Author: MelanieJessica.Peacock

“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” – Michael Altshuler

Over the past weeks I’ve heard many colleagues remark that they can scarcely believe where the time is going and that they are concerned that there aren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish all required tasks. Their sense of anxiety and despair is palpable. This has led to a resurgence in discussions pertaining to work-life balance with ensuing debates regarding whether this can ever truly be achieved. Personally, I don’t like this term and I often refer to this as striving to achieve better work-life integration. The term “balance” implies that our lives always have to be in perfect symmetry and that work and personal commitments should always receive a 50/50 split in terms of our focus. Experience has taught me that this isn’t viable and instead, there are times when more of my energy is devoted to professional pursuits and there are other times when personal matters take precedence.

These reflections led me to contemplate how HR professionals have the opportunity (dare I say responsibility?), through the policies and procedures we develop and implement, for supporting others in achieving a meaningful blend of various pursuits. How can we assist in creating work environments where people effectively use their time so that there is ample opportunity to devote to other interests?

In lieu of quick fixes that promote fun and engagement, our time and expertise would be better utilized in implementing systems that allow for work environments where people are productive and therefore able to better achieve a combination of their work and personal goals.

I invite you to have conversations with your colleagues to discuss what HR can do to help employees effectively utilize their time at work. What strategic bearing can automation have in this regard? What should we be advocating for in terms of work schedules and performance expectations? Do flex hours and telecommuting work or are we simply blurring the lines between professional and personal time? Further, how can we utilize our competencies and expertise to promote time away from work and encourage better understanding of the value of breaks (i.e. email blackout periods or use of vacation time)? In other words, how can we use our HR voices to create truly employee-centric employment that enables meaningful work-life integration? 

In lieu of merely thinking about our profession as aligning employees’ work with the achievement of business objectives we need to remember that what we do has deep impact on how others are able to find fulfillment in both professional and personal capacities. In essence, we must never forget that our work is much more than transactional and that we are asking people to provide us with the most valuable resource, their time.

The SHRM19 conference is over and life has returned to normal, or a new normal as I would call it. Things cannot, and should not, be the same after this life-changing learning opportunity. The lessons shared and the connections made left attendees as different people.
With this in mind, it is far too easy to just return to the same old, same old so the challenge becomes how to springboard off the energy and professional development that was enjoyed. It is important to use the experiences and not merely fall into a familiar routine. This can be accomplished by remembering the following lessons and taking actions as noted:

The power of connection:
Over and over I heard how wonderful it was to be connected with so many amazing HR professionals. The innovative coffee and conversation experience, in the aptly named connection zone, showed how simple it is to begin exchanging ideas and best practices when you chat with someone over some caffeine. So, go ahead and invite people to meet you for a cuppa over the next months. Make the time for an in-person meeting and watch the magic happen.

Staying connected via online resources is another great tool. I’ve met many people, who are now friends as well as colleagues, through @SHRMNextchat. I invite you to join in these Twitter conversations which take place every Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. EST. In addition to being an amazing exchange of ideas and information, #Nextchat provides an opportunity to keep in touch with what colleagues are doing and builds a deep sense of community. Listening to podcasts is another way to keep apprised of what others are doing and how to apply these practices into your own work. I highly recommend #HRSocialHour as a way to learn from others and feel linked to the work being accomplished in our profession. Also, what have you done with those business cards you collected? Have you sent out a LinkedIn invitation or an e-mail to the people you met? Ensure you have followed up as you said you would in order to retain these contacts.

The power of compassion:
I left #SHRM19 with a stark reminder that in our profession we work hard and deeply care for others. However, do the people we work with know this? In order to elevate our work, we must be willing to open our minds and our hearts each and every day. One of the most moving moments for me was when Blake MyCoskie spoke about his Mom kneeling in the dirt and wiping the feet of children before placing the donated TOMS on their feet. He teared up as he shared this story and it was clear how much he was moved by this humble act of genuine caring. The challenge for our profession is to (metaphorically) get down into the dirt (i.e. the messy and complicated situations) and genuinely want to help others. Each and every day we must remind ourselves to be vulnerable enough to do this. If not us, then who will?

Last and certainly not least, compassion for oneself is needed. #SHRM19 reinforced that self-care is required in order to give to others. The challenge now is to take this lesson and apply it. What one or two things can you do differently, in an intentional way, so that you are tending to your own needs in order to better serve others?

As we have left Vegas, in ode to Elvis, let’s not just talk about what we learned over the past days. Let’s ensure that we put these amazing ideas into action!

The countdown to the SHRM 2019 conference is on. If you have not yet had the opportunity to review the program and plan the sessions you want to attend, now is the time to do so. I was able to do this over the past weekend where in Canada, Victoria Day was celebrated. This holiday, in honor of Queen Victoria, provided the opportunity for reflection about this monarch and how we, as HR professionals, can learn from some little know facts about this ruler:

1. Queen Victoria was small but mighty: At barely 5 feet tall, Queen Victoria never let her small stature impede her voice and her strong leadership. HR Departments of One can learn from her example and remember that size does not dictate influence. Many sessions at the SHRM 2019 conference are targeted to HR Departments of One and will provide tools and resources to help these smaller units have impact in their organizations.
2. Queen Victoria was raised by a single mother and later became a single mother herself:  As HR professionals we continue to promote family-friendly workplaces that accommodate a variety of requirements.  While it is easy to speak to these practices, we need to ensure that our organizations are actually providing opportunities and environments that allow for this to happen.  Numerous sessions at the conference will provide information to allow for deeper examination of these important practices as well as how to use appropriate strategies to hire, retain and engage a diverse workforce.
3. Queen Victoria survived multiple assassination attempts: Many of my colleagues have shared that they often feel “under fire” or unsupported in their work.  Just as this monarch did, we must ensure that we do not become disheartened or swayed from our passion and desired outcomes.  The Smart Stage sessions throughout the conference offer quick and pragmatic ways in which we, as HR professionals, can remain focused and engaged in our important work.

The SHRM 2019 conference can be the “crowning glory” of your annual learning and development experiences.  Take the time to plan how you will get the most out of the terrific offerings.  Also, ensure that you leave time to network and have some fun as well.  Following the #SHRM19 Bloggers will provide you with ongoing insights and information as well.

Looking forward to seeing everyone next month in Las Vegas where we are sure to have a “royally” good time.

Reference: Pruitt, S. (2018). 5 things you may not know about Queen Victoria. https://www.history.com/news/5-things-you-may-not-know-about-queen-victoria

As HR professionals we often speak about the importance of being “human”, dare I say “humane” to one another? This said, these conversations regarding so called soft skills are often the elephant in the room. How can our profession be taken seriously if we advocate for kindness, which is often considered to be a “nice to have” competency that doesn’t really add to the bottom-line? I’ve often shared (in dialogue, in blog posts, and in the classroom) that without these considerations HR professionals cannot be effective and the lack of attention to the way we work with, and treat others, will ultimately be our (and our organizations’) downfall.

My interest was therefore peaked when I saw that Lisa Murfield would be speaking at the SHRM 19 conference (a concurrent session presentation as well as on the SMART Stage) about the ROI of Compassion. After having had the opportunity to interview Lisa I am even more impressed by her courage, vulnerability in sharing her journey to/with this topic, and her commitment to sharing her learning with others.

The following are the highlights of my conversation with Lisa:

Q: Your concurrent session and your SMART Stage presentation both refer to “compassion”. How do you define compassion? Why is it important for HR professionals to think about compassion and how to integrate this into our work?
A: We define compassion as “coming alongside another to help alleviate their pain.” Compassion is noticing the pain, feeling for them, thinking how to best alleviate that pain, and then taking the necessary actions at the appropriate time. Alleviating pain is at the core of everything we do as HR professionals. Everyone has pain whether it is in a normal workday or especially in times of trauma. How we as HR professionals respond to their pain makes the difference between engaged and disengaged employees. How we treat employees in times of trauma sends the signal to every employee about how much we care or do not care for them.

Q: Why are companies hesitant to address softer skills and “softer subjects” like compassion in the workplace?
A: Too many leaders have seen compassion as an unnecessary expense when it is actually the best business model, strategy and practice. Organizations invite lower performance, production and profits by ignoring or not noticing employee pain, inside and outside the workplace. But when we care enough to make a difference in alleviating their suffering, those “soft” skills become the “power” skills needed to boost the bottom line. The ROI of Compassion is found in reducing turnover, engaging employees, and reducing absenteeism, to name a few. When we care, we leverage leadership power that fuels great success. When we do not care, we invite obstacles and failure.

Q: Why are you interested in this topic and what are your specific experiences that have developed your expertise in this arena?
A: In July of 2007, my husband and I received one of those calls you never want. It was early Saturday morning when we learned that my stepson (my husband’s 22 year old youngest son) committed suicide the night before. Life stopped. Work didn’t matter. We caught the earliest flight to Nebraska and began muddling our way through arrangements. On Monday, we stopped into his workplace. Cabela’s HR Department and managers showed us and their employees tremendous compassion not only that day but the days leading up to the funeral and even months later. Meanwhile, my employer at the time had decided to lay me off. The Director of HR let it slip that she almost called me the day of the funeral to give me my notice wanting to give me enough time to find a job. She believed she was being thoughtful waiting a week. It could have waited a month, but they decided to move forward at the height of my pain. Those good and bad experiences made us wonder how other companies reacted to employee trauma outside of the workplace and what difference that made to the company bottom line. We researched and developed that into two books, The ROI of Compassion (first published in 2010 and revised in 2018) and Leading with the Power of Compassion which will be released at the SHRM conference this year. That experience and research has reaffirmed to me that everything we do as HR professionals is about alleviating current pain or avoiding future pain.

Q: What are the top 3 learning points that people can expect to take away after hearing you speak?
A: 1. They will be introduced to a way to assess the current and future impact of employee trauma. 2. They will be able to identify the 3 types of compassion and understand how each type works to minimize the effects of trauma, proactively and reactively. 3. They will have the tools to create effective policies, procedures & practices to increase the ROI in their organizations.

Q: Anything else to add?
A: I am on a mission to help leaders leverage the ROI of compassion. As the Human Resources Manager for Hill Ward Henderson Law Firm and Vice President of Murfield Coaching, Inc. I speak, consult, coach and train using cutting-edge ideas merged with proven best business practices. At the end of this session, you will understand why the ROI of Compassion is the best business model, strategy, and practice. Compassion is essential to employee engagement that unleashes the ultimate performance, production and profits. Compassion maximizes the human resources in your organization.

I look forward to seeing you at the SHRM 19 conference and encourage you to attend one of Lisa’s sessions. Let’s dig deep and be willing to explore difficult and potentially uncomfortable topics. In other words, lets have the courage to join together in creating better workplaces.

While it is difficult to believe, it has been 180 calendars days since the #SHRM18 conference concluded in Chicago.  The time has gone by quickly and 2019 is almost upon us.  I hear many people discussing their new year’s resolutions and speaking passionately about changes they want to make in their lives, both personally and professionally.  This led me to question why we only envision making amendments when the calendar is about to change.  Or do we?  I recall chatting with many HR professionals at the SHRM conference last June and these colleagues were invigorated and inspired by the many ideas and lessons they were taking away from this phenomenal learning and development opportunity.  The keynote speakers, the concurrent sessions, the networking opportunities, and walking through the exhibition hall; each experience

provided participants with new ideas and emerging concepts. As such, people were enthusiastic about returning to the office and applying many of the key lessons. The goal was to make meaningful amendments to various work processes, or as I would call it,  “implement a 180 degree change.”   Now that 180 days have passed, I invite you to pause for a moment and reflect on if you have indeed been able to put 180 degree changes into action.  Were you resolute and able to maintain your post-SHRM conference enthusiasm?  In order to do so I offer the following tips:    

• Review your conference notes.  What critical points did you jot down?  What new lessons excited you?  How did you envision implementing these ideas once you returned to work?  How can you commit to putting these ideas into action if you have not yet done so.
• What books did you want to read when returning from the conference?  Can you utilize time off during the holidays to catch up on this reading?
• Who did you meet at the conference and have you kept in touch?  If not, can you send an e-mail to reconnect and wish these people all the best over the holiday season?
• Did you enhance your social media profile and connections after the conference?  If not, consider joining in #nextchat each Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. EST.  This is a tremendous way to continue learning and connecting with HR colleagues.
• Have you blocked off the dates for the SHRM19 conference?  Have you ensured that you have budgeted time and funds to attend?  It may seem early but now is the time to start planning for next year’s event.

  180 days later it is important to reflect and ensure that the 180 degree changes you envisioned have been (can be) implemented.  When planning for the new year its time to ensure that you are keeping your mid-year resolutions as well.         Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season and all the best in 2019!   Melanie Peacock   PhD, MBA, CPHR

The 2018 SHRM conference is over and as usual, after this type of experience I take time to review my notes and reflect on what I learned. The entire program was fantastic, including an array of keynotes, session speakers, a SMART stage and the opportunity to learn about leading edge HR products and services at the exposition hall.

This said, my greatest point of learning that I want to apply back at work is how the 2018 blog squad was able to effectively work together as an engaged, unified team. I’ve never experienced working in such a diverse group (different nationalities, different HR specialties, different genders, different sexual orientations, different languages, different company sizes, different levels of experience, different ages…) and at the same time, am in awe of how the blog squad was an extremely cohesive group of people who provided support, encouragement and inspiration to one another. How could such a diverse group bond so quickly and work so well together? And, how could I take this experience and apply it back at work to the many groups I work within?

Then, it dawned on me! While we were a very diverse group, we were also extremely similar. The following similarities were what enabled us to capitalize on, and celebrate our diversity:

Similarity of passion and purpose: It was evident that every blogger was excited to be at the SHRM 2018 conference and wanted to share key points of learning with others. When recruiting people for the team evidence of this passion and love for HR was sought. While the skills and competencies were diverse, the mutual passion and excitement were palpable.  We were also thanked many times for our contributions and told that what we did made a difference and enhanced the conference experience for others.

Key takeaway: I need to alter our recruitment and selection practices to ensure that we are hiring people who, in addition to being competent, are passionate about what they do.  I also need to find ways to continuously remind my teams that what they do matters.

Similarity of vulnerability: Prior to the conference many of my fellow bloggers readily shared their apprehension about what the conference would hold, how they would deal with potential challenges, how they would navigate such a large venue, etc. This honesty helped me deal with my own questions and anxiety. Even as an extrovert, I could relate to what others were sharing and was grateful for the opportunity to learn from their raw and powerful posts. Also, bloggers shared some things about themselves prior to arriving in Chicago.  This required courage but in doing so, when we did meet in person to work together it was like we were greeting familiar friends and not starting a relationship from scratch.

Key takeaway: While still respecting and honoring professional boundaries, I want to encourage employees to be vulnerable and share truths with one another. I will encourage colleagues to (appropriately) share some information about themselves so that team members can get to know one another as people and not just as work colleagues. BTW – Can’t wait to hear Dr. Brené Brown address this during her key note at the SHRM 2019 conference.]

Similarity of space: The blogger lounge was a place to reconvene with others. Yes we went our separate ways each day, but at various times we could check back in and touch base with others. We shared stories, talked about lessons learned from the sessions and brainstormed ways to continue to share with others, both those attending and those not at the conference. We also got to know each other a bit better and enhance our friendships through this shared room.

Key takeaway: I’m going to create a shared space that our employees look forward to using.  While still respecting the need for privacy and individual time/location this shared space will be used to create a more engaged, creative workforce.  Oh, and yes people are food motivated so I’ll be putting snacks in this space.

My challenge to you is to think about how you can capitalize on similarities and ultimately bring people together.  What I discovered (through this lived experience) is that leveraging similarity ultimately promotes and elevates diversity.  Through shared similarities the 2018 SHRM blog squad was able to enjoy and learn from our diversity. As HR professionals, we have a critical role to play in bringing people together to engage in productive and meaningful work. As I noted during my presentation at the conference, the ultimate paradox may just be that the best way to expand your world is to first make it smaller through meaningful connections with others.

For those following the SHRM18 Bloggers, you know that in addition to providing great information about speakers, exhibitors and how to prepare for the busy time in Chicago, the team has also been posting about our exuberance for bacon and wine.  Many of the tweets and blogs have mentioned these two items, thereby showing that in addition to acknowledging the amazing learning that we are about to embark on, we are also excited about some of the fun, networking and lighter moments that we will enjoy.

Spring boarding off the bloggers’ comments about wine, and as someone who relishes a good glass of vino, I want to share some winemakers’ tips that are applicable to the upcoming conference experience.  With less than 3 weeks to go until we gather in Chicago these ideas (albeit simplified comparisons to what is actually a complex process) can be useful to wine connoisseurs, beer lovers and teetotalers alike.

Growing the vines

Like any plant, grape vines grow differently in different places.  As such, one of the first decisions winemakers make is where to plant each vine. Different types of soil will produce different types of grapes (in taste and quality) and different types of grapes do better in different types of earth. There are many ways to describe soil ranging from its texture, depth, composition and layers. The different layers and the depth and composition of each layer impact this earth and what growth it best supports.

What does this mean for you?  The sessions at the 2018 SHRM Annual Conference – #SHRM18 are the groundwork that will provide for your development. Each session is unique and presents its own depth of exploring a topic and delves into different layers of information. A key decision you must make is what “soil” will best suit your unique growth. There are plenty of places to plant yourself throughout the conference and there are a tremendous variety of opportunities that will suit the diversity of attendees’ interests and development needs.

Grapes like it hot and cold

Hot days and cool nights create well-balanced grapes.  So, while we have been warned that the rooms in McCormick Place may be chilly (in other words don’t forget to bring a wrap, coat or sweater) the days promise to be buzzing with excitement and learning opportunities.  So, this will make for hot days that are blazing with sessions, networking and informal conversations.  To maintain balance, it is important to be cool during the evenings.  What do I mean by this?  Be a cool cat and meet up with some new-found friends and enjoy Chicago.  Check out previous blog posts for ideas and suggestions.  Or, you may want to literally “cool it” by ensuring that you get some rest and recharge for the next busy days.  Think like a good grape and seek balance.

Support is essential

Grapevines need to be supported in order for new shoots and fruit to be off the ground, or the grapes will rot. Support also allows more of the vine to gain sunlight and air. Time taken to provide a strong structure for a grapevine increases the likelihood that it will thrive for a long period of time and produce quality fruit.

This insight reminds each of us to support one another. Be sure to reach out to new people and welcome others to join in your conversations and activities. If you see someone looking confused or lost, offer assistance. Last, but certainly not least, use the SHRM18 app and read the Bloggers’ posts. Our team wants to share key ideas, information and insights so that we can support you and enhance your conference experience.

A “vine time” awaits

SHRM18 promises to be a dynamic and fruitful event. I look forward to meeting you while we share in our learning and growth as HR professionals.  All that now remains is for one of my fellow bloggers to write a post about bacon and the applicable conference lessons!