All General Statements Are False

Here’s your HR communication lesson for today, kiddies: Be specific.

If something is being taken away, say it. If you want people to do something, don’t beat around the bush. If you mean results, don’t clutter it up with words like “key performance indicators.” Direct. To-the-point. Clear. The best HR communication doesn’t deal in HR euphemisms. As the title says, “All general statements are false.”

Rethinking HR

Happy bailout, my HR friends. Something like $700 billion is coming Wall Street’s way. But the odds are, not your way.

Human resources is going to be a different beast when this economic crisis is over. This isn’t going to be your father’s HR. Heck, this isn’t even going to be your HR when this is all over. This is one of those deals like freshman chemistry for pre-med: Take a look left and take a look right. Those people sitting next to you won’t be there by the time this class is over.

I’m not trying to be an alarmist. In fact, I think for the talented people in HR, this can be your shining moment. For people who are junior functionaries or are walking demonstrations of “The Peter Principle,” buh-bye. Have a nice day. Thanks for flying with us.

Here’s what is gonna happen: If you’re working in an affected industry, you”ll be asked to exit people. Those who aren’t in HR know this as “being fired.” Lots of people are going to lose their jobs. People you know. Friends. Family members. If you’re lucky, you won’t be asked to turn out the lights as the last person out the door. It’s gonna be a real headache. That’s the really bad stuff.

Here’s what else is gonna happen: Your best talent is going to get jumpy. Their stock options are underwater and have no chance of recovery. Pay raises — hah! Benefits? I’m gonna guess that even Google is going to cut back on their Skittles budget. And when times are tough, you need your best people. What you did during the halcyon days are going to come back in karma now. I hope you treated them well.

So now’s the time to rethink HR. It’s your time. It’s time to dig in, move fast, and make money. The time for thinking big thoughts is over. It’s time for action.

In This Market, It Pays to Broaden Your HR Scope

This quote by Robert Heinlein really struck me, especially as we’re thinking about how to respond in this rocky economy. HR is going to be under more pressure than ever, and it’s time to step up and broaden the set of skills that define us as “”human resources.”

“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly.”
Specialization is for insects. –Robert Heinlein

Found at Michelle Oshen’s fabulous site.

Writer’s Remorse

Here’s what I know about doing HR communication: The closer you get to deadline, the more edits people have. It’s what I call Writer’s Remorse. Here’s what else I know: Those last-second edits rarely add anything to the quality of the communication.

Folks, communication isn’t about single words on a page or just one more PowerPoint slide. Great communication is about creating pictures in peoples’ heads. All the rest is clutter.

10 Things HR Needs to Do in an Economic Downturn: Redux

I originally published this article a year ago. Sadly, it’s more important now than ever. At the time, some people thought I was being a bit alarmist — no more. Say, brother, can you spare $800 billion?

For a really compelling look at the big question HR needs to ask itself, check out what Bill Strahan wrote today on HumanMarkets in an article titled “Why Is This Funny?“.

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Have you put gas in your car lately? Been to the grocery store? Tried to get a home loan? Thought about traveling outside the U.S.? Talked to a friend who’s out of a job?

It doesn’t take a PhD in economics to know we’re in an economic downturn. Times are tough.

And when times are tough, it’s time for HR to get going. Here are 10 things HR needs to do in this economic downturn:

  1. Get up, walk out of HR, and talk to the people running operations. That’s where the money is.
  2. Fix your friggin sales comp once and for all. Sales matter more than ever, and having a sales comp “system” that can get changed on a whim won’t work.
  3. Take a deep look at your performance management system. Are you getting the real behaviors that you want, or is it a matter of who goes to the most meetings wins?
  4. Ask not what your company can do for HR, but what HR can do for your company. It’s the big leagues folks, and you need to ask the big questions about how HR contributes to the bottom line.
  5. Fell the deadwood. Yep, it’s time to get out there and chop some wood. If you have people in your organization who needed to go when times were good, that goes double now. Learn to say “buh-bye.” And do it actively.
  6. Comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable. That’s an old journalism phrase, but it’s applicable here. No one should be fat, dumb and happy in this economy. Your job is to wake them up. And if people are nervous, you need to calm them down. (No one said this would be easy.)
  7. Listen to comp consultants who link metrics to company performance. And boot out anyone else who’s trying to sell you the comp plan du jour. When times get tough, fundamentals matter and gimmicks have to get kicked to the curb. Make sure you know the difference.
  8. Let employees know what you know. Everyone gets scared when a company goes on “B” budget. They’re terrified when the “C” budget rolls around. People need reassurances when they’re appropriate, but they also need the truth.
  9. Pay lots of attention to your top talent. Not every company is in a downturn. That means when your bonus plan is flying south for the winter along with your long-term plan, your top talent get roving eyes. Top talent wants to be with winners. Pay attention to them now or else start preparing their departure packets.
  10. Do something. When times get tough, it’s not time to sit around and strategize yourself to death. It’s time to get up and take action. Do the things you always said were right for HR, but you never had the time. Now’s the time.

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