The Path to Workforce Readiness

Our Workforce Readiness Committee is passionately committed to the cause of creating a more work ready workforce for Central Texas. That’s why we have bumped into this topic in so many ways.

At work
Our hiring managers are begging us to bring in talent from abroad, and we can’t. The large corporations are lobbying Congress to expand the numbers of foreign visas. The reason is that we can’t find local talent; our universities are not producing enough graduates with the skillsets we need. They haven’t for quite some time. The universities don’t have enough high school kids who desire those fields where we need them most, whether it is high tech, health care or CPAs. The obstacles start early in middle school.

We have also observed a change in workplace skills when entry level candidates interview with us or start their first jobs. More and more, we need to talk about punctuality, attendance, patience. They are whizzes with technology, but do they teach writing paragraphs in school anymore? LOL – OMG.

We have seen veterans coming back home and struggling to translate their invaluable skills and experience to language that recruiters and hiring managers would appreciate. The least they deserve is a fair chance.

In the community
We have met wonderful community partners who working to plug the holes in the dike. Communities in Schools looks for mentors to work with school kids who didn’t get the greatest start in life, to meet with an adult role model once a week.

We have worked for a long time with Workforce Solutions to develop a certificate for Central Texas area for certify candidates that they have work place skills employers can count on. The WorkReadyAustin certificate program has now been launched with over 400 candidates available!

E3 Alliance works as a catalyst to bring Central Texas education to the level to increase the pipeline of talent for our employers. Our latest project is a Dell grant project to create an online system to bring employers and students together and create more opportunities for work-based learning.

Our latest discovery is Skillpoint Alliance which organizes job training programs and career fairs for critical industries.

You will hear a lot more at our Workforce Readiness Day on May 23. Workforce Readiness is critical for everyone in HR!

Keep Austin Work Ready! If not you, then who? If not now, then when?

Written by Liisa Pursiheimo-Marcks, Co-VP Workforce Readiness, Director Talent Management at EZCORP

An Introduction to Diversity

An Introduction to Diversity 

(exerpted from the SHRM: Diversity Disciplines website http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/Diversity/Pages/default.aspx)

Overview

The Diversity Discipline deals with the qualities, experiences and work styles that make individuals unique – age, race, religion, disabilities, ethnicity, etc. – as well as how organizations can leverage those qualities in support of business objectives.  Studies show that teams or organizations with greater diversity tend to have available a richer set of ideas, perspectives, definitions and approaches to a business issue.

Diversity

Diversity has many definitions.  Frequently, organizations will adapt the definition to their specific environment.  Generally, diversity refers to the similarities and differences between individuals accounting for all aspects of one’s personality and individual identity.  The dimensions of diversity typically include, but are not limited to the following:

*  Age	*  Color	*  Disability
*  Education	*  Ethnicity/National origin	*  Family status
*  Gender	*  Gender identity	*  Generation
*  Language	*  Geographic background	*  Life experiences
*  Lifestyle	*  Organization function & level	*  Physical characteristics
*  Race	*  Religion, belief, and spirituality	*  Sexual orientation
*  Thinking patterns

Inclusion

Diversity provides the potential for greater innovation and creativity.  Inclusion is what enables organizations to realize the business benefits of this potential.

Inclusion describes the extent to which each person in an organization feels welcomed, respected, supported and valued as a team member.  Inclusion is a two-way accountability; each person must grant inclusion to others and accept inclusion from others.  In such an environment, every member will tend to feel more engaged and more enabled to fully contribute toward the organization’s business results.  This requires people from diverse backgrounds to communicate and work together, and understand each other’s’ needs and perspectives – in other words, cultural competence.

Intercultural Sensitivity

Intercultural sensitivity and cultural (or intercultural) competence are characterized by sensitivity to differences among, and effectiveness in communicating and working with, people from different cultural backgrounds.  People are similar or different to varying degrees across all dimensions of diversity.  Research shows that people who are substantially alike tend more easily to communicate with and to understand each other.  People who are very different tend to confront more obstacles to effective communication and mutual understanding.  Research also shows that people consistently overestimate their intercultural competence, which poses a particular challenge for HR professionals.

The Business Case for Diversity

The business case for diversity is an organization’s statement of purpose in working on diversity and inclusion.  There are many valid reasons for doing such work.  The most effective reasons for any particular organization are aligned directly with that organization’s key business objectives.  Typically, these are the business objectives on which organizations measure and compensate their senior leadership’s performance.  In for-profit companies, these objectives will relate to factors like sales, market share, profitability, corporate social responsibility and reputation.

Domestic vs Global Scope

An organization’s geographic footprint encompasses the regions in which it and its customers are located.  It may be exclusively domestic or it may be global.  Combined, the primary stakeholders and the organization’s footprint help determine whether the diversity initiative should have a domestic or global scope. 

Compared to most domestic initiatives, global diversity initiatives will be concerned with a richer and more complex set of issues.  This stems from the wider range of cultural norms represented among all the stakeholder groups.  Global initiatives tend to be successful only when they are adapted to and reflect the unique cultural norms and needs of each region or country.  Diversity practitioners need strong intercultural competence regardless of the scope of the initiative.

Pacing the Change

Each organization has a maximum rate at which it can process cultural change.  This depends in part on the organization’s cultural competence and the magnitude of the gap between current situation and the diversity initiative’s objectives.   It is common to start small with an initiative and phase-in the objectives and action plans over time.  Phasing may be done by assigning highest priority to changes with the greatest business impact and by starting with domestic diversity issues and expanding later to address global aspects. 

The Diversity Function and the Diversity Practitioner Role

Effective and sustainable diversity initiatives drive cultural change into and affect almost every aspect of an organization.  Diversity practitioners need partnering relationships with all aspects of HR and with functional areas outside HR, such as media relations, employee communication, R&D, marketing, legal, executive communication, investor relations and the foundation.

The diversity practitioner requires a wide range of knowledge, skills and experience.  Diversity-specific aspects include the field of diversity and inclusion, culture, cultural difference, deep self-awareness and knowledge of self, and an ability to manage one’s own biases and agendas.  Related aspects include EEO, affirmative action, change management, relationship management, communication, and marketing and sales.

Here’s to a diverse perspective!  Lori Rohre, SPHR, Immediate Past President, and 2010 VP Diversity.

May Your Road Be Straight on Your HR Journey

Juanita Baldwin, PHR
AHRMA 2013 President

___________________

One of my fondest childhood memories involves my family’s annual road trip from the Rio Grande Valley to Houston to visit our cousins. Our adventure included my parents, grandparents, sister, and me, carefully arranged in our trusty station wagon and surrounded by heavy suitcases and serious bags of snacks.  No sooner had we pulled out of the driveway, than my sister and I would invariably ask, “so how long before we get there?” We continued this refrain at regular intervals for the next six hours until all the Twinkies and Doritos disappeared and we suddenly woke up from our naps to the sights and sounds of the BIG CITY. Our long anticipated summer vacation had officially begun.

Funny, how decades later, I can recall minute details of our actual road trip (my grandfather’s staccato snores from the back seat; dad humming along to radio tunes, and mom commenting on the colorful wildflowers growing by the side of the road). Yet, I remember very little about our actual vacation week.  It’s almost as if, in hindsight, the actual journey was as precious as the final destination.

On so many different levels, I can relate this experience to our current workplace dynamic.  It’s not unusual to hear a similar refrain from HR colleagues when we embark on a new project, initiative or task.  “Are we there yet?” certainly has a way of allowing us to gauge the distance we need to travel to meet our goals.  All too often, in strictly focusing on our destination, we may lose sight of the remarkable views during our journey. We may not spot the co-worker who is excited about mastering a new skill; the manager who seems particularly frazzled and needs extra support; or the remarkable beauty of raindrops (a rare sight indeed in Austin) beating rhythmically against the windshield during our morning commute. Next time I’m in a hurry to “get there,” I sincerely hope I pause, linger a moment, and celebrate the route to my next destination.

Speaking of incredible journey, the AHRMA Board is rocking along at a steady clip and we have much to celebrate:

• AHRMA was named 2012 SHRM Foundation Champion!  Kudos to Past Presidents, Lori Rohre and Wendy Chance, for leading the charge in this area.
• Our award winning Stepping Stones Program, coordinated by President-Elect, Renee Polk, is in progress and getting rave reviews from participants.
• Our April 25th, Beyond Total Rewards Program, features an impressive array  of speakers who represent Best In Class organizations including Google, Whole Foods, Samsung, Build- A- Sign, and Child, Inc.
• Our Workforce Readiness Day, scheduled for May 23rd, will showcase the central character of Saving the School, Anabel Garza, and author Michael Brick.
• Our Annual Conference, Playbook for Success, scheduled for August 1 & 2 at the Omni South Park Hotel, promises to be another sold-out success.

Registration for our April and May programs is currently open at- www.austinhumanresource.org

I read somewhere that the ancient Mayans did not ask, “how are you?” when they met.  Instead, they asked, “How is your road?”  If things were going well, the response was “my road is straight.”  If your road trip involves professional development, making career connections, or tackling a new HR project, join us for an upcoming AHRMA event.  Be sure to bring your enthusiasm, curiosity, and appetite for learning.  We’re saving a celebratory seat at the AHRMA table for you.  

All the Best,
Juanita Baldwin, PHR
AHRMA 2013 President
WE Are Austin HR.  LEAD Strong.

International Women's Day - Today, March 8th

AHRMA's Diversity and Inclusion Committee is in the midst of planning and implementing our initiatives for 2013. One of our ideas is to survey AHRMA's membership to discover how their companies celebrate the various national holidays, national ____month, and other celebrations occurring each month of the year.*

To kick off this initiative, Monica Verma (AHRMA's CoVP of Diversity and Inclusion) has submitted the following excerpt from her company, Sodexo, as they celebrate International Women's Day!

First celebrated in 1911, International Women's Day (IWD) is a global day honoring the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In honor of IWD, Sodexo is launching a new website dedicated to profiling women’s perspectives on Quality of Life.  Please visit www.womensinsight.sodexo.com to discover the insights of Sodexo employees, partners and clients from around the world on Quality of Life.

  You can also read more on IWD here: http://www.internationalwomensday.com/


*How does your company celebrate the various national holidays, national ____month, and other celebrations throughout the year? We want to know! Please share with us how your company celebrates (no minimum or maximum length, just your own words), at vpdiversity@austinhumanresource.org. Send pictures, links, videos, a written summary - anything goes.

We look forward to hearing from you, and we are excited for what the year will bring!

Your AHRMA Diversity and Inclusion Committee

Groundhog Job Shadow Day

By Julia Menegay, Chair of the School2Work subcommittee of the Workforce Readiness Committee

One of the focuses of AHRMA’s Workforce Readiness Committee is to connect K-12 students with businesses and provide opportunities for these students to learn about the business world.  The WFR Committee partners with Communities in Schools (CIS) and promotes the mentoring program, as well as other CIS projects. 

One recent project, Groundhog Job Shadow Day, is an example of what students can learn when they have the opportunity to interact with employers.

Groundhog Job Shadow Day is held every year around February 2 and is an opportunity for students to visit businesses and learn about different industries and careers.  This year AHRMA helped recruit businesses to participate.

One business, Alliance Abroad Group, hosted four high school students and both the students and the employees had a lot of fun.  Ana Marisa Militano, who coordinated the day for the company, shared these comments from an employee:

"It was such a fun time!! We had 4 young ladies, 1 senior, 2 juniors and a sophomore. They met with the various teams and were very dialed into the conversations asking questions and participating. The lunch was a lot of fun as they got a chance to mingle with the employees and ask questions about travel, college and how we got to AAG. One especially funny time was when we were talking to them about the benefits of working for AAG and jokingly one of the ladies said “oh let me guess you have a gym too” everyone laughed and said yes! It was really funny. At the end of the day, I got a few minutes to speak with the ladies and their chaperones one on one and let them know from a hiring/recruiting standpoint how important education is and staying in school. I pointed out that everyone in the room with them at lunch had gone to college and applied themselves and through that they reaped the benefits of working for AAG. I also tied in how important and “why” they have to be in class at a certain time, follow rules at school, listening to their teachers (because we all have bosses!!!) and the importance of excellent grammar, spelling and public speaking in any work environment. They all seemed dialed in and held eye contact while we were chatting. Overall, it was a lot of fun, we were able to showcase our business and it was especially neat having 4 ladies there and seeing their faces when we told them that we have a female CEO, almost all the managers are female and we have a majority female staff. It definitely seemed to resonate with them."

We’re so glad that we could help make connections and contribute to the success of this project.  If your business can help with work-based learning opportunities for students, or if you’re interested in becoming involved with the WFR Committee please let us know.  We can help connect you for mentoring and other CIS projects, and we often have requests for speakers for career days in the schools.  

For more information, contact vpworkforcereadiness@austinhumanresource.org.

2013 is Your Year to Lead Strong

Juanita Baldwin, PHR
AHRMA 2013 President

___________________

Leading the Human Resources function in 2013 is no small fete.  We know it requires considerable personal skills/ traits including planning, organization, perseverance, risk-taking, creativity, a compelling vision, and a passion for learning.   Increasingly, we “dance as fast as we can” to juggle competing demands and, often, end up multi-tasking badly.  While I sometimes attribute this dilemma to being “protein-deficient” (more on this topic in a future article), I value having “just-in-time” access to information, people, and resources.  

2013 is AHRMA’s year to LEAD Strong.  Our goal is to bring you topics, speakers, and professional development opportunities that will inspire you and strengthen your ability to lead your team, organization, profession, and your community.  If you missed our last two monthly programs, we missed you!  In December 2012, Coach Jody Conradt and two of her star players spoke on the leadership lessons learned both on and off the court.  In January, we hosted a panel of business leaders including Heather McKissick, Jeff Evins, Dave Porter, Regina Rogoff, and Kevin Johns, who provided insights into emerging economic trends and the related challenges which may impact our workplace.

On February 28, we are proud to host our Annual Legislative Action Day to keep you informed on what’s happening with the 83^rd Legislature and the latest developments in employment law.  The Honorable State Representative Mark Strama is our featured speaker for this not-to-be-missed program. 

Behind the scenes, your AHRMA Board of Directors is excited about embarking on a year filled with challenges and opportunities that are stretching us as leaders and strengthening us as a team.  I’m reminded of the wisdom of Albert Einstein, who observed, “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.”  Whether it’s knowledge or imagination, you seek, we would be honored to have you join us at an upcoming program.  We’re saving a seat at the AHRMA table for you.  

All the Best,

Juanita Baldwin, PHR

AHRMA 2013 President

WE Are Austin HR.  LEAD Strong.

LEADing Strong in 2013

LEADing Strong in 2013:

HR and Business Resources to Help You Launch into the New Year

Uncertainty in an ever changing environment affects the way you do business, meet the needs of stakeholders, and support your employees.  As strategic Human Resources professionals, anticipating future trends is critical to staying ahead of the game and executing effectively.   Uncover the trends that can impact your organization in 2013 and learn what you can do to prepare now. 

Be a part of the Austin Human Resource Management Association's (AHRMA) dynamic economic and business forecast discussion.  Our panel of distinguished economic and business experts will discuss the state of the local and regional economy and its impact on the Central Texas business community in 2013. Find out what you can expect from the fiscal cliff deal, new legislation, recruitment and hiring, human resources, health care and more. 

Our Distinguished Panel of Austin Leaders:

• Heather McKissick - CEO, Leadership Austin (Moderator)
• Jeff Evins - VP and COO, Evins Personnel Consultants
• Dave Porter - Senior VP, Economic Development, Austin   Chamber of Commerce
• Kevin Johns - Director Economic Growth and Redevelopment, City of Austin
• Regina Rogoff - Chief Executive Officer, People’s Community Clinic

“In today's business environments, economic and business forecasting are strategic elements in effectively sustaining productivity, growth and employee engagement,” says Juanita Baldwin, PHR, President, Austin Human Resource Management Association (AHRMA).  “Our panel of dynamic business and community leaders will share their unique insights for achieving organizational success in a climate of uncertainty.”

Pull up a seat and join our discussion on the state of our local and regional economy on THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 2013 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Be a part of AHRMA’s explosive 2013 initiatives as we “LEAD Strong!”

To register or for more information, please visit www.austinhumanresource.org

For more information

Contact:  Wendy Chance, Co-Vice President of Marketing Public Relations

512-454-9561  VPMarketingpr@austinhumanresource.org