Catching the Brass Ring: An HRIP Credential

“IHRIM and the HRIP certification have been very valuable over the many years of my membership. I look forward to many more years.” – Rich Martonik, HRIP, HRIS Manager, Andersen Corporation

 

A sign of summer here in New England is the arrival of the traveling carnivals. Setting up in empty fields or parking lots, for three to four days they bring their scaled down version of amusement parks to small towns. Familiar rides include a carousel, Ferris wheel, tilt a whirl and fun house.  A midway challenge is to try to grab the brass ring as you pass it on the carousel and receive a prize.

It has been three and a half years since the Human Resource Information Professional (HRIP) Certification Program was first offered and it has proven to be a prize treasured by those who have become certified.  The over 300 professionals holding an HRIP credential are recognized as dedicated, competent professionals in the HR information management and systems field. 

 

To insure that the certification continues to be valuable, we began a project to review and refresh the exam items (questions) for both the published and practice exams.   Working with an outside company (The Donath Group, who were instrumental in helping us develop the initial exam), the first phase of the project was to assess the overall performance of the exam as well as each exam item. The evaluation report provided test and item statistics and a proposed disposition for each item based on the psychometric review of the exam performance results.   We were very pleased with the results – both of our published exams had scores that showed “very good reliability” (reliability is a necessary condition for valid test score interpretation).   IHRIM thanks the many volunteers who helped develop the exam. 

In September we will begin the next phase of this important project – item writing.  SMEs will once again be asked to volunteer their time and expertise in creating a new set of exam items.   After rigorous technical review, our revised exams will be ready for publishing in January, 2014. 

If you are interested in pursuing the Human Resource Information Professional (HRIP) credential, IHRIM offers three delivery methods to accommodate individuals (as well as groups) to take the exam, including conveniently located testing centers around the world, live proctoring via webcam that allows candidates to take the exam wherever and whenever is most convenient, and at a host location, such as in conjunction with an industry event or the annual IHRIM Conference. 

IHRIM also offers a variety of products to help you prepare for the examination including:

• Certification Exam Review Course – registration is now open for our multi-day offering 6-part live, online series, beginning October 22. 
• Exam Study Guide
• Online Practice Exam

You can find more information on the HRIP Certification Program at http://bit.ly/IHRIM_HRIPCertification

 -- Lynne E. Mealy, HRIP, President & CEO, IHRIM

Is Workforce Planning and Analytics replacing Talent Management as the “new hot thing"?

#HRISChat Session 6

Tuesday, July 16, 12:00 pm EDT/ 9:00 am PDT

With guest moderator Nov Omana, HRIP, CEO/Founder, Collective HR Solutions

Over the past year, a number of articles have criticized the traditional performance process and appraisal system.  In June 2012, the Vice President - Performance Management Development at Statoil posted an article: The end of performance management (as we know it).  Edward Lawler began a lively discussion with his July 2012 article in Forbes - Performance Appraisals Are Dead, Long Live Performance Management.  An article in a December 2012 issue of Forbes Magazine posed the question: Is there any organizational practice more broken than performance management? (Three Reasons Performance Management will Change in 2013)

At the same time, there has been a growing use and appreciation of workforce analytics and how they can be used to report on the ROI of performance improvement programs.  5 Ways High-Performance Organizations Use HR Analytics states that high performing organizations are ahead in the race to connect HR initiatives to business outcomes through data.  In February, Gartner declared "Analytics Moves To The Core".
 

Which leads us to ask the question - Is Workforce Planning and Analytics replacing Talent Management as the “new hot thing"? - on our July 16, 12:00 pm EDT #HRISChat.  Join our guest moderator, Nov Omana, CEO/Founder, Collective HR Solutions and IHRIM Past Chair, for this lively discussion. 

Here are the questions for this edition of #HRISChat:

Q1:  Do you think Workforce planning/analytics ties HR to the business as a strategic partner?

Q2:  How do you see Workforce analytics impacting the business?

Q3.  What types of solutions are the vendors of HR Technology offering for Workforce planning/analytics?

Q4.  Do efforts on Workforce Analytics/planning supersede Talent Management as HR’s newest initiative?

Q5.  Given the recent chatter about performance appraisals and processes, do you feel Performance Management is losing its luster?

Q6.  Do you feel Talent Management is fading because it has not had the impact on the business we had hoped?  

New to TweetChat? Don't worry, it's easy! Go to http://www.tchat.io, enter HRISChat in the box and start chatting. Then just watch for the questions and provide your answers.   (You may have to login to Twitter first.)

We look forward to your participation on Tuesday, July 16 (12:00 pm EDT/ 9:00 am PDT).

Motivating top Talent

A recent Gallup study - The State of the American Workplace: EmployeeEngagement Insights for U.S. Business Leaders – reported that 30% of the American workers who hold full-time jobs are engaged and satisfied at work.  That leaves 70% of the workers either actively disengaged or non-committal – they show up to work, but are not inspired or engaged.  In addition to the lost productivity of a disengaged employee, what happens when he or she is also one of your top talents?  ManPower Group’s Talent Shortage Survey found that nearly half (49%) of U.S. employers recognize that talent shortages impact their ability to serve clients and customers.  Worldwide, 35% of over 38,000 employers surveyed report they are experiencing difficulty filling jobs due to lack of available talent. 

Motivation of your top talent is key and some ways to do so are shared by Brad Remillard, an executive recruiter with more than 30 years of experience, in the following article.

Six Ways to Motivate Top Talent in Demotivating Times

By Brad Remillard

To retain your top talent, it is absolutely critical to ensure they are motivated. In difficult times, this is often not high on the priority list of managers or CEOs. Most people are working long hours and doing the job of two people, stress is at an all-time high, fear of layoffs is a reality, salaries are frozen, pay cuts have been implemented — and forget about a bonus. For many companies, this is the current culture.

So how do you motivate your top talent to achieve the company’s goals?

How do you keep them from contacting recruiters?

How do you keep them passionate about coming to work?

How do you keep them engaged day after day?

The answer to all of these is “culture.” Even in difficult times, top talent, by definition, will always rise to the occasion. They will always strive to be the best. If they don’t, they aren’t top talent. However, even top talent can burn out, get frustrated, not see the light at the end of the tunnel or wonder if they are really contributing.

It is the role of all CEOs and managers to ensure these things don’t happen. There seems to be a consistent theme as to what great managers do in difficult times to hold on to and even attract top talent.

The following are six areas managers must focus on to ensure they keep their top talent motivated:

1. Emphasize a performance-based culture. Even in difficult times, there must be clearly defined goals for the company. These goals must cascade down to your top talent. They must have quantifiable objectives that motivate them, so, when reached, they feel a sense of accomplishment. Providing specific time-based goals with achievable results clarifies exactly what is expected of your people. Your best talent will embrace the goals and not stop until they reach the goal. Employee engagement is critical to retaining your best people.

2. Steer clear of a dysfunctional culture. This is probably the biggest reason top talent gets nervous and begins to think outside your company. Do you know your company’s culture? Can you define it? Will your executive staff define it the same way? Will the in-the-trench worker bees define it the same way? If not, this is the time to begin working on it.

Once the culture is well defined, do the behaviors match the culture? Do managers from the CEO on down demonstrate this culture day-to-day in how they deal with the employees, customers and vendors? You can’t claim to have a culture of teamwork if the manager’s idea of teamwork is, “As long as we do things my way, without any questions, you can be on my team.”

3. Promote respect and appreciation. This is probably the least expensive and least used method to motivate and retain top talent. Small things can make a big difference with top talent. Respecting their contributions, listening to them, including them in the decision-making process, and asking for their thoughts and ideas all make them feel respected and appreciated. Consider building a culture that respects your top talent so they feel appreciated. Top talent does not want to be taken for granted.

4. Provide consistent feedback. This could be considered a subset of number three, but it’s more formal. This includes regular and structured one-on-one feedback sessions. Not standing in the hallway conversations, but actually sitting down and focusing on them. Giving them feedback, encouraging them, listening to what their needs are (even if you can’t meet them, just listening), taking an interest in their career and building a shared bond. This makes them feel their manager cares about them as a person, not just an employee.

5. Offer praise. You may have experienced a manager with this philosophy: “That is what they get paid for. Why should I thank them? They should thank me for having a job.” How did you like it? Compare that to a manager with this philosophy: “Thanks! I know it is just part of your job, but I appreciate the pride you take in your work. It helps everyone in the department.” How did you like that? A little praise goes a long way to motivate people.

6. Provide opportunities for education and growth. Top talent insists on getting better. They know once their learning curve flattens out, future opportunities can become limited. Top talent does not like to have their growth potential limited. Giving your best people the opportunity to take some additional classes, lead a project outside their normal job, challenge them with new opportunities, give them a chance to serve on a cross-functional team or take an online class will ensure they are becoming better. Offering these opportunities not only ensures your top talent is growing, but also makes them a more valuable employee.

Consider these six areas as a way to motivate your top talent. Your best people will appreciate this more than most managers realize. The increase in productivity by having motivated employees is the best ROI any company can receive.

Brad Remillard is a speaker, author and trainer with more than 30 years of experience in hiring and recruiting. Through his corporate workshops and industry association speaking engagements, he demonstrates how organizations can effectively attract, interview, hire and retain top talent. Remillard is also the co-founder of IMPACT HIRING SOLUTIONS and co-author of “You’re NOT the Person I Hired: A CEO’s Guide to Hiring Top Talent.” For more information on Remillard’s hiring training programs or speaking, please visit www.bradremillard.com.

The Growing Role of HR in the Cloud

#HRISChat Session 5

Tuesday, July 2, 12:00 pm EDT/ 9:00 am PDT

With guest moderator from HR Cloud

According to research by Bersin by Deloitte and featured in a recent ComputerWeekly article, over the next 18 months, nearly 60% of organizations are planning to implement new HR or talent management systems. In fact, Josh Bersin was noted as saying they “have found that the average HR system is 6.5 to 7 years old. Most companies have four or five systems, so there is a huge replacement cycle, mostly replacing IT systems with cloud.”

Couple that with …

·    industry thought leader Paul Hamerman noting earlier this year that HR managers are now choosing cloud-based products almost exclusively;

·    Earlier this year, Jason Averbook, Heidi Spirgi and Wes Wu of Knowledge Infusion/Appirio co-authored a report, revealing that approximately 80% of attendees expected to have the majority of their companies' HR platforms in the  cloud over the next three years. Specifically, they note in the report that “moving HR to the cloud is not an IT initiative, but rather a functional and business transformation;” and

·    In its Top 10 Predictions for HR Technology in 2013, IHRIM cited that cloud computing would be one of the most significant trends that will impact HR Tech in 2013 …

… it’s easy to see why ‘HR in the Cloud’ is coming to the forefront of the c-suite and decision-makers of a lot of businesses worldwide.

It is with all this in mind that we are having our next HRISChat on Tuesday, July 2, 12:00 pm EDT) > The Growing Role of HR in the Cloud.

Here are the questions for this edition of #HRISChat:

Q1: What are the top ways that Human Resource Management (HRM) can utilize the Cloud?

Q2: What are the most critical elements to consider when selecting a system for implementing HR in the Cloud?

Q3. Security seems to be an issue with a bevy of HR professionals in regards to HR in the Cloud. What are the top things that HR leaders should do to ensure that their data and systems are secure in the Cloud?

Q4. To help manage the risks involved with cloud computing, what are the top questions that should be addressed before moving HR in to the Cloud?

Q5. In 2013 and beyond, what are going to be the biggest challenges for moving HR into the Cloud?

 

New to TweetChat? Don't worry, it's easy! Go to www.tweetchat.com, enter HRISChat at the top of the screen next to the # symbol and click "go." It will likely prompt you to login to Twitter. Then just watch for the questions and provide your answers.

We look forward to your participation on Tuesday, July 2 (12:00 pm EDT/ 9:00 am PDT).

Global Insights Gleaned at IHRIM 2013 Conference

IHRIM Eye Guest Blogger - Lexy Martin, CedarCrestone

When I attend a conference, I like to pick a theme for the sessions I will attend. This year, I chose the sessions covering “going global.” This is my term for those organizations operating in multiple countries, taking their HR systems global. There were several sessions that covered this theme and two stood out.

The first, SaaS in the Trenches: Real World Pros and Cons, with Joe Almodovar, Senior Director Global HRIS, A.T. Kearney and Jeanne Kalinowski, Director HRIS, Hyatt Hotels Corp. covered these two global organizations’ SaaS work. The gist of the session is that SaaS is still an HRIS and just because it’s SaaS doesn’t mean you deviate from good practices during due diligence, contract review, project plans, vendor selection, staffing, security, and configuration. But it is an HRIS of a different color around implementation timing, staffing differences, frequent releases and vendor support. They gave common-sense advice on the fact that SaaS still requires due diligence particularly pre-sales where organizations should spend lots of time up front to avoid issues on the back end. “As you can’t customize, good due diligence is a must.”

The global-specific advice included the following:

·         Inquire about language packs – how much do they cost and how priced? How are they updated? What’s coming? Which modules are multi-language capable?
·         Can they support multi-byte character sets for Asia?
·         Maintenance windows – what days and times? Frequency? Consider impact to your global business. If your operations work Saturdays when the vendor wants to do maintenance, you have an issue.
·         Black-out periods are particularly impactful for global organizations that operate everywhere. The provider may be US-centric but your operations are not. Find out when!
·         Data Privacy – have they reviewed their operations from a data privacy perspective? Find EMEA/Asia customer references and discuss how they manage data privacy issues.
 
Another great session was Inspect What You Expect: Building a Global Framework for Business Success, with Pat Crane, Regional Vice President and John Gibbons, Vice President, Research and Strategy from Jeitosa Group International.

The two provided a framework for understanding the complexity and business impact of data structures, language translations, business processes, and compliance to gauge vendors with global solutions.

Data structures are the easiest to support but provide the least business impact. Nevertheless, they are important. Things like data structures for international names, addresses, and telephone numbers, along with country-specific fields like religion in Germany, Hukou in China, etc. should be accommodated.

 

Language translation should be provided and done well to achieve some positive business impact. For example, the vendor should translate self-service screens not only for the employee but also for functions used by the HR partner and back-office administrators. Look to see whether the vendor provides for translation of code and table values as well as free-form text translations.

Business process level of globalization is much more complex for the vendor and represents significant business benefit for the organization. Here, the solution should allow for different business processes by country and region. The example provided was a discussion of the complexities of employment and severance agreements, vacation accrual and time off policies, and global benefits and pension programs in some countries.

Global compliance was the fourth level of vendor globalization and while the most complex to achieve, provides the organization with the greatest business value. Discerning how well the vendor supports your ability to comply globally with legislation around the world beyond simple data capture is key. Also understanding whether the vendor can provide for global governance, compliance, and data privacy and protection is critical.

One conclusion of the speakers was that “Global” vendors tend to be more mature with regard to data structures and language translations; however, there is considerable less maturity when it comes to global business processes and compliance. One item of particular value provided by the speakers was a sample scorecard to use to evaluate vendors under consideration. I highly recommend listening/viewing their presentation, available at http://bit.ly/IHRIM2013_Recordings.

 

It Was All Started by a Mouse

Walt Disney liked to say "I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse."

The same could be said for HR systems. We are where we are today in large part due to a mouse, a computer mouse.

The advent of the personal computer in the early 1980s along with IBM’s promotion of the information center concept signaled a change in our industry and profession. HR records moved from the mainframe to the desktop. We were able to not just collect and store the information, but we could catalog it and report on it. Granted the reports were fairly rudimentary (creating mountains of greenbar paper), but we could put together metrics on headcount and turnover and succession planning. Companies formed new departments within HR – the HR information center (HRIC) – and began staffing them with HRIC managers and system analysts.

As the technology grew more sophisticated, so did our HR systems and, one would like to think, the value we brought to the organization.
 
“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." – Walt Disney

We in HR systems also continue to move forward. 

Today our HR applications are in the cloud and on mobile devices. Our information has become intelligent, our data is analyzed, measured and graphically represented. Organization charts are more than just names in a box.

I encourage you, as HR systems and information management professionals, to put your curiosity to good use. Open your mind to the creative and imaginative solutions you will find when you share stories with colleagues and exhibitors you met at the IHRIM 2013 Conference. Continue to be educated and entertained by purchasing the conference audio presentations (a great way to get benefit from the conference if you were unable to attend or attended and had to choose from many great sessions). Going forward, take advantage of the learning opportunities provided through IHRIM’s upcoming webinar or in our library of webinar recordings.

“You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.” – Walt Disney

There are so many people to thank who helped make the IHRIM 2013 Conference and Technology a success – the IHRIM Board of Directors, staff, volunteers, presenters, exhibitors and sponsors. Thank you!

Save the date for IHRIM 2014: HRMS Strategies Conference and Technology Expo, to be held June 1-4, 2014 at the Anaheim Marriott, Anaheim, California.

-- Lynne E. Mealy, HRIP, President & CEO, IHRIM

This blog is based on the welcome I gave at our 2013 Opening General Session on June 3 at Disney's Contemporary Resort.

Will the Role of HR Change in the next 10 Years? Join us on the #HRIS Chat, June 4

#HRISChat Session 3 - Tuesday, June 4th 1PM EST/ 10AM PST

Will the role of HR change in the next 10 years? A ½ hour power-chat.

Moderated by special guest Lexy Martin

Two weeks ago, Michael Koscec posed the following, simple question in the HR & Talent Management Executive Group on LinkedIn. “Do you think the role of HR will change in the next 10 years. If yes-how?” What has followed is a barrage of comments (32 at the time this is being written) which highlight the galvanizing nature of the question.

As an overall theme, answers tend to be at one of two ends of the spectrum:

1) HR won’t have made any drastic changes in by 2023 (just as it hasn’t since we had this conversation in 2003)

2) HR will have drastically changed in the short term, and completely changed by 2023.

75% of the opinions predict change and 25% suggest things will stay pretty much as they are.  At 15%, technology is shown to be the main driver of change, and an additional 10% expect change to come about as a result of redundancy (which may also be traced to technology).  This consistent theme in the responses makes this a great topic for our bi-weekly #HRISChat to be conducted live from IHRIM’s 2013 HRMS Strategies Conference and Technology Exposition in Orlando.

Here are the logistics.  On Tuesday, June 4^th at 1 EST (note the new time for this week), we’ll open the power chat with a vote, allowing for IHRIM conference attendees and the HR/HRIS community at large to weigh in. We will also accept votes placed in advance of the chat for those who cannot attend. Following the vote there will be a brief discussion about the why, the why not, and the how.  After the chat, we’ll broadcast a final tally of the votes, and 2 prizes will be given for the comments that support each end of the spectrum, as chosen by the guest moderator, Lexy Martin.

About our co-moderator:

Lexy Martin is Vice President, Research and Analytics for CedarCrestone. Lexy is responsible for CedarCrestone’s annual HR Systems Survey, now in its 15th year.  She also provides strategy, business case, metrics and analytics services and deep dive benchmarking in all industries. Working with many of the leading HCM vendors, Lexi has helped develop their value propositions and conducted numerous surveys of their customer bases. Few researchers in HR technology can match the experience that Lexy has accumulated during her career in introducing emerging technologies.

And here are the questions for this edition of #HRISChat:

Q1: Cast your vote. Will the role of HR change in the next 10 years? Briefly describe how (1 official answer per person, marked with an “A1:”).

Q2: What role, if any, will HR Technology play in the transformation?

Q3: Will HR earn a seat at the strategic table?

Q4: It’s 2023 and HRISChat asks you to recap the last 10 years of HR in one tweet. What does it say?

New to tweet chats? Don't worry, it's easy! Go to www.tweetchat.com, enter HRISChat at the top of the screen next to the # symbol and click "go." It will likely prompt you to login to Twitter. Then just watch for the questions and provide your answers. We look forward to your participation next Tuesday 6/4 at 1PM EST/10AM PST.

Jeremy Ames, Gaucho Group