DEBBIE'S

DO's & DONT's

DO consider the expanded definition of "disability" as you update disability discrimination policies, procedures and training.

DO invest in creating a realistic Workforce Plan as a component of your strategy to build competitive advantage.

DON'Toverlook the importance of self-care, especially relaxation techniques.  

DON'T 

There is no doubt about it: a commitment to continuous learning is a must for all of us, regardless of age, profession, or industry. Last week I had the pleasure of volunteering at and attending the SHRM-Atlanta HR Conference. It was fun to network, yes. But an even bigger pleasure was engaging with the knowledgeable speakers and vendors about how the HR profession is transitioning and how organizational leaders, as well as HR professionals, need to prepare for the future of work.

I've dedicated this month's newsletter to share some of my key takeaways. I hope they will inspire you to want to learn more. I greatly enjoyed this conference and look forward to the SHRM 2012 Annual Conference & Exposition being held in Atlanta June 24-27, 2012.

As always, I'm most appreciative of your business, support and referrals.

Happy Spring!

 
With a Smile,

According to their research, the most important drivers relevant to future work skills include:

Extreme longevity - "It is estimated that by 2025, the number of Americans over 60 will increase by 70%."

Rise of smart machines and systems - "We're on the cusp of a major transformation in our relationships with our tools - workplace automation will nudge human workers out of rote, repetitive tasks."

Computational world - "The diffusion of sensors, communications and processing power into everyday objects and environments will unleash an unprecedented torrent of data and the opportunity to see patterns and design systems on a scale never before possible."

New media ecology - "New communication tools require new media literacies beyond text."

Superstructed organizations - "A new generation of organizational concepts and work skills is coming not from traditional management/organizational theories, but from fields such as game design, neuroscience and happiness psychology."

Globally connected world - "Increased global interconnectivity puts diversity and adaptability at the center of organizational operations."

Studying these six disruptive forces, Dr. Wilen-Daugenti and her colleagues identified ten skills critical for the workforce of the future: 

1. Sense-making - ability to determine the significance of what is being expressed
2. Social intelligence - ability to connect to others in a deep and direct way, to sense and stimulate reactions and desired interactions
3. Novel and adaptive thinking - proficiency at thinking and coming up with solutions beyond that which is rote or rule-based
4. Cross-cultural competency - ability to operate in different cultural settings
5. Computational thinking - ability to translate vast amounts of data into abstract concepts and to understand data-based reasoning
6. New-media literacy - ability to critically assess and develop content that uses new media forms, and to leverage these media for persuasive communication
7. Transdisciplinarity - literacy in and ability to understand concepts across multiple discipline
8. Design mindset - ability to represent and develop tasks and work processes for a desired outcome
9. Cognitive load management - ability to discriminate and filter information for importance, and to understand how to maximize cognitive functioning using a variety of tools and techniques
10. Virtual collaboration - ability to work productively, drive engagement, and demonstrate presence as a member of a virtual team

The research findings are fascinating - what an exciting and different world we are rapidly moving into! The implications of her research for business, educational institutions and governmental policy makers stresses the flexibility and adaptability lifelong learners will need in preparing for the future. There's so much more I can share, but if I've tweaked your interest - read the full report.

The Impact of Employment Law

There were several terrific presentations by lawyers aimed at helping to educate participants on how to stay out of trouble. I'd like to highlight two important messages that were conveyed:

Be Aware and Take Appropriate Steps to Stay Out of Trouble

Chad Shultz and Sarah Pierce Wimberly, both partners with Ford and Harrison presented the 10 Rules for Preventing Lawsuits:

1. "Hope" is Not a Strategy
2. Earn Respect
3. No Surprises
4. Be Prepared
5. No "BS" - Act rationally
6. The Perception of Fairness
7. Know When to Walk Away and Know When to Run
8. Investigate Employee Concerns Properly
9. Walk a Mile in Their Shoes
10. Don't be Afraid to Ask For Help

Tighten Up Information Privacy and Security

As workplaces struggle to find the right fit for relatively new options such as teleworking, social media, smartphone technologies, and life/work balance, (just to name a few) employment lawyers are seeing a surge in information privacy cases. The lines are blurring when it comes to how work is completed. It used to be work was done on company equipment, at the company's location, and on company time. Now, it's a different story. Not only might your company's business be completed at a worker's kitchen table, with the worker texting or posting to Twitter between work tasks.

Navigating this fuzzy, changing environment is difficult. Here are a few suggestions made by David Long-Daniels, and Peter Hall of Greenberg Traurig.  As you review policies, procedures and practices with your counsel and executives, consider how situations like these could impact your organization:   

• Non-exempt workers - be careful with:
  • the perception that accompanies giving remote access to company files
  • providing company cell phones, which further blurs the lines of personal vs. company time
  • allowing work to be done on personal equipment, as it makes it difficult to track who has what company information in their possession
• Many state and federal laws prohibit the unauthorized access or use of private digital information - be careful with the information you may be accessing or having others access for you in your sourcing, recruiting and hiring processes.
• Train employees about protecting company secrets and how their tweets and Facebook postings could jeopardize your competitive advantage.
• Ensure classifications are correct and justifiable and in accordance with FSLA guidance.
• Before monitoring employees - have full disclosure of what, how, when, who, etc.
• Data privacy is viewed very differently by EU countries versus the United States. If you're working globally, ensure managers have the proper training.

Obviously with an exhibit hall of talented and innovative companies and two days of exceptional speakers, there was a lot to take in. I also attended terrific sessions by Tillman Coffey of Fisher & Phillips and Gavin Appleby and Angelo Spinola from Littler Mendelson. Their topics will be covered in future BizNext articles.

I hope these highlights of my SHRM-Atlanta conference experience will motivate you as much as they have inspired me. If you'd like to talk further about these and other human resource and organizational planning and development strategies, please don't hesitate to contact me at 770.587.9032.