Most organizations’ change efforts are unsuccessful. What would change leaders do differently next time? Here are the top five answers from a recent survey of 650 change leaders by Prosci Inc., which helps organizations with their change efforts:

     1. Get the primary sponsors on board and engaged at the start of the project. Line
         up sponsors throughout the organization.

      2. Start change management activities sooner.
      
      3. Increase employee involvement.
     
      4. Secure sufficient resources, including time, funding and dedicated personnel.

      5. Improve communication by providing more face-to-face encounters.

To find out how some HR leaders were able to transform their organizations, read HR Magazine’s November cover story, Wings of Change.

On Nov. 1, we hosted a career chat on various topics of interest to professionals pursuing careers in HR. Below is a transcript from the chat featuring answers to questions from a panel of experts from SHRM.

Losey Award winner Eduardo Salas

Eduardo Salas, a leading expert on teams and training and the program director for the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Simulation & Training, won the $50,000 Michael R. Losey Human Resource Research Award from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the HR Certification Institute and the SHRM Foundation.

The award, recognizing human resource academics or experts whose research significantly advances the field of human resource management, was presented at SHRM’s Strategy Conference in Palm Springs, Calif.

“Dr. Salas’ research on workplace teams and training provides the HR community with important insight during a time when related issues, like STEM skills gap training and managing virtual teams, impact HR professionals on a daily basis,” said Henry G. (Hank) Jackson, president and CEO of SHRM. “The Losey Award recognizes the important work Dr. Salas has already accomplished and the future work we look for from him.”

Salas won the Losey Award for his prolific research on effectiveness, productivity and training of workplace teams. During his 30-year career, he has produced more than 400 publications that have helped bridge scientific understanding of HR management, teams, and training to best practices businesses and HR professionals can implement in everyday use.

“I am honored and humbled by this award. It is, indeed, an incredible feeling,” Salas said. “There is nothing more satisfying in someone’s career than the recognition that you have made an impact in the field—to those who manage individuals and teams in organizations.”

The award, established in 2000, is named in honor of former SHRM President and CEO Michael R. Losey, SPHR. Given by the boards of SHRM, the HR Certification Institute and the SHRM Foundation, the award acknowledges major research accomplishments and helps fund future individual contributions to the field.

Salas is the Pegasus and Trustee Chair Professor of the psychology department at the University of Central Florida in Orlando and the program director of the school’s Institute for Simulation & Training. He is the president-elect of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, past-president of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and a fellow with the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, the American Psychological Association and the Association for Psychological Science.

Salas holds a doctorate degree in industrial and organizational psychology from Old Dominion University, a master’s degree in industrial psychology from the University of Central Florida, and a bachelor’s degree in general psychology from Florida International University.

For more information about the Michael R. Losey Human Resource Research Award, visit: http://www.shrm.org/about/awards/Pages/loseyaward.aspx.

By Nancy Davis, Editor, HR Magazine

Here are some HR initiatives that you can launch during October, with tips from the pages of HR Magazine.

1. Connect business strategy to employees’ social media use, with tips from Wells Fargo, GE and an Ohio manufacturer, among others, p. 30.
2. Create an early retirement package that will appeal to just the right mix of employees—not too many, not too few, p. 40.
3. Overhaul your health care benefits around the coming of public and private insurance exchanges, p. 46.
4. Improve your employees’ shifts based on the latest research on productivity and sleep patterns, p. 54.
5. To help sleep-deprived workers, identify office or plant space that could be converted into a nap room, p. 54.
6. Add incentives to your quit-smoking program in line with the latest research about what works, p. 61.
7. To cut costs on business travel, learn to negotiate with and make deals with extended stay hotels, p. 71.
8. Experiment with online services that make it easy for employees to publicly award and recognize each other for jobs well done, p. 77.
9. Devise a plan on how you would quickly respond to a U.S. Department of Labor audit, p. 28.
10. Mitigate the legal risks of using emotional intelligence and other kinds of employee assessments, p. 87.

How long have you been sitting at your desk? If it’s been a while, you might want to get up and move.

With obesity rates on the rise and health care costs soaring, employers — including SHRM — are encouraging their employees to add physical activity to their daily routine – including at work.

HR Magazine shares this new focus on fitness in the cover story of the September edition.

Contributing Editor Susan Wells says she thoroughly enjoyed learning about the diverse activities that HR professionals are sponsoring to help get employees moving on the road to better health. The initiatives she describes in the article, “Get Moving,” range from scheduling walks to sponsoring boot camps. One employer, footwear manufacturer Keen Inc., hosts a “Recess is Back” campaign.

Wells backs up the rationale and return-on-investment strategy for such programs with the results of scientific studies that show exercise at work can help employees get healthier — and save companies money on health insurance.

Associate Editor John Scorza supports the cover story with online links to research plus news stories and videos. A photo gallery features images of employees in motion submitted by SHRM members.

In other words, don’t just sit there. Move it!

That’s just what’s happening at SHRM, where Human Resources this summer coordinated opportunities for employees to move to the music in Zumba, African Dance and Salsa classes. Compensation and Benefits Manager Bruce Elliott says Boot Camp will be starting again in mid-September and running through mid-November. And back by popular demand is Zumba, with more classes starting this month.

The fitness article in HR Magazine leads a benefits package that also features:

• *  “Seeking Transparency,” an exploration of the tools that employees and employers use to choose the best health care treatment options.
• *  A comprehensive look at some employers’ experiences when they drop mental health benefits. Reporter Alice Andors studies whether employers should provide benefits that cover mental health and chemical dependency treatments.
• *  An article on targeted retirement communication strategies.

 
Editor Nancy Davis notes that the September fitness article is part of the magazine’s commitment to coverage of wellness and the latest in a series of articles.

By Aliah D. Wright, an editor/manager for SHRM Online

In the summer of  2012, Curtis Midkiff, SHRM’s director of social engagement, and I led a discussion on social media engagement for HR professionals in Maryland. We discovered again that a great many people still have no idea how Twitter works. Well, as an advocate for social media I can’t have that, now can I?

So here’s a primer for those of you who haven’t dipped your toes into the twittersphere.

Using Twitter is like sending a text message or making a Facebook post. You have to keep your tweets to 140 characters or less (even though on smartphones now that old 140-character texting rule no longer applies).

Recognize the signs

The easiest way to understand Twitter, perhaps, is to dissect a Twitter message, like so:

RT @1SHRMScribe Follow @SHRMSMG to learn more about #some innovations. #SHRM members and #HR professionals @weknownext

1. RT means “retweet.” That is, the sender is repeating someone else’s twitter message: RT @1SHRMScribe means someone retweeted this message I sent (1SHRMScribe is my twitter handle).

2. @SHRMSMG is a reference to SHRM’s Director of Social Engagement Curtis Midkiff. (@SHRMSMG is his Twitter handle). The @ symbol alerts him that something has been written about him. He’ll be able to see what messages have been directed toward him by clicking on @Connect button at the top of twitter.com, then selecting Interactions and Mentions. This is how he can see who either mentioned him in a post or has followed him.

3. @weknownext is a reference to SHRM’s public relations campaign “We Know Next.” You can follow it on twitter to get the latest HR news, trends, tips, and innovations. Let’s say you’re looking for a journalism job or you are interested in related career advice. You can follow @NPRJobs.

4. The # symbol means “hashtag.” It is the conversation reference for any conversation. People typing in #SHRM are looking for discussions about SHRM. So anyone looking for tweets about SHRM or HR will see them if the hashtag #SHRM, for example, is placed in the search box at the top of the Twitter page. If you’re tweeting about something and want SHRM members to see it, type #SHRM at the end of your post. You can engage in chat discussions on twitter by searching for #nextchat. We Know Next hosts next chat with HR professionals a few times a month. #some refers to the “social media” hashtag.

5. When tweeting, users can send one-on-one or private messages directly to a person. With Twitter.com’s recently revamped interface, I recommend you go the top of the page, click the symbol that looks like the silhouette of a person, and click on Direct Message.

Oh no, you didn’t

6. Rule of thumb: Don’t tweet anything you wouldn’t want your grandmother or your spouse  to see.  This way, you won’t make a mistake and send it out to the world. Of course, if you’re going to send a message to the world, exercise good judgment. And know that even deleted tweets can be retrieved. Remember former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner? See CNN’s video: What was Weiner thinking?

7. When you click the silhouette, a box will pop open. Click “new message” and then type in the Twitter handle of the person you want to reach.

8. Only the person addressed can see the message. Example: @SHRMSMG what conference session are you moderating at #SHRM12? Is a message to Curtis that only he can see. #SHRM12 was the hashtag for this year’s SHRM Annual Conference in Atlanta. People who didn’t go created their own hashtag #notatshrm.

9. Keep in mind, people make mistakes. Be careful what you say and what you RT! I generally do not retweet any links that I haven’t clicked on first – just so I don’t send out spam or worse, a virus.  Be skeptical of tweets that mention conversations or photos of you from people you don’t know. If someone tweets something odd at you, click on that person’s photo and read their bio before you click a link they’ve sent you. I don’t follow people without bios one and it’s probably not a good idea to click on a link from a person who doesn’t have any followers.

10. On Fridays, Twitter users promote the people whose messages they follow by using the hashtag #followfriday or #ff followed by the @ symbol and the person’s Twitter handle. I know it looks confusing. Here’s an example:

Thanks for connecting! #FF these folks: @1SHRMScribe @SHRMSMG @SHRM_AMO @weknownext.  Make sure the @symbol is right next to the handle

Remember, follow people back! Retweet things you think your followers might find interesting. You can add them to lists, too. People like that and engage people, don’t just tweet inane things at them (like where you ate – save that for Foursquare or your Facebook friends). Share things you think they’ll find interesting. People love statistics and news and all things social. Keep an open mind.

Happy tweeting! If you’re reading this post and think I’ve left something out, please, add to it!

For more employment news and social media tips, like my fan page at https://www.facebook.com/aliahwrites 

(Don’t worry, I can’t see your Facebook page or your updates).

By Nancy Davis, Editor, HR Magazine

1. Review your compliance with the Internal Revenue Service’s rules regarding the behavior, financing and relationships of independent contractors, p. 27.
2. Brief your senior management team and your board of directors on five issues before theNational Labor Relations Board that could affect every U.S. workplace, p. 30.
3. Join the chairwoman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in her fight against workplace discrimination p. 38.
4. Take action to identify bad bosses.  Make a commitment to improve the plight of their direct reports, p. 40.
5. Soothe employees’ “seven-year itch,” and improve the retention of your best workers, p. 47.
6. Analyze the effects of social media on your HR operation, p. 53.
7. Measure your progress toward becoming a strategic HR business partner, p. 57.
8. Develop courses to train employees via their cell phones, p. 61.
9. Change your employment contracts for workers with international assignments to avoid multiple-country lawsuits, p. 71.
10. Train line managers to recognize the signs of depression and teach them what they can do for workers who may exhibit such behaviors.

What should HR be thinking about?

SHRM’s CEO, Hank Jackson, told a gathering of California HR professionals on Wednesday, July 25, that HR should be focused on its top five challenges:

*  Embracing globalization and a culture of constant change because we can’t predict the future;
*  Managing the brain drain expected with the retirement of the Baby Boom generation;
*  Solving the skills gap;
*  Addressing the education gap;
*  Keeping employees engaged.

Jackson was invited to California by the San Diego SHRM Chapter and the California State Council. With SeaWorld San Diego as the backdrop, Jackson was interviewed about opportunities and challenges in globalism by Garry Ridge, president and CEO of WD-40 Company.

Ridge is a familiar name to SHRM members. He spoke at the 2006 and 2009 SHRM Foundation Thought Leaders retreats and shared his perspective while attending the 2010 Thought Leaders Retreat.

The co-author of the book Helping People Win at Work: A Business Philosophy Called ‘Don’t Mark My Paper, Help Me Get an A,’ Ridge has been quoted about leadership. He also asked Jackson about leadership and the future.

“We need to better understand how our HR knowledge and people practices relate to performance,” Jackson said. “Being relevant in that conversation is fundamental to finding the true value of what the HR profession brings to an organization.”

Jackson noted that the five challenges he outlined are challenges for today. SHRM members will help drive the direction of the profession and solutions to what lies ahead, he predicted.

Garry Ridge (right), president and CEO of WD-40 Company, interviews SHRM President and CEO Hank Jackson during the "In Pursuit of Workplace Excellence" meet-and-greet hosted by CalSHRM and San Diego SHRM at SeaWorld in San Diego.

By Curtis Midkiff, Director of Social Engagement

We have some exciting news to share with you!  SHRM is in the NATIONAL finals of the Social Madness contest hosted by the Business Journals.   Thanks to your votes, we won the DC local contest and now are competing against 62 companies from around the nation for  the honor of being named the most socially engaged company and a $10,000 donation to the SHRM Foundation!

To make it to the next round, we NEED your votes urgently!

Here’s how to vote:

1. Visit the Social Madness website. (Click HERE to visit the page)

2. Click on the Medium Companies tab.  Scroll down the right of the bracket.

3. Click on the “Vote” icon next to SHRM. (You can also vote by following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook, or following  our company page on LinkedIn).

Voting for this week’s match-up ends Monday, July 30.  You can read more about the contest here: http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/blog/socialmadness/2012/07/dc-companies-move-on-to-national.html

We’ll keep you posted on the results!