The Killeen Chair of Theology and Philosophy Lecture Series kicked off its theme of "Technology and Community"with Dr. Carol Bruess discussing "Our Love-Affair With Technology: Some (Inconvenient) Truths."
Given the topic, it was not surprising to hear both the positive and negative aspects of technology. From the McCann study that indicated that 53% of people aged 16-22 would rather give up their sense of smell than their phone or laptop, to the rise of "technoference" - everyday intrusions and interruptions due to technology devices, people have, perhaps, developed too much of a symbiotic relationship with their smart phones.
Dr. Bruess relied heavily on the work of HR Happy Hour favorite, Sherry Turkle, to discuss the increasing role technology has played in making us feel that much more lonely:
“Technology is seductive when what it offers meets our human vulnerabilities. And as it turns out, we are very vulnerable indeed. We are lonely but fearful of intimacy. Digital connections and the sociable robot may offer the illusion of companionship without the demands of friendship. Our networked life allows us to hide from each other, even as we are tethered to each other. We’d rather text than talk.” ~ Sherry Turkle, ― Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less From Each Other
However, after the talk I was left with a number of questions to ponder:
Is this necessarily a new phenomenon?
Robert Puttnam, in his book "Bowling Alone (2001)" was already documenting the decline of social capital and increasing isolation, prior to the rise of smart phones, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Are we simply substituting one distraction for another?
Dr. Bruess relayed a number of anecdotes about a child competing for his/her parent's attention at the dinner table with Mom and Dad's face buried in their phone. However, is this any different than Mom and Dad reading the newspaper at the breakfast table (a common occurrence at my home)? Is the parent checking sports updates on their device at a child's soccer game any different from the Sports Pager of a decade ago, or a parent knitting or reading a book at the event?
Was there ever a golden age of conversation?
A classic scene from "Back to the Future" shows Marty McFly going back into time to the 1950s and ending up at the home of his mom as a teenager. The family is gathering for dinner, when the TV is rolled out and the Dad tells everyone to quiet down so they can watch "The Jackie Gleason" show.
Were city buses or subways these Algonquin Round Table-style settings of rich conversation prior to the rise of smart phones? When I went to the doctor's office in 1979, I don't recall any rich discussions over Jimmy Carter's "malaise" speech, just a bunch of magazines and people silently waiting their turn. The only difference today is Fox News blaring on the TV in the background as people shun those magazines (probably from 1979) for their phones.
Even in 1887, the sociologist Frederick Tonnies discussed the comparison of the communal Gemeinschaft versus the much more impersonal Gesellschaft.
Are the loneliness and distraction really that different from decades ago? Is our love affair with technology really to blame?
- 27 comments • Category: community, Killeen Lecture, Technology, Tonnies.
- Share on Twitter, Facebook, Delicious, Digg, Reddit
True Faith #HR Replay: Why HR Should Care About The @NBASummerLeague #8ManRotation
by Matthew Stollak on Sunday, July 8, 2018
I'm heading to Las Vegas today and meeting up with the whole (?) 8 Man Rotation folk (Kris Dunn, Steve Boese, Tim Sackett, and, possibly Lance Haun) to take in a couple days of NBA Summer League action. Worth revisiting this July 2013 post. If you're in the area, come join us.
On Thursday, I will join three of my colleagues behind the 8 Man Rotation in Las Vegas (we always leave one behind to keep it going in case something befalls the rest of us) for two to three days to catch some NBA Summer League action.
Why do we want to head to the desert in summer time to spend 8-10 hours a day in a gym watching exhibition basketball when those games don't matter?
Because, in actuality, the games DO matter....for those playing. In his piece on Grantland, Steve McPherson describes what it is like for those involved:
These are guys who have worked their entire lives to be one of the 450 players in the top basketball league in the world. Guys who spent their whole lives being one of the best basketball players in any situation they ever found themselves in. And now it’s just the grind. They’re simply looking for their shot.
The ones hoping for that shot are almost universally flawed in one way or another: undersized or stuck between positions; not good enough at one specific thing to be useful to a team; dogged by problems we can’t even see, the kind of stuff many of us carry around.........
But for these players — who are among the top one or two percent of basketball players in the world — it’s their big chance. Not to become something they’re not, but to see their years of work turn them into what they’ve always been striving toward.
Those playing over these few days in Orlando and in Las Vegas are no different than the applicants to your organization. They're polishing their resumes, taking your work sample test, engaging in your role play or simulation, trying to impress you enough to take a chance on them.
For us watching, it will be passing entertainment...but for those involved, it will be all too real, with stakes that truly matter to them.
- 14 comments • Category: #8manrotation, #NBASummerLeague, #Talent
- Share on Twitter, Facebook, Delicious, Digg, Reddit
While the SHRM Annual Conference just ended, the SHRM Housing Office gave attendees a sneak peek into the prices for the 2019 Conference being held in Las Vegas, June 23-26. You, too, can make your early reservation for next year's conference (only good until 6/22...otherwise you'll have to wait until November) by clicking here.
So, how expensive will hotels cost and how does it relate to previous years? To examine this question, I look at selected SHRM conference brochures (i.e., the ones that I still possessed) over the past 18 years to see what it would cost a person to book a single room on a per night average. Clearly, prices in 2001 will be different than in 2018, so I use an inflation calculator to adjust costs to today's dollars. I do not include taxes and fees (and Las Vegas hotels vary in their resort fees)
What do the results tell us?
Cost of an Average SHRM-Affiliated Hotel (per night: 6/23-6/26; 1 room, 2 persons)
San Francisco (2001): $282.47 (standard deviation of $62.35)
Chicago (2008): $281.43 (standard deviation of $32.40)
Washington DC (2016): $280.37 (sd of $32.49)
Chicago (2018): $272.47 (sd of $17.47)
San Diego (2010): $269.11 (sd of $46.32)
Chicago (2013): $265.88 (sd of $22.02)
Washington DC (2006): $254.64 (sd of $43.75)
Philadelphia (2002): $240.17 (sd of $64.21)
New Orleans (2017): $225.82 (sd of $36.27)
San Diego (2005): $226.01 (sd of $55.11)
Atlanta (2012): $216.21 (sd of $24.12)
Las Vegas (2007): $183.74 (sd of $35.41)
Orlando(2014): $171.79 (sd of $38.23)
Las Vegas (2019): $164.15 (sd of $37.93)
Las Vegas (2015): $149.93 (sd of $24.00)
Las Vegas (2011): $141.1 (sd of $19.62)
SHRM 2019 looks to one of the cheaper options compared to previous years. Rooms, on average, will cost approximately $108 (+ tax) LESS per night than this year's conference in Chicago. This will be the 3rd lowest average hotel cost in the last 18 years. Even with the resort fees, you're likely to be able to stay an extra night for the same price that you paid for 2018.
There is a bit more variation in hotel prices from the two previous years in Las Vegas. The five number summary also bears this out:
Maximum: $229 (plus tax)
3rd Quartile: $195
Median: $157
1st Quartile: $139
Minimum: $99
Fifty (50) percent of the options are less than $157 per night.
What does this mean? You'll be able to stay at 5-hotels at a lower rate than most of the options in Chicago this year. To me, the place to stay is the Vdara. $125 per night is a very good price for this 5-star hotel (even with the $32/night resort fee). It is in a very good location on the Las Vegas strip, and, for those who dislike casinos, it is casino-free. Even better, SHRM hotel costs in Las Vegas are usually competitive even against such sites as Hotwire and Priceline.
See you in June 2019.
- 6 comments • Category: #SHRM18, #SHRM19, hotel costs, Las Vegas
- Share on Twitter, Facebook, Delicious, Digg, Reddit
While some believe there are 16 distinct personality types based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), I've long held there are 16 distinct personality types based on Easter candy preference...the ECTI. The breakdown is as follows:
Chocolate Rabbit - Hollow (H) or Solid (S)
While some prefer their chocolate rabbits hollow, I've always felt it was ripoff when you bite into it, and it crumbles. Solid rabbit all the way.
Reese's Peanut Butter Egg - Pro (E) or Con (N)
Though I prefer the miniatures or the regular cups, a Peanut Butter Egg is always a solid Easter option.
Marshmallow Peeps - Pro (P) or Con (Z)
Some prefer these marshmallow confections, while I think they are awful
Cadbury Creme Egg - Pro (B) or Con (C)
While the shell is fantastic, the stuff inside is disgusting.
That makes me a SEZC. What does the ECTI say about you?
Happy Easter everyone!
Last year on the SHRM blog, I bemoaned the sorry state of affairs of speaker evaluations by those HR professionals who are supposedly experienced in the art of giving feedback. Too often, the comments given to speakers are rarely helpful, or, frankly, downright rude.
Once again, I served as the Programming Co-Chair for the 2017 Wisconsin State SHRM Conference, and had the opportunity to review the evaluations and comments given to speakers. All responses (in italics below) are from real HR professionals who took the time to actually make these statements.
"Ok." Fine." "Disappointed." - One word answers are the bane of performance evaluations. Does anyone want to hear any of these words? Is there any context or explanation as to why or how the audience member reached that conclusion? Even "fine" has turned into a negative. Give the speaker more constructive information to help him or her understand how the session or material could be improved.
"Pretty basic information." "Basic knowledge, no new information." - As above, does this help the speaker become better? What does the speaker do with this feedback? Further, what's basic to you, might not be basic to someone else.
"Had a horrible coughing fit and had to leave"
"Overslept" (for an early bird session)
"Wrong room."
"Room was way too hot"
"Room was freezing"
"Was not aware of the room change for the session I planned on attending." - Imagine being a speaker; You've spent hours preparing for your session, and traveled a significant distance to serve the HR community. You open up the results, and these are the kind of comments left as feedback. Surely, there are other places on the evaluation sheet to provide this kind of lucid commentary.
"EXACT same session and material as the year prior." - so why did you attend? There are a number of sessions being offered simultaneously that you could've attended instead. With over 1,200 attendees in WI (and over 12,000 at SHRM Annual), offering repeat speakers and sessions provides an opportunity for others who might have missed a quality speaker the first time around.
"Not what I thought it would be." "The session was not what I was expecting." - This is my new favorite evaluation phrase. Once again, there is no context for the speaker to react to and adjust. What exactly were you expecting?
"The presenter did a good job, but it wasn't what I was expecting and was not at all applicable to my organization. In other words, it was more my fault." - an improvement, and actual acknowledgement of blame.
So, as your get ready to attend the SHRM Annual Conference, keep the following guidelines in mind:
1. Not all sessions are going to be winners. SHRM did its best to select the speakers, and those speakers are certainly not there to make you feel bad.
2. If you are not enjoying the session you are in, leave. The speaker will not be insulted.
3. Be cognizant of what you are saying about someone else. If you felt the session missed the mark, provide constructive information that would be useful in making it better.
- 30 comments • Category: #Evaluations, #SHRM18, #speakers
- Share on Twitter, Facebook, Delicious, Digg, Reddit
 | ||
| Copyright Fox Searchlight |
So, what does it have to do with the WorkHuman conference taking place in April?
First, the protagonists are essentially outsiders. Elisa, a cleaning woman is mute. Her next door neighbor, Giles, is a struggling advertising illustrator who is gay. Her best friend at work, Zelda, is black. And, of course, there is the amphibian man. In the 1960s, let alone today, all were living outside the "norm."
Yet, many of when welcomed into the workplace, can still feel like outsiders as well. Companies love to espouse the notion of inclusion. But, ask 10 people at your organization what inclusion means at that place of work, and you, more than likely, will get 10 different answers. As Joe Gerstandt says, when you talk about about inclusion, what are you including people in?
WorkHuman aims to improve the workplace experience. Through sessions such as Donna Kimmel's "Leveraging the Power of Human Differences," and Kim Christfort's "Embracing Cognitive Diversity," diversity and inclusion will not be just an empty gesture.
Second, "The Shape of Water" is also a story of workplace harassment. While one would think of the amphibian man has the monster, the true villain is the Director of the facility, Michael Strickland. The first time Elisa and Zelda meet Strickland, it is in the men's bathroom, where they are cleaning. He doesn't ask them to leave, and begins to urinate in front of them. He continues to assert his dominance by beating the amphibian man with a rod, and the sexual undertones continue to grow in his relationship with Zelda, including locking the office door with her and him inside. This is all the more pronounced as she literally has no voice.
This makes the WorkHuman #MeToo panel discussion with Ashley Judd, Tarana Burke, and Ronan Farrow, as well as the keynote session with Salma Hayek Pinault, all that more critical.
In addition, with track sessions on crowdsourcing, humanizing the employer brand, the business case for social recognition, and your whole self, Workhuman is the can't miss HR event of 2018.
It's not too late to sign up. Get $100 off the registration fee by using the code WH18INF-MST.
Hope to see you in Austin.
- One comment • Category: #ShapeOfWater #Work #HR #harassment, #workhuman
- Share on Twitter, Facebook, Delicious, Digg, Reddit
What Would HR Be Like In An Organized Crime Family?
by Matthew Stollak on Thursday, February 1, 2018
Today, during a during a class discussion of HR as a profession, a student queried, "what would it be like to do HR as a member of an organized crime family? Could you do a lecture on that?" Now, as far as I know, no one I am familiar with currently has that role. When that person lists his or her industry when they register for the SHRM Annual Conference, they don't list "Racketeering."
So, what might encompass the role?
Staffing - It is unlikely that an organized crime family is going to put a listing on Indeed.com for "Hired Gun" or "Getaway Driver." Word of mouth and referral will likely be the chosen route. And, you'll likely make them an offer they can't refuse.
Training and Development - Onboarding might be difficult without a written employee handbook, and on-the-job training will be paramount.
Performance Management - there is likely a lot of on-the-spot feedback. You'd be ahead of the game in eliminating annual performance reviews.
Compensation - Likely a cash-only business with contracts negotiated with a handshake or an exchange of blood. Perks can be magnificent as you rise in the organization.
Retention and Turnover - For the most part, people rarely leave the organization. Termination tends to be literal.
How else would HR be impacted by being part of an organized crime family?
- 7 comments • Category: #HR #Snark
- Share on Twitter, Facebook, Delicious, Digg, Reddit
