Getting More out of Employee Appraisals in 2014

by Connie di Primio, Customer Account Manager at Halogen Software

Where has the year gone? It is almost time for employee appraisals again. As an HR professional, you are in a strategic position to help managers and employees recognize and reap value from a process that for many feels like a necessary administrative evil. And, while you are at it, why not use the process to gather valuable information to help with your organization’s overall HR strategy?

An essential part of an integrated talent management strategy
Employee appraisals bring the most value when, rather than seen as isolated events, they are integrated as an essential element in a comprehensive performance management process that itself is part of an end-to-end talent management strategy that includes recruitment and selection, rewards and recognition, employee development and succession planning.

Potential insights from employee appraisal data
There is much information that employee appraisals can supply to help drive an effective Talent Management strategy. Collect and analyze performance appraisal data across the organization to:

Identify high performers who may become part of a high potential candidate pool that can provide successors to critical roles.

• Identify areas of high and low performance within the organization. Examine these closely  to determine the best strategy for taking advantage of strengths and mitigating weakness.   
• Assess leadership. Appraisal data can yield important information about the supervisors and managers who deliver them. A single manager with consistently highly rated employees may be one with effective leadership who can be further developed and advanced and/or serve as a mentor to those who may be struggling with the process. A caveat to investigate is whether the high ratings represent real data or are the result of an “easy grader” who doesn’t understand or value the performance appraisal process.
• Similarly, supervisors and managers whose employees are consistently poorly rated may need help in learning to coach their employees to higher performance or, if they are “tough graders,” in recognizing and appraising good performance.
• Identify training and development needs. Appraisal discussions can be opportune times to discuss employee development plans. By rolling up development information, HR can identify training and development needs to make the best use of the training budget. A pattern of low performance in certain skill areas can also be a clue that training and development is needed here.
• Identify retention risks. Consider providing tools and instruction to supervisors and managers to enable them to assess levels of retention risk among high performing employees and those in critical roles. Just opening the discussion with employees about their ambitions and passions can go a long way to encouraging employees to stay in an organization that wants them to succeed.

Getting good data

The old adage “garbage in / garbage out” certainly holds true when attempting to gain insights from performance appraisal data across an organization. Fortunately, the steps that HR can take to ensure good data will also help managers and employees get the most out of their annual appraisals. Here are some ideas to improve the employee appraisal process:

• Provide descriptions and rating criteria for critical competencies. This will help managers and employees to identify and understand what key competencies are required for success in their current role as well as one they may have their eye on for the future. Include descriptions of observable behaviors that indicate lacking, developing or proficient levels of the competencies.  
• Coach managers in the process and hold them accountable for giving effective appraisals. New managers in particular, especially those who are now appraising their former colleagues, will need help in evaluating performance and providing effective feedback.
• Gain input from multiple sources. Provide tools so managers can solicit performance input from employees themselves as well as key customers and teammates who may be able to fill gaps in the manager’s knowledge of their employees’ performance.
• Invite feedback on the process from managers and employees for continuous improvement.

Taking the necessary steps to ensure you get good, high-quality data out of your performance review process in 2014 will yield some great results that will help drive your business forward.

October is a Busy Month!

You may not know this, but October is:

• National Disability Employment Awareness Month:  Declared in 1988 to raise awareness of the employment needs and contributions of people with disabilities
• Persons with Disabilities History and Awareness Month (Texas):  Declared in 2011 to celebrate the achievements of those with disabilities, throughout history
• White Cane Safety Day is observed Tuesday, October 15:  Since 1964, this day celebrates the achievements of people who are blind and/or visually impaired

We'd also like to share with you the link below, where you may view and/or print the Fall 2013 Calendar of Events related to the support, education, partnership, and awareness of disabilities in the Austin area:

http://governor.state.tx.us/disabilities/committees/calendar/

You’ll find a wide variety of events, from Information to Parents, Caregivers and Professionals on Special Education and Services for Students with Disabilities through the ARC on 10/8, to the White Cane Day Celebration walk at The Capitol on 10/15, to Disability Mentoring Day at Goodwill on Norwood Park on 10/16.

To further celebrate and recognize these observations, October 17^th is AHRMA’s Annual Diversity and Inclusion Day and Event.

Our lunch speaker, Zach Anner, has cerebral palsy and will speak to our attendees about his life struggles resulting from his disability, and how he’s overcome obstacles and attained success through his powerful work ethic and sense of humor (just to name a few!).

A second disability-minded session happening on the 17th will be presented by employment lawyer and AHRMA D&I Committee volunteer Wilson Stoker. He will speak to the current EEOC and DOL disability directives and how they impact HR professionals, as well as a session

Registration for October 17th is open now – for members, all day is just $85 – we’ll see you there!
www.austinhumanresource.org

Upcoming Presentation: Why Should HR Care About Social Media?

by Bryan Chaney
(Reposted with permission by http://careerconnects.org)

As the founder of CareerConnects and producer of the second HR focused event, I am proud to feature Curtis Midkiff, Director of Social Engagement for SHRM.

Curtis and I met originally online, then in person at an HR event in Austin two years ago. He works tirelessly to increase awareness of the power of social media in HR, and to help practitioners leverage it more effectively.

Have you struggled with the technology, the time, or the legal ramifications of using social media? He will address the fears and failures that some human resources professionals have faced and overcome. Don’t miss his session “Why Should HR Care About Social Media.”

You can earn HRCI credits for attending the Austin HR strategy event. Tickets are limited, so get yours through AHRMA today.

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Bryan Chaney is a global talent branding and attraction strategist. He has most recently led employment branding and social media for corporate recruitment at Aon. He serves on the board of Social Media Breakfast in Austin and founded careerconnects.org, Find out more at http://about.me/bryanchaney.

September 2013 Member Volunteer Profile - Julia Menegay, SPHR

Julia Menegay, SPHR is the Director of Human Resources for the Texas Nurses Association and has been a member of AHRMA since 2001.  In her early years with the organization, she admits she just attended an occasional monthly meeting and the annual conference, mainly for the HRCI credits.  Then, she learned about the Workforce Readiness Committee and, since helping prepare students and young people to successfully enter the workforce is her main interest, she joined this committee in 2009.  She volunteered on the Mentoring Subcommittee, which eventually merged with another subcommittee to become “School 2 Work.” 

For two years, she volunteered as Project Manager (first as Co-Chair and then as Chair) for Workforce Readiness Day, which she credits a wonderful team of volunteers with helping make this such a success.  This year, she is serving as Co-Chair of “School 2 Work”, and their mission is to work with schools and community agencies to help students become prepared to enter the workforce.  Julia says Workforce Readiness is such a passion to her because, as HR professionals, we have an opportunity to help students by sharing our stories through mentoring, Career Days and other volunteer opportunities. 

She enjoys the Workforce Readiness Committee because they have so many opportunities to give back to AHRMA and the community.  They have a diverse set of goals every year, but are focused on bridging the gap between workers and employers to help employees become more successful.  They have various subcommittees focusing on everything from K-12 students, HR professionals and Military Veterans in transition, as well as working with community organizations to improve the skills of tomorrow’s workers. 

Before Julia joined Texas Nurses Association in 2010 as their Director of Human Resources, she was an HR Consultant for a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) for 13 years, where she worked with numerous small businesses to provide guidance to the business owners about HR, payroll and benefits. 

Julia’s dedication and enthusiasm for AHRMA and her volunteer efforts with the Workforce Readiness Committee is best summed up in her own words.  Julia says, “AHRMA has great things to offer members, if we get involved.  It’s so easy to pay dues, attend a couple of meetings and go to the conference every year, but that’s not really what AHRMA is all about.  It’s about taking advantage of what our association and members have to offer.  There are so many ways to get involved and those naturally lead to networking opportunities, which gives us the opportunity to learn from each other and grow both personally and professionally.  I’ve met a lot of great people through AHRMA and plan to stay involved for a long time.” 

You Are NOT Just Another HR Professional

by Angela Loëb, Career/Personal Vision Consultant, InSync Resources

(Reposted with permission by http://careerconnects.org)

There’s one underlying question on everyone’s mind during the hiring process.  And, as an HR professional, you know this is the big one, whether or not you’ve ever been involved in the recruiting function.

That question is… “Why Should I Hire You?”

Guess what?  The answer lies not only in what you can tell them about about your qualifications, your hard-earned degree or certification and your fabulous work history.  While those things are all important, what I’m getting at is that your answer needs to go deeper than that. 

Why?

Because there are many other HR professionals in the market who also have suitable backgrounds and qualifications for the job opening.

The deeper and most important part of the answer is how you are different.  

In order to answer the question well, you must know HOW you are different so you can articulate it clearly and according to their needs.  

What’s So Different About You?

There is definitely something unique about you. You were born with this uniqueness.  Others know what it is because they come to you for it.  Since you’ve had this uniqueness all your life, you might be too close to it to see it.  You live in the skin you’re in, and it’s hard to look at yourself from the outside.

But there is, indeed, something unique and different about you.

A client once told me that she is known for being the glue that holds everything.  Another said that she is very tenacious and that walls only appear when she stops.  

These are great examples of compelling and memorable ways to describe uniqueness.

Uniqueness Formula

Over the years, I've developed an easy way to figure out your uniqueness.  I call it the Unique Promise of Value Formula, which is Talent + Passion + Impact.

It’s simple.  You identify your unique core talent – the one that you are most passionate about using – and then cross check it by determining how you’ve made an impact using it. 

For the Talent part of the formula, make an inventory your special talents and skills.  Write down everything that comes to mind, even if it seems too obvious.  Chances are what comes easy to you may be just what makes you unique and special.

There is a distinction between talents and skills.  Talents come easily to you – they’re inborn abilities.  Skills are what you have learned to do.  Skills may or may not be related to your talents.  Some of your talents may still be raw and undeveloped.  For example, maybe you had natural music ability when you were younger but never had the opportunity or perhaps chose not to develop skills like reading and writing music or playing a musical instrument.  Start with the skills you enjoy using and see if they track back to a natural talent that you have enjoyed developing. 

When it comes to Passion, you should think about the talent that you have the most passion for when using it.  If you need help figuring this out, pay attention to what tasks you do that energize you or that you enjoy doing so much that you lose track of time (in a good way, of course!).  

If passion isn't a word that resonates for you, try approaching it as what makes you feel deeply satisfied and contented.  Like everything is right in the world during the time when you’re working or performing that particular activity.  Basically, you can’t not do this… whatever it is.  In fact, you’d do it (and probably already do it) for free.

When you're looking at the Impact part of the formula, look at those accomplishments that came out of the work you really enjoyed doing.  I’ve noticed that many of us have the tendency to be good girls and boys who get results because we are trained to be that way or because we need to get the gold-star recognition or because it’s the right thing to do when we’re on someone’s payroll.  What I’d like you to focus on is what you did to make a difference because you were all in.  

The core talent you’re so passionate about using that you can’t not do it will have a positive impact in some way.  So look for examples of results that validate the other parts of the formula.

You make a difference – and add value – when you do something that not only gets results, it ignites you and satisfies your soul.

Pull these three elements together, and you’ll be able to articulate why they should hire you.  You’ll be able to tell them why you are NOT just another HR Professional. 

“Everyone has been made for some particular work 

and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.” 

– Rumi

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Angela Loëb has been in the career services field for over 20 years and is the author of two books about job search. Connect with her at http://about.me/angelarloeb.

And if you want to learn more about the importance of finding and leveraging your own uniqueness as an HR professional, please come to the 2013 CareerConnects event sponsored by AHRMA on September 26 at the Long Center.  Click HERE for more details.

Stepping Stones: A Taste of Integrated Talent Management

by Renee Polk, SPHR, AHRMA 2013 President-Elect, Stepping Stones Coordinator

“The flavor of this presentation is Texas BBQ—simple, meaty, humorous, interactive and probably messy.”  

This is how Dan Medlin, Talent Acquisition Leader for Samsung Austin Semiconductor, and Scott Beardsley, Market Manager for Technology Navigators, described their recent Stepping Stones to Enhanced Leadership session on Integrated Talent Management.  Their 4-hour morning session focused on proactive strategies for “getting, keeping and growing” employees as an overlapping and continuous process that is both a human capital and business imperative.

Sounds impressive, but does the process work?  Dan and Scott have refined their “Texas BBQ” of talent acquisition and human resources management for a combined half-century of success.  Dan brings experience in corporate staffing, agency recruiting and as an independent headhunter.  Scott brings experience in contingency search, contract staffing, recruitment process outsourcing, professional services/consulting and corporate staffing.  

So, what did the Stepping Stones participants say about the session?

“The class was excellent. The speakers were knowledgeable, engaging and very well prepared. They gave us a detailed road map to build a successful talent management program. I love their top-down approach. I feel that I know now where to go and what to do. “

“Talent management is a very broad topic and the presenters did a nice job of covering the end-to-end integrated topic.  Their direct experience made the subject very interesting.” 

“The class gave us a general framework and a detailed action plan. We will use the framework for our company and prioritize the actions. It will take time to implement what I have learned during the class, but we can start, one piece at a time.” 

“Our recruiting process sometimes takes a while and I hadn't kept in touch with candidates in the past unless I had something to tell them. Now I will keep in touch with the top candidates regularly, even if it's just to tell them we're still working through our internal process.” 

“Even though we're a small company and can't afford a large, fully integrated applicant tracking system I found out there are some low or no-cost programs that may work for us. I've put implementing a system on my list.”

Stepping Stones to Enhanced Leadership is a 2009 Pinnacle Award-winning program created by the Austin Human Resource Management Association (AHRMA) leadership to establish a pipeline for AHRMA’s Board of Directors, provide professional development from best-in-class subject matter experts, and enhance workplace engagement and strategic partnership of program participants. Program participants attend nine (9), 4-hour workshop sessions focusing on a variety of strategic leadership topics.  Stepping Stones sessions are certified for Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) credit.

June is LGBT Pride Month!

Submitted by AHRMA Diversity and Inclusion Committee

Just days ago, President Barack Obama once again officially recognized the month of June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month in the United States. This is only the 5th time a Pride Month has been officially declared by a President: the first came from President Bill Clinton (declared June of 2000 “Gay and Lesbian Pride Month”). The next declaration didn’t come until 2009, when President Obama proclaimed June to be LGBT Pride Month; President Obama went on to officially recognize June as LGBT Pride Month for each consecutive year since: 2010, 2011, 2012, and now 2013.

LGBT Pride Month is currently celebrated each year in the month of June. LGBT Pride Month was established to recognize the impact that gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals have on the world. The month of June was chosen in commemoration of the Stonewall riots (June 28, 1969 at the Stonewall Inn, Greenwich Village NYC: a series of violent riots put on by members of the LGBT community in response to a police raid of the Inn. Openly gay and lesbian people were not often welcome in many establishments in the 1950s and 1960s, and random police raids aimed at gay and lesbian patrons were common. The raid at Stonewall Inn drew a crowd who had had enough of the discrimination based on their sexual orientation, and a riot ensued).

Gay, lesbian, and bisexual groups celebrate this special month with pride parades, picnics, parties, group gatherings, workshops, symposia and concerts, and LGBT Pride Month events attract millions of participants around the world. Memorials are also held during this month for those members of the community who have been lost to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS. The last Sunday in June is Gay Pride Day.On May 31, 2011, President Obama stated in his proclamation: “I call upon all Americans to observe this month by fighting prejudice and discrimination in their own lives and everywhere it exists.” 

How will you observe and celebrate LGBT Pride Month?


Resources for additional information: 

PFLAG Austin (PFLAG is Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays): a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that was established in 1994, this is a local chapter of the National PFLAG organization supporting Central Texas. In addition to monthly meetings, the group participates in several events throughout the year to help drive awareness and community focus.  Their primary focuses include: Support for the families, friends, and individuals; Education on various resources to help inform their members and/or visitors. Resources include a book & video library, guest speakers, and booklets on specific topics; and Advocacy for equality, striving to make Central Texas a better place, with an offer for scholarship programs to help with financial aid for qualified LGBTQ students trying to further their education. 


Austin Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce: AGLCC, Central Texas' home for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) supportive businesses and organizations.  According to their website: The Chamber is the best resource for places to shop, things to do, arts and entertainment, organizations to support, and all manner of gay-friendly businesses.