figuring it out
Do you smell that??? Q4 IS ON THE HORIZON. ☀️
My favorite quarter!!! Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. What did we do to deserve such a quarter of fun???
In all seriousness, the end of the year is one of my favorite times. Yes, because we have some fun events but also because we get to plan for the next year. And I love a good plan!!! As much as I want to be that easy breeazy go with the flow gal, I am not.
On the note of plans, here are some plans to RSVP to:
📺 This month’s HR Therapy has a spooky theme… presenting The Haunted House of Hiring!!! What is going on in this current market, how can you find qualified candidates and how companies can actually stand out. Come hang for the anti-hiring scaries.
CULTURE
The right now of HR:Copy anchor linkCopied
All of Q3 I’ve been writing about things that could be impacting your culture in real time.
From AI to the reskilling crisis, there’s a lot of play in HR at the moment. Really still wishing, hoping and dreaming for those precedented times to come back!
Not to mention, HR is playing this delicate balancing game between what execs/companies want (efficiency, results, low costs) VS what employees expect (belonging, fairness, benefits).
That tension inevitably ends up shaping your culture. Whether or not you want it to!
And guess what?? Employees def felt it, even if they’re not saying anything.
So how do you get to the bottom of what’s impacting your culture?
Let me lay out the plan so you can do your own detective work!
Getting to the bottom of WTF is going on: Copy anchor linkCopied
When it comes figuring out WTF is going on in your org and HOW to handle it, the 3 S’s framework can be helpful:
- Scan
- Sift
- Shape
Can you tell I love alliteration?
🔍 Scan: Sometimes I joke that working in HR is just like people watching. But truly, observation is a powerful tool! Especially when it comes to figuring out what’s going on in your org. There’s A LOT of anecdotal evidence you can collect from daily interactions like meeting dynamics, manager behavior, exit interviews, and employee comments.
But you should balance anecdotal with data. Quantitative indicators in engagement surveys, pulse checks, attrition, promotion rates, even PTO usage can tell you a lot!
The goal of this stage is to gather all your inputs in one place. I love organizing comments in an Excel and then tagging each observation / data point into different categories. Yes, I'm a dork! You can use any system to categorize, here’s one I like:
- Voice: what’s being said
- Behavior: What are people doing
- Performance: Is this impacting delivered work
- Connection: How people feel
TBH: I’m in scan mode 24/7… I’m always taking note of things. I find writing down my observations is helpful for when something bubbles up. I just pull up my notes and I think hmm I noticed that 3 months ago and it’s popping up again.
When something comes up multiple times it goes from my casual observation to this may be an issue bucket. And that’s what this next step is all about.
🔍 Sift: This step is about shifting through the BS. What patterns are you spotting?
To do this, compare your anecdotes against your data. Are the stories matching the numbers or is there a disconnection?
Look for clusters like if negative feedback is always given about a certain manager, process or even meeting or if multiple exit interviews reference the same thing. Clusters will tell you how widespread the problem is and will help you prioritize for impact.
Once you’ve sifted through your data you will have a clearer view of what issues have the widest cultural reach and you’ll be able to prioritize which issues to tackle first.
Now onto the final stage…
🔍 Shape: how do you turn insights → actions? That’s what this final stage is all about.
Translating your insights into a plan can be overwhelming but here’s how I want you to think about: quick wins vs long-term fixes.
Quick wins are going to be low lift things that can create instant impact like improving manager comms and helping employees get clarity on priorities. These fixes you can do without much planning!
Long-term fixes are going to be your meatier problems like pay equity, career pathing, and bad managers that need to be exited. You’re probably going to want a project plan, stakeholder alignment and strong comms.
Once you’ve categorized your insights you can plan your next steps and set a reasonable timeline.
The key here is to communicate what you’re working on and WHY. Employees need to hear that their feedback was received and being worked on.
Q4: Copy anchor linkCopied
The end of the year feels like one long sprint where some people are running on fumes.
✨ For Q4, it’s all about the end-of-year energy crisis. ✨
I’m covering anything/everything that can possibly drain or boost your energy at work.
Think things like appreciation, recognition, alignment, focus, and more.
I can't wait!!!
(HUMAN) RESOURCES
- AI isn’t magic. If your data is a mess, your AI strategy is just expensive guesswork! In my recent article with SAP SuccessFactors, I break down how their People Intelligence platform fixes the inputs, so HR can get insights that actually predict attrition, spot skills gaps, and deliver answers execs can trust!
EA games to go private
How AI could change some job
- 5M needed to achieve the “American dream”
- Apple’s AI chatbot moves
WORK-LIFE BALANCE
- 📚 What I’m reading: Having it All by Corinne Low. On the cover it says what data can tell us about women’s lives and getting the most out of yours. I was hooked at the data line!!! I’m sure I'm gonna spiral and be somewhere between very angry and very annoyed while reading this. Hit me upp if you wanna bookclub it.
- 📺 What I’m watching: The Morning Show. Honestly idk why i’m still watching this show, its starting to feel meh and predictible. The early seasons really had me on the edge of my seat though so I can’t seem to quit it.
- 💄What I’m obsessing over: Makeup. I’ve never been a heavy makeup wearer, just the same ole black eyeliner and mascara. But lately I’ve been wondering how to step my makeup game up, if you have any tips send them my way!
SONG OF THE WEEK
🎧 The Dress, Olivia Dean Copy anchor linkCopied
A cover of my top played song last year by one of my favorite artists???
HELL YEAH!!!
While I love Olivia Dean, the OG by Dijon remains my fave.
That's all for this week! I hope you enjoyed this, please let me know what you think and what other topics you'd love for me to cover. I'm allll ears.
Reminder: Take care of yourself and know that I support you.
