Slow and Steady Loses Every Time

The world of work is moving at the speed of light. Or at least it feels that way for me. The work life balance discussion doesn't seem to stop, but quite frankly I don't think many of the uber rich outside of Silicon Valley are listening.

That means the pressure is on more than ever for those who are gainfully employed to continue to produce in an environment where so many talented people are waiting to jump at the chance to join your team ( read here -> in your job.)





 

Perhaps the corporate world is sending a nonstop message that tells us to be ultra-competitive in order to drive profit margins, achieve world-class status or consistently be first to market with the latest product or idea.

Maybe I'm contributing to this message?

Speed of Work

I've recently started referring to the pace of the workload and projects my team is expected to survive...er...perform at as the speed of our work. I'm still unsure if I'm being arrogant in thinking that we are expected to perform at a higher level than most; or, if we are in fact operating most days at a different level. Quite honestly I'm inclined to believe it's the latter of the two.

The obvious question which follows is whether or not work is supposed to look and feel this way? Is post-recession society (barely) simply moving so fast that leaders like me have come to believe that the speed of work for the foreseeable future must be sustained at a blistering pace?

Is the world of work just a corporate game of survival of the fittest...or fastest? I'm not so sure maintaining a nonstop pace in  any activity is sustainable, let alone in the workplace.

No Option

Now is the perfect time to discuss how HR can change the culture of the organization to help bring balance to a chaotic world. But I'm not going down that path. Work is hard, and there seems to be a heck of a lot of it to do these days. 

"I think HR has an opportunity to help source high performing employees, support them as they get up to speed, and make sure those that are dragging down your organization have an opportunity to anchor another company's slow decline."

There is no option but to stop making excuses, and pick up your pace. 

How About You

Too much time is wasted complaining about workloads, balance, piles of paperwork, meetings, email, and on and on. Yes, we have a long list of tasks to complete and email to read. Download an app or two to make yourself more efficient, get yourself organized, and pick up the pace. 

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Stay Connected with Unsuccessful Job Seekers

With crushing unemployment and zero leadership in Washington D.C. to take meaningful action, we in the Recruitment world are letting job seekers know more than ever that they can not join our organizations.  It’s not that they aren’t good people; or that they wouldn’t be productive.  We either do not have enough vacancies to meet the need, or the applicants do not have what we need in terms of training and experience.  But does that mean we should disengage from these folks and never see them again?

That my friends is the new definition of lunacy in the Recruitment space.

Connections Are Good

Consider what is happening right now.  Thousands of job seekers are reaching out to employers across the world in an attempt to not only land a job, but to make a difference in the history of those organizations.  And for those that we can not bring on board right now we’re offering a collective “thanks for stopping…bye-bye.”  Let me tell you, I think that sucks.  Politicians have no idea how to create jobs, but we do.  We also have the ability to stay connected with motivated job seekers to make sure we help them find work when it becomes available.  But doing so requires leadership, effort and time.  If you’re going to wait for Washington to respond, you’re going to wait for a L O N G time.  I’m simply not that patient.

Captive Audiences = Opportunity

Perhaps the next logical step is to stay connected with this group of candidates?  After all, we have their information, we know they would like to join our companies, and most of all we know they need the work.  Now here’s the trick – we need to treat them well throughout the recruitment process, including when we tell them no, because they just might be able to fill a vacancy for us down the road.

Imagine that…ditching the “we’ll keep your resume on file spiel” and actually staying connected with candidates for months, even years, after they’ve originally applied.  I love it.

How About You

This is not a new concept, but I’m fired up about it, and will be moving ahead with it in my own organization.  If you’re already staying connected with unsuccessful candidates, how do you do it?  What worked?  What failed?  I’ll share more as we launch our strategy; but for now I'm just anxious to get started!
 

I’d love to hear from you.

No Excuses.


pic courtesy of trouper