September 29, 2011

Change Management: Avoid Meltdown Mode

Filed under: Communication,Management Practices — Tags: , , — Olivia @ 9:05 am

“Mornin’, Mama!” My two-year-old daughter says to me brightly.  “Milk?” she asks.  At this moment, I steel myself for her reaction when I have to explain that the milk is “all gone.”  She collapses on the floor and in about 1.5 seconds, is in complete meltdown mode.  This continues for an eternity (or about a minute – I can’t remember because I’ve blocked it out).  Fast forward to five minutes later, and she is happily engrossed in putting her baby dolls “night, night,” and all is right with the world again.

Most adults have matured enough to react in a slightly more reserved manner when changes occur.  At least, that’s what I thought before last week.  If you use Facebook – and you probably do, just like 800 million others worldwide – then you know all about the updated profile and news feed changes last week.  Likely spurred by the immediacy of posting status updates (an individual’s stream of consciousness in some cases), I got to read exactly what everyone thought of those changes.

TLNT’s Lance Haun wrote a great blog this week demonstrating that the reactions to Facebook’s changes highlight universal concerns that are applicable to the workplace.  Following is a great quote:

“Large swaths of people will initially hate all change. While something changing on Facebook should be inconsequential to life in general, we know that large groups of people will react negatively to this. Think about that when we add in the fact that work is how we make our livelihood, and changes at work can be much more traumatic. Even if politics or culture won’t let them openly express it at work, you should know that any change is going to be hated by many folks.”

Suggestions for a change management strategy:

  1. Create a Vision.  What are goals that must be achieved?  Draft goals that can be completed within three years, then break them down into smaller, one year goals.
  2. Communication.  Not enough, unclear, or inconsistent communication will hinder any change in the organization.  Utilize multiple avenues to communicate the change effort.
  3. Empowerment.  Sometimes, managers themselves are a hindrance to the change strategy.  Employees and leaders must be empowered to make the changes
  4. Short-term Wins.  Improvements and completed objectives along the way create and maintain a sense of momentum and urgency for employees.  Make sure some of the goals are short-term.
  5. Planning for More Change.  The momentum gained from short-term wins will give employees and leaders incentive to address bigger projects and problems that are not in line with the change strategy.

On my news feed at least, upset over the Facebook changes has largely gone away.  At home, my two-year-old has long forgotten about milk.  We adjust to change because it is inevitable.  However, we can make life easier for everyone – including ourselves – if we take a proactive approach to change.

How do you handle change?  Comment below and share it with us!

Read This!  Think People Have a Tough Time with Change?  Just Ask Facebook

 Facebook Changes: Is Everyone Really Happy to Accept it?

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July 2, 2010

HR Fact Friday: Does Social Networking Impact Work? Survey Reports

Filed under: General HR Buzz — Tags: , , , , — Paul @ 9:10 am

Social media sites are becoming some of the most heavily trafficked sites on the Internet, including in the workplace, according to a recent poll. The survey, conducted by Right Management, gathered data from over 1,000 respondents concerning employee use of social networking sites during work hours.

While about half of the organizations reported blocking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, others have decided to use the social networking sites as a business tool. Organizations are using the sites to reach out to clients, potential customers, employees, and job seekers.

Overall, 18 percent of respondents reported that social networking on the job often interferes with productivity, while 41 percent said that it sometimes does.

The survey also found some interesting statistics comparing the following criteria:

Company Size: 51% of workers at an organization with 10,000 or more employees responded that it seldom interferes, compared to 41% at smaller organizations.

Department: 62% of IT professionals said it seldom interferes, compared to 30% of sales professionals who reported that it often interferes.

Age: 47% of workers aged 35-44 said that it seldom interferes, compared to 35% of those 18-24.

Organizations need to keep up with the growing presence of social media sites. A recent poll by Manpower suggested that as many as 75 percent of employers do not have a formal policy concerning the use of social networking sites.

Source: HR.BLR.com

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December 18, 2009

HR Fact Friday: Social Media Challenging for Employers

Filed under: General HR Buzz — Tags: , , , , , , — Paul @ 8:46 am

A recent survey is the latest reminder that companies are struggling to balance the benefits and risks of letting workers roam online realms such as Facebook and Twitter.

Half of companies have not set out a specific policy for workers’ online social networking activities, according to the report from two professional groups, the Health Care Compliance Association and the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics.

Although many organizations lack social networking policies, one-quarter of the nearly 800 compliance and ethics professionals surveyed said their organization has had to discipline an employee for activities on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Social networking sites pose risks such as employee disclosures of confidential information, exposure to computer viruses and postings that can damage a firm’s reputation. On the other hand, some experts say social networking can help firms in ways including viral marketing.

(more…)

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August 28, 2009

HR Fact Friday: 45% of Employers Use Social Networking Sites to Research Job Candidates

Filed under: Hiring & Jobs,Management Practices,Privacy — Tags: , , , , , — Paul @ 7:17 am

Career Expert Provides DOs and DON’Ts for Job Seekers on Social Networking 

As social networking grows increasingly pervasive, more employers are utilizing these sites to screen potential employees. Forty-five percent of employers reported in a recent CareerBuilder survey that they use social networking sites to research job candidates, a big jump from 22 percent last year. Another 11 percent plan to start using social networking sites for screening. More than 2,600 hiring managers participated in the survey, which was completed in June 2009.

Of those who conduct online searches/background checks of job candidates, 29 percent use Facebook, 26 percent use LinkedIn and 21 percent use MySpace. One-in-ten (11 percent) search blogs while 7 percent follow candidates on Twitter.

(more…)

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February 20, 2009

HR Fact Friday: Employers Using Online Technology to Screen Applicants

Filed under: Hiring & Jobs — Tags: , , , — Paul @ 9:18 am

We all know unemployment is high and the job market is tight. One bit of advice I can give to job seekers is to take a look at your Facebook, MySpace, or Flickr online profiles. What you see may explain why that job offer you were so sure of landing never materialized.

More and more employers are turning to technology to evaluate prospective hires. From paid service background checks, to simple Google queries of an applicant’s name, you can pretty much count on having your online persona ‘checked out’ prior to receiving a job offer.

For example: According to SHRM data, in 2007 20% of employers said they scrapped a potential job candidate because of information they found on the Internet about the candidate. An additional 12% of employers said it is “very likely” they will begin using the Internet to screen job applicants. These numbers have most likely increased considerably since 2007.

At the very least job seekers need to scrub their social media and photo posting pages to remove any potentially incriminating content or links. What was cool in college isn’t so cool to a prospective employer in a tight job market. Blogging can even be a deal-breaker if an applicant’s blogging community, or postings are associated with questionable shared interest groups. Scrubbing may be enough to do the trick but the nature of the Internet and social media is all about data sharing. You never know where those bachelor or bachelorette party photos have ended up or could appear on a basic Internet search. So cover your butt. A few yucks from your BFF’s over some weekend roadtrip photos isn’t worth missing out on a plum employment opportunity.

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