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A few weeks ago I was scrolling through Instagram and an ad came up that read, “Get an HR manager for $99 a month!” And, that gave me pause. Really?! An HR manager for $99? Even if it was a lie or a gross misstatement, even if it was $999 a month, that’s only $12,000 a year. When I worked in human resources, I made 10 times that. Now I am not sharing this to talk about wages or salaries, although it’s loosely related.  No, I am sharing this because this ad, this one simple ad I saw while mindlessly scrolling Instagram, sent me down a rabbit hole of thoughts about the commoditization of work and human resources.

When we talk about the future of work, we often talk about digitization and automation.  Sometimes we say nice things and sometimes we call it a job killer. But for the most part, a lot of these trends are negative. From retail to healthcare to hospitality; algorithms and machines that can do certain jobs are doing them and they’re doing them better than humans (and at a much cheaper cost too).

But I think when we talk about the future of work, we’re jumping ahead. We don’t get to digitization and automation without first having an honest discussion about how jobs are commodities. We have stripped the humanness from most jobs and we look at jobs as an object that can be bought and sold on the free market. Much like the HR manager you can get for $99 a month.

What’s worse is that we’re not having an honest conversation about it and human resources.

We tell people that humans come first, and that’s a lie.

We look at the job, we look at the tasks and then it’s about people. So what can we do? How can we fix the way we look at work in today’s job market?

Well, of course, I have some thoughts and ideas, which I would love to share with you! Head over here to listen to my recent podcast episode all about human resources and the commoditization of work, where I share some strategies HR professionals and leaders can employ to put the focus back on humanness in human resources.

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What does the future of finding work look like? Well, my friends, it is challenging, of course. We all know that. Our guest today will help guide us through some of the struggles people face in a transition between jobs. Patrick Lynch is the President of CMP Southeast Region, a talent and transition firm that helps HR leaders develop their people and teams across the full talent life cycle – from talent acquisition and leadership development to organization development and outplacement support.

In this conversation, we speak honestly about the challenges of finding work, especially if you’re over 50, you’re a woman, or you’re differently abled. We talk about the ways in which outplacement can help you develop a network, grow your network, and find a job that you can actually be successful in. Plus, we talk about some of the challenges workers of all types are facing in today’s job economy. So if you want to think more strategically about the future of finding work or learn more about outplacement, check out this episode of Let’s Fix Work.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

  1. What outplacement is and the ways this service can benefit you
  2. How getting a new job is changing and how to look at networking in the 21st century
  3. How an introvert really can be effective at networking
  4. Pat’s take on the future of work
  5. That older candidates must be creative at finding new work
  6. The importance of taking control and being a lifelong learner

“Things are moving at such a fast rate that you have to be always keeping yourself current because some industry darling all of a sudden could be disrupted in a matter of a few short years. Now what do you do? And so you have to have that ability to adapt and be flexible.” ~ Pat Lynch, CMP

 

Resources from this episode:

Thanks to our sponsor: Greenhouse.io

Connect with Patrick on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/patricklynchcmp/

CMP website: www.careermp.com/

greenhouseopen.com/ Use code fixwork for 25% off your ticket

Thank you to our sponsor, Greenhouse Software! At Greenhouse OPEN 2019, their annual conference, they are celebrating the Talent Makers – the people who have figured out how great hiring drives business growth. Registration is open for the conference. I’ll be there speaking and I would love to see you! Head on over to GreenHouseOpen.com and use code fixwork for 25% off discount your conference ticket. Then I’ll see you in New York in June!

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In a recent episode of Let’s Fix Work, I spoke with Dane Hurtubise, Vice President of Platform and Partnerships at Greenhouse Software. We talked about moments that matter, whether it’s in the interview process, the hiring process, pre-boarding, or onboarding. Dane discusses how those moments matter and that they also better be great, especially in our current talent-driven economy. He makes some great points regarding how relationships are changing between employers and their employees and how technology can enhance those relationships.

One critical element that Dane discusses in relation to making moments matter is the process of onboarding. He says, “Onboarding to me is that full development of the individual in the organization to be productive, happy, and a good citizen.” And this does not merely refer to a new employee’s orientation process or “pre-boarding.” Rather, onboarding is much deeper. It is a process which involves the employee’s growth with the company. He describes it as involving three development cycles:

  1. Personal growth of an employee where they master their role
  2. Developing meaningful relationships with others at work so that they can mentor others
  3. Embodying the organization’s values so they can represent those values outside of the company

Good onboarding sets the employee up with, as Dane says, “how to be a good citizen inside of the organization.”

The other important aspect to understand about onboarding is it is a team effort within the organization.

Many levels of leadership, recruitment managers, and hiring managers must be involved and proactive with new candidates coming into their offices. It requires the best practices within the company to prepare the employee to be successful at their job. If you want to hear how Greenhouse Software can help bring meaning back to your office, how to advance the onboarding process, or how to empower employees, then listen to this episode of Let’s Fix Work.

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The commoditization of work is real and it’s not just for people at Uber and Postmates. The future of work has nothing to do with humans and has everything to do with worker metrics.

From retail to healthcare to hospitality, algorithms and machines that can do certain jobs are doing them and they’re doing them better than humans. We don’t get to digitization and automation without first having an honest discussion about how jobs are commodities. If a company can commoditize and outsource your job and remove the financial and emotional burden of being responsible for your overall experience, they will.

Guess what, folks? We’re not having an honest conversation about these topics. Until now, that is. In this episode of Let’s Fix Work, I’m talking about human resources and the commoditization of work. I share some strategies HR professionals and leaders can employ to put the focus back on humanness in human resources.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

  1. The future of work and examples of commoditization
  2. Full-time jobs are being replaced by contractors or freelancers
  3. The reason HR professionals need to start to pay attention to the gig-economy
  4. Why HR must get involved and start thinking about the whole talent pool

Resources from this episode:

Thanks to our sponsor: Greenhouse.io

www.wsj.com/articles/the-end-of-employees-1486050443

www.ipse.co.uk/about-us/ipse-us.html

blog.freelancersunion.org/

greenhouseopen.com/ Use code fixwork for 25% off your ticket

Thank you to our sponsor, Greenhouse Software! At Greenhouse OPEN 2019, their annual conference, they are celebrating the Talent Makers – the people who have figured out how great hiring drives business growth. Registration is open for the conference. I’ll be there speaking and I would love to see you! Head on over to GreenHouseOpen.com and use code fixwork for 25% off discount your conference ticket. Then I’ll see you in New York in June!

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Laura Hamill, an expert in the well-being field and co-founder, Chief Scientist, and Chief People Officer of Limeade joined me on a recent episode of Let’s Fix Work. We had a great conversation about what it means to be a whole, healthy, functioning adult, plus non-toxic work environments and the actual work it takes to get there.

We also talked about the power of gratitude and recognition. In fact, I’ve heard Laura tell stories around the power of gratitude, the power of recognition, and how she sees this playing out in organizations today.  Of course, gratitude and recognition are buzzwords right now. But what is their power, truly? Today I wanted to provide you with some food for thought on this topic.

Laura thinks of gratitude and recognition from a scientific perspective and says, “There’s a lot of great research to say the more gratitude you have in your life, the higher levels of well-being you have. This kind of overall quality of life is enhanced by being grateful. I’ve also seen that it can be really life changing, that if you take the time to take a step back and realize all the things that are amazing in your life, it puts your head in a different space.”

Have you given thought to what you are grateful for lately? Take a moment and think about it.

So what about gratitude at work? Does it have a place? Well, to put it bluntly, YES!  

Laura explains, “By being grateful and recognizing another person’s contributions, it is good for that person.” To put it into perspective, people that feel appreciated and feel as though their contributions are benefitting the organization, they do good work for the organization and it also empowers them to be the best they can be – both personally and professionally.

Now I ask you, are you showing gratitude toward your team members, employees, and leaders? If not, why not?

If you’ve ever thought about well-being and wondered if it’s just a fad or thought about gratitude in the workplace, I think you’re going to love this episode. To listen to this episode of Let’s Fix Work with my special guest, Dr. Laura Hamill, head over to here.

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I have another exciting episode of Let’s Fix Work for you this week! My guest is Dane Hurtubise, Vice President of Platform and Partnerships at Greenhouse Software. In today’s episode, we talked about moments that matter, whether it’s in the interview process, the hiring process, pre-boarding or onboarding, whatever moment you’re in regarding the world of work. Those moments matter and they also better be great, especially in our current talent-driven economy.

We discussed the relationships that exist in the corporate world between employers and their employees and how software can enhance that relationship and how to empower employees so that they can be as productive as possible. Plus, we discussed how hiring managers or recruitment teams can now get beyond the point of being bogged down with administrative paperwork and focus on the employee instead. All of this leads to having the best experience possible at work to help people have meaningful lives. So, are you ready to fix work? If you want to hear how Greenhouse Software can help bring meaning back to your office, how to advance the onboarding process, or how to empower employees, then listen to this episode of Let’s Fix Work.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

  1. How the relationships between companies and employees are changing
  2. Opportunities for employers to connect with potential employees that have often been missed, and how employees can now be heard and taken care of
  3. The idea of onboarding and development cycles between employers and employees
  4. The differences between good and bad onboarding
  5. What or who is responsible for good onboarding to occur
  6. How the best practices for recruiting are included in Greenhouse’s software product
  7. What the future of technology holds for enhancing the employer/employee relationship and the innovation that is being developed
  8. Encouraging a proactive nature in recruiting and empowering companies with the technology they need for recruiting
  9. The importance of work in people’s lives and how meaningful that work should be

“Think about all the different crucial moments that happen in someone’s life as an employee. Things like termination, a relocation, a promotion, and of course, onboarding. These are the kind of moments that really matter, the ones that you tell your friends and your loved ones about.” –Dane Hurtubise, Greenhouse Software

“If we’re having 10 jobs or more or even a short career,  we want to be able to make those moments really matter. When you leave the organization, what are you going to say about your time at that company? Are you going to say great things? I really think there’s a moment of feeling empathy that we can capture, create, and  build trust with employees.” –Dane Hurtubise, Greenhouse Software

Resources from this episode:

Thanks to our sponsor: Greenhouse.io

Connect with Dane Hurtubise on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/hurtubise/

greenhouseopen.com/ Use code fixwork for 25% off your ticket

Greenhouse Software is a new sponsor of Let’s Fix Work. At Greenhouse OPEN 2019, their annual conference, they are celebrating the Talent Makers – the people who have figured out how great hiring drives business growth. Registration is open for the conference. I’ll be there speaking and I would love to see you! Head on over to GreenHouseOpen.com  and use code fixwork for 25% off discount your conference ticket.  And then I’ll see you in New York in June!

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We’re in a new era of collaboration where strategic business goals are accomplished by full-time, part-time and flexible workers who operate within communities with the same purpose: to achieve extraordinary results while having meaningful experiences at work.

Well, that’s optimistic.

It’s a transformative period, for sure. Leaders can navigate this change by being hyper-focused on people engagement strategies and by creating transparent, ethical and inclusive communities where all workers feel engaged and are prepared for the imminent changes to the workplace.

That’s easier said than done, which is why I’m attending SAP’s SAPPHIRE NOW conference in Orlando on May 6-9, 2019.

This year, SAPPHIRE redesigned its conference experience around “neighborhoods.” Neighborhoods bring people together, create a sense of community and provide a shared experience that supports growth and enrich lives.

I am excited to take part in the People Engagement neighborhood and have conversations about how technology enhances the employee experience. We’ll cover topics such as working in a socially connected world, demographic shifts, and emerging business models. All of it calls for a flexible workforce with new and different skills. Empowering this workforce and capitalizing on the diversity of thought and experience is key to ensuring people are engaged in their work.

Some of the sessions I look forward to the most are: Empower Your Leaders to Improve Every Workforce Experience, Combine Finance and HR to Improve Decision-Making and Performance, Give Your Employees a Completely New Human Resources Experience.

I’m also thrilled to meet the talented team behind Coach, Kate Spade, and Stuart Weitzman and learn how they are transforming luxury retail with a business strategy that is founded on innovation and inclusion.

You know I’m passionate about fixing work.

The verdict is in, and organizations see a positive impact on revenue and profitability when they combine technology and best practices to empower all workers and create an inclusive environment. So, join me in real life in Orlando on May 6-9, 2019, or find it live online. And I’ll share the good stuff from behind-the-scenes in the neighborhoods and the greater Orlando area on my Twitter account.

Not a bad way to stay on top of what’s happening in the future of work.

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I don’t like people who make promises they don’t keep. It’s one of my biggest pet peeves in the world. If you make a professional commitment, own it. Especially if you’re a business owner. Yes, life gets challenging. We have multiple obligations, but I expect you to prioritize your responsibility to me and treat me as if I’m just as important as the other five things happening in your life. If you can’t be a person of your word, you should choose your words better.

Well, I’m an overcontrolling jerk!

Turns out I promised Namely that I’d come to their HR conference on May 6-7 in New York City and can’t make it. I’m double-booked and will be in Orlando, and I’ll miss Shawn Achor keynote this fantastic event. I’m also bummed because I wanted the chance to hear from key opinion leaders both inside and outside of the HR function who will share solid advice and practical takeaways.

I need a virtual assistant to help me out!

If you work in human resources or live in the New York City area, you should head on over to this event for one reason: the best HR professional in America, Lorna Hagan, works for Namely. She leads their people and talent function, and you shouldn’t turn down an opportunity to learn from the best. I’m not joking, Lorna is hands-down the best HR leader I’ve ever met.

There are also other amazing people on the speaker roster and plenty of fun people in attendance. My former editor, Vadim Liberman, will be in the audience. He’s no Shawn Achor, but he taught me how to write when I was a contributor to The Conference Board Review. We once did a webinar for The Conference Board and they shut down the entire magazine shortly thereafter. Coincidence? I think not.

(Vadim now works at The Starr Conspiracy and is an active member of DisruptHR. You want him to emcee your event!)

I’m really bummed to miss this event, so I asked Namely for a discount code to offer ya — use the code HRR196 at checkout for 50% off your tickets: hrredefined.namely.com/tickets

Hope you take advantage of the event if you’re able, and I’m sorry to miss it. I’ll be back in 2020, and I look forward to eating crow and being a woman of my word!

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Here’s the thing about goals and goal setting: You can be successful at achieving your goals and you can also crash and burn at goal setting in tremendous ways.  Whether you are a rockstar with goal setting or struggling to keep up with the ones you’ve created, it’s important to remember two things:

  1. Life happens:  Even with the best-laid plans, life is bound to happen and throw a wrench into them.
  2. Boundaries make a huge difference: Once I started to have boundaries, I started to have goals.

At the start of 2019, I began setting standards for myself and soon thereafter the year came into focus. I’ve been writing more, speaking at events more often, and developing new areas of my business.

But yet, I’ve been missing some goals because I’m human.

In a recent episode of Let’s Fix Work, I share some of my own insights and lessons about goal setting. Because let’s face it, even when you create rock-solid systems or amazing goal setting plans, life happens.

In the same episode, I also share my experience working with a business coach and how in doing so, it has helped me put my goals into focus and even be accountable, even when my follow through is less than stellar.

If you want to hear about my successes and failures with goal setting, the importance of putting yourself first, and making an effort to at least try to attain a specific goal, then listen to this episode of Let’s Fix Work.

 

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We live in a world where everybody hates HR.

If they don’t hate human resources, they don’t give it much time. It’s a shame because HR is the one department in any company that could, without much effort, positively change people’s lives for the better. People should love human resources, and, if their department stinks, they should get promoted — or get a job in HR — to make it better.

But HR doesn’t change if we stand around waiting for people to stop complaining. It changes when we raise our hands and commit to making work better while simultaneously making companies profitable.

The two can go hand-in-hand.

That’s why I’ve been honored to partner with Ultimate Software over the past three months to sponsor my podcast called Let’s Fix Work. We hoped you would sign up for their free HR workshops around America — where you can earn HRCI, SHRM and APA credits — and learn new ways to fix work.

Turns out, y’all signed up in record numbers. You believe in the future of human resources, and you also believe in professional development and continuous learning.

As recently reported in Harvard Business Review, “Employees experienced fewer negative emotions on days when they engaged in more learning activities at work compared to other days.”

Even if your company has an awful culture and doesn’t spend money on your professional development, your “employee experience” is yours. Ultimate Software continues to offer its free and fantastic HR workshops all across America. You should sign up for a workshop if one is in your area, and take advantage of the unfettered opportunity to learn and grow.

Please visit ultimatesoftware.com/LFW and tell them Laurie sent you when you attend one of those fantastic live events!

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