Can you believe that the holidays are weeks behind us? It’s once again safe to brave the malls to use those gift cards and return those unwanted items that were given to us.
That’s why I received a chuckle and a dose of reality when reading Tim Sackett’s blog on Workforce Management. Tim writes about the “HR gifts” he’d like to return, which include many of the staples, no pun intended, of the corporate world. Many of the practices that have been ingrained in our minds and processes now seem antiquated.
Sackett’s blog also made me reflect on ways some of the corporations where I worked in the past had to continuously change the ways they ran their business or they would become as useful as my Atari 5200 Super System in today’s Wii world. “Corporate Presents” are given for a reason. But just like using the same presentation in public speaking engagements, without tailoring items to the needs of the audience, you might as well be giving everyone that same block of fruitcake. *Disclaimer: I love fruitcake, but I know it doesn’t have mass appeal.
The points Sackett makes are clear. What may have worked in the corporate world in the past may not be relevant in the here-and-now. let alone in the future. Think about it. If you mentioned “social media” around the water cooler 20 years ago, your coworkers probably thought you were talking about some kind of hippie TV program. Today, how would the world function without a status update?
Corporate leaders who can react quickly to market changes are strategically positioned to hire the best and most qualified people, and retain them. As talent changes, so does their needs. In his book, ‘Innovative Reward Systems For The Changing Workplace’, Thomas B. Wilson discusses making corporate recognition strategic and special. Wilson further explains how compensation plans usually are complex to set up and that there is a delay in the recognition to reinforce good habits. But encouraging and reinforcing good habits in a timely and meaningful manner may not be as easy to operate effectively. There’s always a risk of implementing a innovative reward system, but not having one at all will only ensure high turnover and low employee satisfaction. It comes down to having a good plan.
Managing your processes, technologies and organizational roles is all about change, and while it is a big commitment, the potential for big returns are the rewards for those who learn the lessons from the past. And as corporations get their arms around their human capital spending and factor in the value of implementing a human capital supply chain, the cost of HR Gifts from the Ghost of Christmas Future must always be present.
I wonder how much I can get for this Atari 5200 to put towards a Wii?
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That would be great !!