and prospective employees and customers can immediately see what those disengaged employees have to say. But it works the other way too, which means positive feedback can be shared just as easily. In 2015, HR will start embracing technology that creates this transparency and fosters an open culture where employees can easily recognize and communicate the great things that happen every day in organizations

Technology will finally help us do something about this disengagement problem. Disengaged employees cost the US economy $500 billion per year in lost productivity. And let’s face it, we spend more effort and resources measuring engagement than we do doing something about it. That’s about to change. While the tools for measuring personal attributes or capabilities have been around for a while, solutions that help organizations create—not just measure—an amazing environment will come into their own in 2015. We’ve all seen awesome employees get swallowed up by bad companies or bad bosses, so organizations serious about increasing their performance will begin to focus more on taking action on employee engagement by providing people with tools to connect across functions, catch others in the act of doing things right, and stay aligned to what’s most important.

Technology can aid the workplace and the HR function but it will also provide a potential headache for HR teams and boardrooms in 2015 as organizations grabble with the need to embed new technology at the speed their employees are demanding, according to Tim Payne, a partner in KPMG’s People Powered Performance Team TISI -1.43%. He believes that this will result in workplaces where the generational divide may become increasingly difficult to handle.

“The digital divide that separates generations in the home will gradually creep into the workplace next year, as organisations adopt new technologies to stay ahead of the competition,” claims Payne. “On the face of it new technology sounds like a good idea, but the challenge will be whether organisations can adopt new technologies quickly enough to satisfy employee need whilst ensuring everyone is able to get the most out of it. Failure to do so may create conflict in the workplace with some people feeling empowered and others left behind.”

Source- http://www.forbes.com/sites/karenhigginbottom/2015/01/06/hr-technology-trends-in-the-workplace-in-2015/

Handling Workplace Conflict - Myths and Reality

Workplace conflict is much more common than you probably think. Yet, it is nothing to be ashamed of or swept under a rug. To truly understand workplace conflict, you need to understand some basic facts about the myths and reality of workplace conflict. The myths about workplace conflict are:

1. It is not nice to have conflict. This idea is ingrained in our psyche. From childhood, you are taught that it is not nice to have conflict and you should always put a smiling face on it. Therefore, it is simply wrong to have conflict.


2. Conflicts will resolve themselves over time, so there is no need for me to get involved. This is one of the more common approaches taken by managers. It’s a hands-off approach to dealing with conflict.


3. A true team would never have any conflict. When true team spirit prevails, there would be no conflict or even a chance for it. All is sweetness and light in a good team.

……. And now for the reality:

1. It is not nice to have conflict - If it is not nice to have conflict, is it better to grind your teeth and suffer in silence? You get to be the nice guy, but you are probably heading towards a major meltdown.


2. Conflicts will resolve themselves over time, so there is no need for me to get involved - This is probably one of the most common myths about conflict and one that produces disastrous results. If a manager fails to address workplace conflict head-on will find themselves dealing with a much bigger problem in the future. Most conflicts that involve minor disagreements or matters that are trivial tend to resolve and work themselves out over time. Larger disagreements or conflicts tend not go away without some type of intervention.


3. A true team would never have any conflict - A team without conflict is one where the team members have nothing of value to contribute and no passion for their job. It is a group working according to the direction of the leader and with no scope for any creative ideas to emerge.

You should realize that conflict is inevitable and working out a solution is the major task of the manager. One of the main keys to handling workplace conflict is to stay focused on the problems and not the personalities of the individuals involved in the conflict. A good way to avoid dealing with larger conflicts later is to confront them in the early stages.

By Myron Curry

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a theory in psychology proposed by Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper "A Theory of Human Motivation" in Psychological Review.^[2] Maslow subsequently extended the idea to include his observations of humans' innate curiosity. His theories parallel many other theories of human developmental psychology, some of which focus on describing the stages of growth in humans. Maslow used the terms Physiological, Safety, Belongingness and Love, Esteem, Self-Actualization and Self-Transcendence needs to describe the pattern that human motivations generally move through.

Maslow studied what he called exemplary people such as Albert Einstein, Jane Addams, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Frederick Douglass rather than mentally ill or neurotic people, writing that "the study of crippled, stunted, immature, and unhealthy specimens can yield only a cripple psychology and a cripple philosophy."^[3] Maslow studied the healthiest 1% of the college student population.^[4]

Maslow's theory was fully expressed in his 1954 book Motivation and Personality.^[5] While the hierarchy remains a very popular framework in sociology research, management training^[6] andsecondary and higher psychology instruction, it has largely been supplanted by attachment theory in graduate and clinical psychology and psychiatry.^[7][8]

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is often portrayed in the shape of a pyramid with the largest, most fundamental levels of needs at the bottom and the need for self-actualization at the top.^[1][9] While the pyramid has become the de facto way to represent the hierarchy, Maslow himself never used a pyramid to describe these levels in any of his writings on the subject.

The most fundamental and basic four layers of the pyramid contain what Maslow called "deficiency needs" or "d-needs": esteem, friendship and love, security, and physical needs. If these "deficiency needs" are not met – with the exception of the most fundamental (physiological) need – there may not be a physical indication, but the individual will feel anxious and tense. Maslow's theory suggests that the most basic level of needs must be met before the individual will strongly desire (or focus motivation upon) the secondary or higher level needs. Maslow also coined the term Metamotivation to describe the motivation of people who go beyond the scope of the basic needs and strive for constant betterment.^[10]

The human mind and brain are complex and have parallel processes running at the same time, thus many different motivations from various levels of Maslow's hierarchy can occur at the same time. Maslow spoke clearly about these levels and their satisfaction in terms such as "relative," "general," and "primarily." Instead of stating that the individual focuses on a certain need at any given time, Maslow stated that a certain need "dominates" the human organism.^[11] Thus Maslow acknowledged the likelihood that the different levels of motivation could occur at any time in the human mind, but he focused on identifying the basic types of motivation and the order in which they should be met.

Physiological needs

Physiological needs are the physical requirements for human survival. If these requirements are not met, the human body cannot function properly and will ultimately fail. Physiological needs are thought to be the most important; they should be met first.

Air, water, and food are metabolic requirements for survival in all animals, including humans. Clothing and shelter provide necessary protection from the elements. While maintaining an adequate birth rate shapes the intensity of the human sexual instinct, sexual competition may also shape said instinct.^[2]

Safety needs

With their physical needs relatively satisfied, the individual's safety needs take precedence and dominate behavior. In the absence of physical safety – due to war, natural disaster, family violence, childhood abuse, etc. – people may (re-)experience post-traumatic stress disorder or transgenerational trauma. In the absence of economic safety – due to economic crisis and lack of work opportunities – these safety needs manifest themselves in ways such as a preference for job security, grievance procedures for protecting the individual from unilateral authority, savings accounts, insurance policies, reasonable disability accommodations, etc. This level is more likely to be found in children because they generally have a greater need to feel safe.

Safety and Security needs include:

• Personal security
• Financial security
• Health and well-being
• Safety net against accidents/illness and their adverse impacts

Love and belonging

After physiological and safety needs are fulfilled, the third level of human needs is interpersonal and involves feelings of belongingness. This need is especially strong in childhood and can override the need for safety as witnessed in children who cling to abusive parents. Deficiencies within this level of Maslow's hierarchy – due to hospitalism,neglect, shunning, ostracism, etc. – can impact the individual's ability to form and maintain emotionally significant relationships in general, such as:

• Friendship
• Intimacy
• Family

According to Maslow, humans need to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance among their social groups, regardless whether these groups are large or small. For example, some large social groups may include clubs, co-workers, religious groups, professional organizations, sports teams, and gangs. Some examples of small social connections include family members, intimate partners, mentors, colleagues, and confidants. Humans need to love and be loved – both sexually and non-sexually – by others.^[2] Many people become susceptible to loneliness, social anxiety, and clinical depression in the absence of this love or belonging element. This need for belonging may overcome the physiological and security needs, depending on the strength of the peer pressure.

Esteem

All humans have a need to feel respected; this includes the need to have self-esteem and self-respect. Esteem presents the typical human desire to be accepted and valued by others. People often engage in a profession or hobby to gain recognition. These activities give the person a sense of contribution or value. Low self-esteem or an inferiority complex may result from imbalances during this level in the hierarchy. People with low self-esteem often need respect from others; they may feel the need to seek fame or glory. However, fame or glory will not help the person to build their self-esteem until they accept who they are internally. Psychological imbalances such as depression can hinder the person from obtaining a higher level of self-esteem or self-respect.

Most people have a need for stable self-respect and self-esteem. Maslow noted two versions of esteem needs: a "lower" version and a "higher" version. The "lower" version of esteem is the need for respect from others. This may include a need for status, recognition, fame, prestige, and attention. The "higher" version manifests itself as the need for self-respect. For example, the person may have a need for strength, competence, mastery, self-confidence, independence, and freedom. This "higher" version takes precedence over the "lower" version because it relies on an inner competence established through experience. Deprivation of these needs may lead to an inferiority complex, weakness, and helplessness.

Maslow states that while he originally thought the needs of humans had strict guidelines, the "hierarchies are interrelated rather than sharply separated".^[5] This means that esteem and the subsequent levels are not strictly separated; instead, the levels are closely related.

Self-actualization

Main article: Self-actualization

"What a man can be, he must be."^[12] This quotation forms the basis of the perceived need for self-actualization. This level of need refers to what a person's full potential is and the realization of that potential. Maslow describes this level as the desire to accomplish everything that one can, to become the most that one can be.^[13] Individuals may perceive or focus on this need very specifically. For example, one individual may have the strong desire to become an ideal parent. In another, the desire may be expressed athletically. For others, it may be expressed in paintings, pictures, or inventions.^[14] As previously mentioned, Maslow believed that to understand this level of need, the person must not only achieve the previous needs, but master them.

Cybage Softwares analyses data for HR activities to become most efficient firm

That a software firm is datadriven is a bit like stating the obvious. Most of this though tends to be focused on the actual work they do, and not as much on their internal processes. 

It uses analytic's in all key human resource processes as it works towards its stated goal of becoming the most efficient software company.

Cybage Software, the $90 million Puneheadquartered software services company, would beg to differ. It uses analytics in all key human resource processes as it works towards its stated goal of becoming the most efficient software company. And interestingly, the emphasis is on efficient, not profitable or successful, which are the terms commonly bandied around. 

Explaining the philosophy behind this, Arun Nathani, CEO & MD, Cybage Software says, "The primary cost in our industry tends to be salaries, and therefore, the roots of inefficiency lie in how we measure people. 

How accurately you measure your workforce is one of the primary factors that determines how efficient you are." Good performers have a higher probability of leaving while the bad ones stay on, and as this cycle continues, companies end up with the wrong people in positions of responsibility, directly impacting performance. "There is a financial and human resources angle to measuring people using analytics," he says. 

Typically, all companies, irrespective of the industry, grade employees on the results achieved by them. Cybage ensures it keeps all external factors and KRAs out of the mix. "Our appraisal process measures people only on their 'approach', and not on the 'results', as the results tend to corrupt the underlying truth," says Nathani. An easygoing client, selling a well-established product, an easy project, a booming market - all these are factors which could impact performance, irrespective of how skilled the person actually is. 

"We've identified 35-40 roles within the company, and each of these has been broken down into the specific skills and sub-skills required," says Jagat Pal Singh, Chief Technology Officer, Cybage Software. 

So while a junior level employee may be evaluated on his technical and communication skills, a manager's project management ability, organisational alignment and relationship management skills are some aspects which will come under scrutiny. What makes this unique, however, is that the employees aren't marked on an absolute scale, but compared within the team. 

If you say a person scores 7 out of 10 on technical skills, it's hard to question it; but when you say that one employee demonstrates a higher level of technical skill compared to another person on the team, it's open to scrutiny. "This is a fairly detailed process, with the questions designed in a manner to minimize ambiguity and personal biases. 

For instance, if a manager has to rank an employee on her personality, rather than leave it to the manager's perception, it is further broken down into questions like, "which of these two employees would you send on a dinner meeting with a client," explains Singh. After the exercise is completed at the team level, the results are merged for all the employees using another set of algorithms to finally arrive at a dollar or rupee value for each employee. This is their perceived salary, and depending on what their actual salary is, the appraisal process will try and minimize the gap between the two. 

The system is designed to pick up fluctuations in an employee's scores over time, which could indicate that the manager isn't doing a proper job of ranking them. "This way, the right people see the career growth they deserve and eventually, the company ends up in a position where the right people are doing the right job, which tends to translate into financial success as well," says Nathani. The 18-year-old company has been growing at a steady 15-20% over the last five years, and expects the trend to continue. 

While this system was formalized only in 2005, the company has always followed a similar 'commonsensical' approach. In the early days when money was scarce, the company figured that the only way to succeed was to be efficient and delivery focused. "No company can go wrong if your value proposition advantage is providing value for money to the customer," he says. 

Over time, as business grew, they figured there's no reason to fix something that was working fine for them. The determination to do this right is also a function of its size. In an industry peppered with global giants from India, it becomes important to remain relevant. Nathani likes to call his approach the 'Moneyball Effect'. 

The book is based on the true story of how the Oakland Athletics (US baseball team) managed to build a successful team with a measly budget. It touches upon how it's important to not get carried away by what you see at the surface. To build an efficient environment, you have to identify the root of the problem and go back to the basics. 

The use of analytics in HR isn't restricted to performance management systems. During the hiring process, new recruits are evaluated by the interviewers and their comments are fed into the system where they are mapped against the attributes defined for that job. This also helps determine the newcomer's salary and ensures that it is on par with his peers. "Employees tend to be more unhappy if they find that their peers within the company are making more money than them as compared to their peers outside," says Singh. 

Another area where Cybage has successfully used analytics is, in determining the efficacy of its hiring during placement season. Singh explains that while they'd be invited to campus only towards the end of the placement season at the top ranked institutes, at the lower ranked ones, they were hiring over the first few days. After analysing the performance of both sets of employees, they realised that the ones hired from the lower rated institutes were performing much better, and started focusing their attention primarily on these places. 

Analytics has also been used to determine the reasons why people are leaving the company. Instead of going by their perception of the reasons, Cybage uses analytics to determine whether it's actually a bigger trend which needs to be fixed by changing certain policies. Similarly, the HR department runs a number of employee engagement programmes as a motivational and retention tool. Attendance figures showed that a salsa class was far more popular that a musical night that the company organises. 

On the surface, based on larger participation, it would seem like a good idea to have more salsa classes. But analysing the performance of the employees who attended both, you may find that the ones attending the musical evening not only tended to stay on longer, their motivation and performance levels were also higher. "This helps HR tailor other programmes in keeping with the actual impact they've had," says Singh. 

Interestingly, this data-driven approach is yet to find many takers. Nathani has a simple explanation: "The end result of a system-driven approach should be that it makes you redundant, and to accept that, you have to get rid of your ego and accept that the system is more powerful than you." 

Some of the larger companies are now struggling with efficiency issues, and it's a well documented fact that any attempt to change the system has led to disgruntled employees. Nathani likens it to swimming against the tide. What seems to be working for Cybage is that they started swimming before the tide came in.

source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/19495584.cms

Sachin
FK-2270

Employers more interested in critical thinking, problem solving than college major, says study

The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) has released a report, “It Takes More than a Major: Employer Priorities for College Learning and Student Success,” which summarizing the findings of a national survey of business and nonprofit leaders.

Among other things, the survey reveals that 74 percent of business and nonprofit leaders say they would recommend a 21st century liberal education to a young person they know in order to prepare for long-term professional success in today’s global economy, according to a press release.

“While policy leaders have been focused intensely on what college students are choosing as their majors and what salaries they are being paid shortly after they graduate, business leaders who actually hire college graduates are urging us to prioritize the cross-cutting capacities a college education should develop in every student, in every major,” said Mildred García, president of California State University, Fullerton and chair of AAC&U’s board of directors.

“No matter what careers students seek, their college education must equip them with intercultural skills, ethical judgment, and a sophisticated understanding of the diversity of our society and of any successful business or organization.”

Key findings National Survey of Business and Nonprofit Leaders include:

• Nearly all employers surveyed (93 percent) say that “a demonstrated capacity to think critically, communicate clearly, and solve complex problems is more important than [a candidate’s] undergraduate major.”
• Even more (95 percent) say they prioritize hiring college graduates with skills that will help them contribute to innovation in the workplace.
• About 95 percent of those surveyed also say it is important that those they hire demonstrate ethical judgment and integrity; intercultural skills; and the capacity for continued new learning.
• More than 75 percent of those surveyed say they want more emphasis on five key areas including: critical thinking, complex problem solving, written and oral communication, and applied knowledge in real-world settings.
• 80 percent of employers agree that, regardless of their major, every college student should acquire broad knowledge in the liberal arts and sciences.

For a full report on the findings from the national survey of employers, see:www.aacu.org/leap/public_opinion_research.cfm.

source: http://hr.blr.com/HR-news/Staffing-Training/Recruiting/Employers-more-interested-in-critical-thinking-pro

-- Sachin . V
Alumni (FK-2270)

Early return to work program:

Modified work programs designed to get employees who have been out of work due to injury or illness to return to the workforce sooner by providing them with less strenuous alternative jobs until they are able to resume their full regular duties. Returning to work speeds an injured worker's recovery and reduces the financial impact of a workers' compensation claim on the worker, the employer and the workers' compensation system. The key is to act quickly. The Early Return to Work (ERTW) program encourages return‑to‑work options much earlier in the claims process, to everyone‛s benefit.

-Nirmalendu 

Brown Bag Lunch

A brown bag lunch is an informal opportunity for employees to learn at work. A brown bag lunch is used to convey work information occasionally, but mostly serves to enhance employee knowledge about non-work or job specific issues and ideas. Topics for a brown bag lunch range from viewing slides of a coworker's vacation trip to a visit from a local banker to discuss maximizing the potential return that employees can earn by saving.

Brown bag lunch originally referred to the practice of employees bringing a packed lunch from home or carry-out lunch to an informal learning opportunity in the workplace. Brown bag lunch, as a term, has come to represent any brief informal employee education or training opportunity that is supplied during non-work hours at work.

Hence the name, brown bag lunch, recognizes that these may be learning opportunities that are supplied during the employees' lunch break. Brown bag lunch are also held at the beginning or end of a work day, too, and occasionally, during the evening or weekend.

Meera