We tend to segment our organizations: by generation, by department, by location, by tenure.
David.Kovacovich
David Kovacovich is an Engagement Strategist, Organizational Culturalist, and Behavioral Economist. He has been a member of the SHRM Annual Conference Social Media Team since 2013 and is a keynote speaker in the NCHRA lecture series.
David is on Twitter at @DavidKovacovich and blogs at Dave's Weekly Thought.
History
- Member for
- 10 years 9 months
Articles by David Kovacovich
There is no silver bullet for performance management: not an app, platform or systematic flow chart. It turns our that managing performance is as much about knowing your people as it is knowing the metrics of their performance.
What is it that engages people in their work? It certainly isn't something that can be packaged or sold.
Some people see their job for what it is worth and are driven to make as much money as possible. Some people want to use their profession as a social network. There are people who live to create extraordinary products and those for whom a pay check will validate a higher personal purpose.
We've all grown tired of generational stereotypes in the workplace. Baby Boomers are giving presentations on how to manage Millennials, Millennials are sick of being picked on, and Generation X has all but vanished. I recently read an article sighting the behavioral traits of Generation Z (now the Millennials have someone to pick on). It's all a stupid attempt to simplify human beings into manageable categories to limit our desire to transcend simplicity. People are not simple!
The debate has raged on....
Is cultivating Employee Engagement the duty of Executives or Middle Managers?
What if the answer is: neither!
If we are being honest with ourselves, we can genuinely determine our own level of engagement.
The sun has set on the 3rd day of programming here in Orlando and those of us who were lucky enough to attend the 2014 Society for Human Resource Management Annual Conference know how the US Soccer Team felt playing in Brazil. Through our blood, sweat and tears we got closer to (re)certification, attained an exorbitant amount of knowledge, found solutions to unmet needs and made a few new friends.
The second day of the Society for Human Resource Management's Annual Conference is in the books and I figured I would share a few highlights from this divinely inspiring day.
The Society for Human Resource Management Annual Conference is upon us. How do I know? Because my inbox is flooded with requests for interaction from the world's finest sales people. If you haven't attended the SHRM Annual conference in the past, the Exhibitor Hall can be a bit intimidating.
It's official, the Society of Human Resource Management is in the certification business. The recent announcement has sent shock waves through the human resources community. HR professionals are, in equal parts, confused and excited over what was and what will be their future employment qualifiers.
Hank Jackson has delivered a bold message:
"Certification should amplify an applicable professional skill set. It should not include memorization and regurgitation for the sake of qualification."
I take my profession seriously. This, because, I am in the business of Human Relations. Somehow, some way, I lucked out and found the best job in the world. I am able to help people do their job better, to assist them in finding what is genuinely important, to help share their success, and to attach business results to all of it.
I was asking a friend what made his company so remarkable. He replied:
Six years ago, I left the world of technology sales to join the “employee recognition” industry. At the time, trophy manufacturers and fulfillment houses were giving prizes to people for their organizational tenure. Much in the way one receives a class ring, employees were rewarded a milestone award that was centric to their company brand. These mementos served as badges of honor to certain employees. Then technology took over.
"In life there are creators and destroyers, which one are you?"
- George Lucas
Gallup recently reported that 70 percent of American workers are disengaged. In a recent Forbes article, leadership development experts Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman claim that this data is wrong. They “question the accuracy of this number” and “are particularly concerned about the impact this message has on the executives of organizations.”
There once was a shepherd boy who was bored as he sat on the hillside watching the village sheep. To amuse himself he took a great breath and sang out, "Wolf! Wolf!
Gallup released it's "State of the Global Business" report for 2013. The results are unbelievable.
According to Gallup:
1. Worldwide, only 13% of Employees are Engaged at work.
2. The Actively Disengaged outnumber the Engaged 2 to 1 in the workplace.
So, if 2 of every 10 of your employees are engaged you are an above average organization?
More people hate their job than those who love it?
Are you willing to accept that?
...because I'm not!