Crisscrossed

Just the other day I posted a recap on a personal/corporate branding session I co-facilitated at HRevolution.

And then I saw this post.  Basically, a waitress for a pizza chain was ticked off about a $5 tip she received from some customers who sat at her table for far too long.  She was so ticked off about it that she vented about it on her Facebook page.  While she was not talking negatively about the company, she did name the company in her post and called the customers a not so nice name.  And she was fired a few days later for violating the company’s policy on speaking disparagingly about their customers.

To fire or not to fire?

Was she wrong for venting on her facebook page? Yes.

Was the company wrong for firing her?  That depends. (I know, so HR of me, but there could be additional information not discussed in the article that would affect the decision.)

She clearly violated the policy, but as I mentioned in my earlier post, did it have to be a fire-able action?  Could they have asked her to remove the post, reminded her of the policy and given her a warning?  With no other violations or issues on the table, that’s what I would have suggested.

Now the incident has hit the press and the company’s Facebook fan page has been hi-jacked by all who have an opinion about this situation.  It’s not a pretty sight.  They issued a very generic statement early on but it did nothing to stop all of the feedback and criticism they’re receiving.

I’m sure they are hoping that this will all blow over soon and I’m sure it will.  But we have another person added to the ranks of the unemployed and the company’s bottom line may very well take a nice hit.

Could it have been avoided?  With a more common sense approach to social media in the workplace, I think so.

What do you think?

Oh, and be sure to read some of the comments on the fan page.  The expectation of privacy and keeping work and home life separate is a big deal.  I think HR folks should be aware of this mindset when discussing social media activity with your employee group. More on this in another post.

Exactly a week ago, I was co-facilitating a session at HRevolution 2010 with Eric Winegardner and Amanda Hite .  First off, just having these two in the same room – ‘nuff said.  But what was really nice about this session, in my opinion, was that we represented three very different perspectives.  Amanda has a larger-than-life personal brand and she took her brand, left the corporate world and started her own thing, Talent Revolution.  Eric is making his larger-than-life personal brand work in a corporate setting at Monster.com.  And me?  I’m a HR Director in a corporate setting working to make sure my company proactively manages and leverages the personal brands we have in-house.

It was a good session with lots of questions surrounding authenticity, ‘rogue’ bloggers, a process for making it work, and many others.  We had a lively conversation but I left feeling like we did not leave you with some key take-aways.  And we had them.  Ready to go.  I promise.

So here they are:

• Social media is here to stay and more and more companies will see an emergence of employees actively engaged in social media.  The key is to find ways to leverage the big personalities, keep them challenged and keep them on message.
• Speaking of keeping them on message, a lot of folks seemed worried about ‘rogue’ bloggers who may say something that reflects negatively on the company.  Personally, I think the chance of this happening is low.  I don’t think it happens or will happen as often as people think.  And if it does happen, it doesn’t have to be a fire-able action.  You can get the right information out and correct the behavior.  If the behavior can’t be corrected, then that employee is not the right one to be blogging or speaking on the company’s behalf.
• You can still be authentic and speak, post, blog in your own voice, even with your corporate responsibility hat on.  Eric does this perfectly, everyday.
• For the #trenchHR folks out there, you can help manage this process.
  • Work to design your organization’s social media principles to empower people at all levels to be network advocates of your brand.
  • Humanize your brand by building brand ambassadors.  Give them the proper social media and brand training and tools to be successful.  Provide clear guidelines and proactively manage the social media activity.
  • Establish key facets of your brand and promote them and encourage the organization to develop their own voices while staying true to the brand.
  • Remember that not every employee will be interested nor will every employee be great communicators. With this in mind, think about issuing your general guidelines to everyone (be responsible, don’t share proprietary information, etc.), and additional guidelines for those employees with more social media activity i.e., your brand ambassadors, spokespeople and/or executive level folks.
• Are you the big personal brand?  Then commit to working closely with your HR and marketing teams in developing the strategy and help train the appropriate folks on social media tools.
  • Keep the ego in check and be mindful of your corporate responsibility at all times.
  • Position yourself as a thought leader.
  • Join in the conversation that’s already happening and share your ideas.
  • Be yourself.
  • Remember that everything communicates.  Employ common sense and good judgment.

It’s not an easy task to merge the personal and the professional but it can be done.  I believe that HR needs to be actively involved in the process, from developing the social media policy with the personal brand in mind, to listening and monitoring the activity.  But that means that HR needs to be engaged and have an understanding of not only the business and marketing strategy, but you must also know enough about social media tools and tactics to be able to add value to the conversation.

So what do you think?  Can it be done?  Do you have examples of folks/companies who are doing it well?

We’re baaack!  HRevolution, that is.  We’re back and better than ever.

The HRevolution 2010 unconference will be happening in Chicago, May 7th and 8th and you don’t want to miss it.

Tired of those stuffy conferences where you sit in a room and someone lectures to you?

Wish you had the opportunity to check out a conference where you can actually participate in the discussion?

Want to hear from some fantastic HR social media thought leaders?

Yes? Yes?  And Yes?

Well, you should get your tickets now for HRevolution 2010 as space is limited.  And, trust me, it is  going to sell out.

3 reasons why you need to be in Chicago on May 7^th and 8^th:

The People: First and foremost, it’s the people. And the crew coming together for this year’s unconference is fantastic.  The planning committee for 2010 has arranged for about twice the capacity of last year’s event, meaning HRevolution 2010 will blend old faces with new in an intimate setting where relationships can unfold naturally and meaningfully.

The Place: We’ve locked up a phenomenal and highly professional space for the event that could not be more perfect for an unconference. HRevolution will take place at The Catalyst Ranch, which is one of Chicago’s premier event locations and—bonus!—is centrally located with easy access to hotels, restaurants, and nightlife. Catalyst Ranch is known for bringing a level of fun and sophistication to events that is unparalleled—we don’t recall meeting any other space providers who could so naturally blend “white boards,” “afternoon snack service,” “stereo systems,” and  the “Play-Doh for 110 people” into a single conversation.

The Topics: The beauty of the unconference format is that it is designed to leave you with practical, useful knowledge.  When you get back to work on Monday, and when someone asks you, “What did you get for the money,” the answer that flows oh-so-naturally from your lips will blow them away. And you, too, we hope. Especially given the awesome $100 ticket price.

So if you’re in HR—or a manager who truly believes in the power of  your people—if you’re dabbling with this social media stuff and  thinking “Should I or shouldn’t I” or “How do I…” or even “Why would I,” then get here on May 7th-8th. You will meet the people and learn the stuff and be in the places that make it all come together.

24 hours+ of mind-bending, trend-setting discussions.  You don’t want to miss it!

Are you still reading this?  Go, go on.  Go get your ticket!

Your HRevolution Team:

Steve Boese

Ben Eubanks

Joan Ginsberg

Trish McFarlane

Jason Seiden

Mark Stelzner

Crystal Peterson

I recently guest posted over at Creative Chaos Consultant about the Put Up or Shut Up Challenge.  Here’s my post about it (and the others are here), but in a nutshell, Victorio Milian asked HR pros what we were going to do to be a HR Rock Star in 2010.
As I was writing the post, I started thinking about some of the other things crisscrossing through my world right now.  There’s a lot going on and it’s an exciting time for me.  I’m learning and being challenged daily and I love it!

So what’s going on?  Good question.  Glad you asked!

 Outside of my HR responsibilities at the really cool ad agency I work for, here’s what’s been going on with me:

• Louisville SHRM Board – As I mentioned in my Put Up or Shut Up post, I recently accepted a board position with our local SHRM chapter as the Communications and Technology Chair. Part of my responsibility this year will be to get the chapter moving into the social media arena.   I also want to tackle our website; get in behind the scenes and get a better understanding of the back-end side of the site.  I’d like to work on making it more interactive, more user-friendly.
• HRevolution 2010 – I had such a good time on the planning committee for the first HRevolution, I signed up for more!  I am very excited about this year’s event but I can’t let the secrets out of the bag just yet.  Stay tuned!
• Personnel Committee – yes, that’s correct.  My church is still calling it a Personnel Committee and I am now a member of said committee.  My first task? Change the name.  Second task?  Putting some processes in place for recruiting and other HR-related issues.  We’re busy recruiting now for a couple of positions, so I had to hit the ground running!
• Couples Ministry – My husband and I have started a Couples Ministry at church.  We’ve been planning this ministry for almost a year and it’s all coming together.  We started our marketing campaign in January and had our kick-off session this past Friday.  24 couples attended the kick-off and we had a great time!  We already have our second session planned and are working on the rest of the year.  We’re really excited about this ministry and are looking forward to growing together as a couple, and encouraging other couples to do the same.
• 50^th Wedding Anniversary – Speaking of couples, my parents will be celebrating 50 years of marriage this year!!  My siblings and I are busy planning a big to-do to celebrate this milestone.   With one out of every two marriages ending in divorce, 50 years is definitely something to celebrate!

So that’s some of what’s crisscrossing through my life right now.  How about you?  What’s going on in your world?

Michael VanDervort from the Human Race Horses  blog,  is doing another special HR Carnival.  This time it’s to showcase local support for Haiti.

A group called Edge Outreach,an international faith-based group, with headquarters in Louisville,  is busy providing water for the children and families effected by this crisis.   The Edge Outreach water team recently installed three water systems in the area – one at a Salvation Army site filled with homeless survivors, another serving a clinic that is seeing more than 200 injured or sick patients daily and a third at a Haitian Community Hospital. 

Other local entities have also aided in this relief effort.  The Louisville Water Company, the Metropolitan Sewer District and our city government donated a total of $25000.  And members of one local church, Southeast Christian, have donated over $80000. 

Edge is providing a wonderful service.  Donations are still being accepted and every little bit counts and goes a long way to helping Edge provide clean water to the survivors.

If you’re interested in donating, you can do so directly on their site.

I feel like I’ve been waiting for January 1, 2010 for some time now.  While a lot of great things happened in 2009, there were definitely a few things that I’m looking forward to leaving behind.   I’ve always been excited about a new year starting and all of the great things I’d like to try to tackle.  But this new year, 2010, I am so ready for it like never before.

Challenges and all, I’m very thankful for 2009.  I met some new friends, reconnected with old ones,  stepped outside of my comfort zone a few times, and believe it or not, said ‘no’ more often.

For 2010, there are a couple of things I’m excited about.  The first is the opportunity to connect more, both personally and professionally.  I will take my online relationships offline, and work to spend more one-on-one time with my friends and family. 

The second is an adventure that my husband and I are taking on….a marriage ministry.  We’re really excited about it and looking forward to learning, sharing and growing together and with the other couples in the ministry. 

Exciting times for 2010.  I’m looking forward to a terrific year.  How about you?

Happy New Year!!

As we close out this Thanksgiving weekend, I wanted to take the opportunity to share my ‘thankful’ list. 

• I am thankful for a wonderful husband who loves me unconditionally, prays with and for me, makes me laugh, and who I’m looking forward to spending the rest of my life with.
• I am thankful for my two beautiful children.  It is such a blessing to have my  little ones in my life, watching them learn and grow and seeing things through their young eyes.  They keep me on my toes and I love every minute of it!
• I am thankful for sweet, beautiful girlfriends who love and support me, laugh with me, cry with me, tell me when I’m right and when I’m wrong and are right there whenever I need them.
• I am thankful for my family. My husband and I have a great combined family and we can always count on lots and lots of laughter when we all get together. 
• I am thankful for the struggles opportunities for growth that I’ve had during my life.  I am the person I am today, in part, due to the trials and tribulations I’ve dealt with and I’m grateful that I can now look back on most of these and see the lessons in each one of them. And I am thankful for the opportunities I’ve had to share these lessons with others who are going through similar issues.
• I am thankful to my mother for showing me what having faith in God means and for giving me the tools and opportunities to develop and grow in my own faith.

I am thankful.  Truly thankful.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

As you know from my last few posts, I recently participated in a un-conference for HR professionals – HRevolution.  I posted my recap about the event here but I was just one of approximately 50 folks who attended the event and many of these folks also blogged about their experiences and take-aways.

And now, all of these terrific blog posts are in one location for your reading pleasure.  Trish McFarlane is hosting the HR Carnival’s HRevolution edition over on her blog, HR Ringleader and it’s a great collection of fun stories about the attendees, the un-conference style, turning tweeps to peeps, and the future of HR.  It was a great event and Trish did a wonderful job of pulling all of the stories together. 

So head on over to the carnival today and spend a little time reading about HRevolution.  Oh, and bring me back some popcorn!

It’s over. 

Yep, it’s over.  HRevolution is over.  Well at least the un-conference part is over.  The real work is just getting started. 

This past weekend, almost 50 HR professionals, recruiters, CEO’s, consultants and vendors came to Louisville, KY to talk HR.  Social media for HR. Technology for HR. The future of HR. 

So many great people and so many great conversations and a lot of passion for the work that we do.  Everyone in the room was there to talk about how we, and our profession, can be better.  And that was inspiring.

 A few take-aways for me:

• If you have the opportunity to take your online relationships, offline, do it.  It is well worth the time and effort to get to know your twitter/blogging pals offline.  I am looking forward to engaging more with the folks I met this past weekend.
• HR is not dead.   HR is alive and well, and there are many, many HR pros rocking it out. Every. Single. Day.  Can we do some things better?  Yes.  But are we doing a lot of things well? Yes.  Yes. Yes.
• Not everyone in HR will be strategic and not everyone is looking for that ‘seat at the table’.  And you know what?  That’s ok.  There’s work on both sides (transactional and transformational) that needs to get done.  Whatever your role, do it and do it well.   
• While social media is definitely a topic for discussion among HR pros, we need to remember that it’s just a tool in our tool belt.  We need to make sure our culture is thriving and our employees are thriving and engaged.  And if that’s not happening, we need to be about the business of fixing that first.  Social media, web 2.0, whatever the hot new thing is, can’t fix those issues.  

This is just the tip of the iceberg.  We have the opportunity to continue this conversation and help take our profession to the next level.  And I’m excited about that!

So, are you ready?

We’re just one week away from HRevolution!  Last week I talked about the tremendous amount of support the conference has received and I highlighted two of the sponsors.  This week I’d like to talk about another sponsor, Jessica Miller-Merrell and Blogging4Jobs. 

Here’s a little info about Jessica:

I’m thrilled to be a part of this conference and I’m looking forward to meeting and collaborating with Jessica and all of the HR/Recruiting pros attending.

Will you be there?