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May 23 to 29, 2011

Leadership
Is This Why Employees Don’t Tell You Bad News?
Margaret Heffernan via BNet
According to an article in Fortune, whenever an Apple employee becomes a VP, Steve Jobs gives a little sermon. What is the difference, Jobs asks, between a VP and a janitor? Well, he says, if the janitor doesn’t do his job perfectly, he is allowed to have reasons, excuses for not getting his work done. But when you are a VP, there are no excuses. Says Jobs: “Reasons stop mattering when you become a VP.” Read the full post here on BNet.

In Pursuit of a Better Boss
Linda Hill and Kent Line Back via Harvard Business Review Blogs
Would you like a better boss? A boss who helps you obtain valuable information, win needed resources, and secure important support for your group and for you personally — in short, a boss who's a real ally and partner?
If your boss provides these benefits, you're lucky. We hear far more complaints than praise from people about their bosses. If you're unlucky, this blog is for you, and its message is simple — your relationship with your boss is less a matter of luck than you think. Read the full blog post here on HBR.

3 Got Ideas? Become a Thought-Leader. Oprah Did.
Dawn Lennon via Business Fitness Blog
Ideas have extraordinary power. They’re the basis of the opinions, principles, and convictions that drive us. They underpin the plans we make and actions we take. The more universal the idea, the more promise it evokes, and the more compelling the spokesperson, the more likely we are to adopt it. You don’t have to be a big shot to have valuable ideas. You just need a following of colleagues who think your ideas have merit, can make a difference, and deliver a positive outcome. Read the full post here on Business Fitness Blog.

Recruitment
The Psychology of Hiring and Social Networking Profiles
Jessica Stillman via Giga Om
Most of us have social networking profiles these days, and though survey results differ on the exact percentage, a whole lot of hiring managers and recruiters can’t resist taking a peek at them. And of course, the temptation to check out a candidate’s Facebook page is even stronger with a remote team, where you may have limited or no face-to-face contact with the person you’re considering hiring. But do people get an accurate picture of others’ personalities from their social networking profiles? Read the full post on GigaOm here.

On Giving HR Advice
Meredith Soleau via Fistful of Talent
I wrote this post about how to get a job. It’s here. And that thing has to be the worst writing idea I’ve ever had. I wrote it because I wanted to HELP people get jobs. I wanted to reach the people who did stupid things, like call HR 100 times a week, use weird fonts on their pink resumes, wear pants around their knees with their boxers showing, and can’t shake hands – I wanted these people to have something to read that would give them a basic understanding of how to find a job. “Basic” being the key word in the last sentence. Find out why Meredith hates her blog post here on Fistful of Talent.

Talent crunch? There's an 'EaaS'y way out!
Dileep Athavale via Times of India
After the economic slowdown, there is a rise in employment opportunities across various verticals and the employment outlook is expected to be good. However, as firms (especially in the IT sector) emerge from the recession, they are following a cautious approach of hiring full time workers and also skilled contract workers who are engaged on an 'as-needed' basis. Read the full report here.

At the Work Place
HR: Your Friend or Your Foe?
Mark King via The Guardian UK
Human resources portrays itself as a trusted adviser for management and staff alike, but others see it as the company hitman. Mark King looks at the good, bad and downright ugly. Picture the scenario. Your manager calls a meeting and politely informs you that the business is struggling, the staff headcount has to be reduced and you are first on the chopping block. Redundancy confirmed, you are placed in the capable hands of human resources, which manages your exit from the company smoothly, treating you with respect and dignity at every stage.
This wasn't Maria's experience. She explains: "I was working 12- to 14-hour days as a PA at an events organiser where the chief executive was highly unpleasant (she once sacked a woman because she had to take a fortnight off when her stepdad died of cancer). I eventually needed anti-depressants and had to reduce my hours to 10-12 a day but my stress increased and this, coupled with other problems, resulted in me making an attempt to take my own life. Read the full story here on The Guardian UK site.

Does Free Time Make You Antsy?
Laura Vanderkam via BNet
Tony Schwartz wrote a post last week claiming that “Working Harder Doesn’t Get You Ahead.” We can all debate where the point of diminishing returns may be, but I enjoyed a comment from reader Manabozho, who claimed that “executives and hard-workers have a fear of unstructured time.” Manabozho pointed us toward a bumper sticker reading “Jesus is coming. Look busy.” It’s funny because many of us do seem to believe that idle hands will soon be doing the devil’s bidding. Read the full post on BNet here.

Three Firms and Their Winning Corporate Cultures
Augusta Dwyer via The Globe and Mail
A few years ago, the Longo’s supermarket chain embarked on an ambitious growth strategy. It not only added nine new stores to the existing 14, but expanded from its traditional suburban terrain into downtown Toronto. For human resources manager Carol Henry, much of that strategy’s success can be put down to the family-run company’s “culture of always providing employees with opportunities for career growth and for learning.” Read the full story here.

HR Trends
Role of HR in Technology Industry
D. Murali via The Hindu
Apart from listening to the lessons learnt in the Army Public School, Udhampur, and the details about the weekend routine of long-distance cycling and running, I could also bring up for discussion the role of HR (human resources) in the technology industry, during my recent interaction with Sanjay Bhan, Director - Human Resources, Texas Instruments (India) Pvt Ltd, Bangalore. And that became the theme of the email exchange Business Line engaged Sanjay with, after the brief meeting. Read the excerpts from the interview here.

Emerging Markets, Workforce Analytics, and HR in the Cloud are "Revolutionary" Trends Expected to Change the Human Capital Landscape: Deloitte Report
Recognizing that companies worldwide are struggling to focus on post-recession and global growth agendas, Deloitte has prepared a new report which identifies 12 revolutionary and evolutionary trends that will transform and dominate the agenda for human capital leaders and professionals in the coming years.
In the report, Deloitte identifies critical 'game changing' trends along with some more familiar to human resources (HR) and business leaders. Topping the list are HR and talent in emerging markets, workforce analytics and HR technology in the cloud, particularly software as a solution (SaaS). Download the report here: "Human Capital Trends 2011: Revolution/Evolution"

77 Percent Office Employees Willing to Move West: HR Summit Taiwan
Marc Stoiber via China Post
Seventy-seven percent of office employees interviewed expressed willingness to “move west” to mainland China for more work opportunities, according to surveys carried out by a human resource bank. Along with the signing of ECFA strengthening cross-straight economic exchanges, the lowering of prices for direct flights and the frequent visits by mainlanders to Taiwan, the job market has also begun to change, according to the 1111 human resource bank. Read the full report here on China Post.