As noted before on the blog, Sir William Tincup and I had the honor of presenting a session at HRevolution on Half-Baked HR, a set of 40 HR ideas that are meant to challenge our expectations of what HR can be.  These ideas aren't necessarily fully thought out and there may be a company out there that is already trying to carry the idea out, but it hasn't gotten much acclaim.  Or, it was a miserable failure and deserves to be in the dustbin of history.  Over the next couple weeks, I will share 10 of these half-baked ideas in a more fully developed form on the blog.  Without further adieu....

HR Half-Baked Idea: MUST SEE - The Conference Concierge

Having attended the SHRM Annual Conference for 14 straight years, tackling the expo hall at SHRM (or any other conference) is among the most daunting of tasks.  Over 1,000 vendors vying for my attention, SWAG hawks searching for their latest trinket, and the risk of rollerbags underfoot, are all perils one must encounter.  In the 48-hour time span that the SHRM expo hall is open, there never seems to be enough time to truly get all the answers one might need while still trying to accumulate those necessary certification credits.  What is a 21st-century HR pro supposed to do?

The Solution: MUST SEE - The Conference Concierge

MUST SEE is a conference concierge company that "shops" the expo hall booths ahead of time to better target what you absolutely, positively need to see.  Looking for specific SWAG (e.g., iPads, GPS, Tory Burch shoes), MUST SEE is your scout.  Need to find a specific relocation service for your pet, MUST SEE sniffs it out.  Tired of timing out with your current payroll vendor, MUST SEE 'checks' out the competition.  When time is of the essence at your conference, MUST see is your answer!

As noted before on the blog, Sir William Tincup and I had the honor of presenting a session at HRevolution on Half-Baked HR, a set of 40 HR ideas that are meant to challenge our expectations of what HR can be.  These ideas aren't necessarily fully thought out and there may be a company out there that is already trying to carry the idea out, but it hasn't gotten much acclaim.  Or, it was a miserable failure and deserves to be in the dustbin of history.  Over the next couple weeks, I will share 10 of these half-baked ideas in a more fully developed form on the blog.  Without further adieu....

Half-Baked HR Idea: Employee-to-Employee Wellness Challenges

Many organizations have adopted wellness programs in an effort to control health care costs.  Healthier employees not only are more productive at work, but are less likely to be absent or get into accidents.  However, several problems exist with the current iteration of wellness programs:

1. Employees have to jump through a number of hoops to meet the requirements of the program
2. You are already capturing a significant portion of individuals who are healthy and working out regularly
3. Limited employee buy-in - terms of the wellness program are often dictated by the organization, with only a small amount of flexibility on the part of the employee on how to achieve the goals
4. Rewards are not significant enough - will a t-shirt or a small gift card really change long-term behavior?

The Solution: Employee-to-Employee Wellness Challenges

As Robert Cialdini noted in "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion," loss aversion is critical: 'People seem more motivated by the the thought of losing something than by the thought of gaining something of equal value.' 

With that in mind, what really would move individuals to change their behavior is employer sanctioned employee-to-employee challenges.  For example,

• John bets Tom that the loser of the wellness challenge has to wear a dress to work for a week.
• Amy bets Sue that the loser of the wellness challenge has to shave her head.
• Dave the Democrat bets Robert the Republican that the loser of the wellness challenge has to donate the value of a paycheck to the rival's political campaign.

Not only does this create buy-in on the part of the employee, the consequence has real teeth.  Further, these bets would be public, meaning the loser couldn't back out without backlash from the group. 

Now go out and challenge a fellow employee to improve their health.

The 7th iteration of HRevolution took place last weekend.  Want to know about how it went?  Check out the recap HR Happy Hour podcast as well as posts from:

*Ben Eubanks - The Evolution of HRevolution
*Steve Boese - Owning Disruption at HRevolution

*Kellee Webb - HR:Friend or Foe
*Dwane Lay - The Unbearable Lightness of Being Together
*Tim Gardner - I Can't Summarize HRevolution
*Melissa Fairman - Not Your Typical HR Conference
*Broc Edwards - It's Time to Get Bold
*Jennifer Scott - How About A Trust Culture Instead?
*Bonni Titgemeyer - Doodling at HRevolution

As noted before on the blog, William Tincup and I had the honor of presenting a session on Half-Baked HR, a set of 40 HR ideas that are meant to challenge our expectations of what HR can be.  These ideas aren't necessarily fully thought out and there may be a company out there that is already trying to carry the idea out, but it hasn't gotten much acclaim.  Or, it was a miserable failure and deserves to be in the dustbin of history.  Over the next couple weeks, I will share 10 of these half-baked ideas in a more fully developed form on the blog.  Without further adieu....

Half-Baked HR Idea - Mobile Video Interviewing Prep

Video interviewing has grown leaps and bounds over the last few years.  More and more companies are utilizing Skype, Google Hangouts, GoToMeeting, or other proprietary software in effort to learn more about a candidate.  It makes intuitive sense that this is the next generation approach to recruiting - it contains significantly more information richness than a phone interview, companies are able to save thousands of dollars by not having to bring a candidate, who may be less than stellar, on site, and the technology to conduct video interviewing has gotten cheaper and cheaper.

However, for the candidate, this can often become problematic.  The candidate may be dressed inappropriately, hair or makeup may be slightly askew, the Skype connection may be poor or spotty, or the background during the interview may not scream professional.  

For example, one candidate I interviewed in the spring had chosen her kitchen as the site of the interview.  She was sitting at her kitchen table, the refrigerator was covered with her kids' drawings, and the wallpaper was distracting.

Now, some may argue that where a candidate choose to have the interview may shed insight on the kind of professional he or she is.  But, shouldn't we minimize the likelihood of non-job-related factors to creep into the decision-making process?

The Solution

The future of video interviewing

Why hasn't a business taken advantage of this scenario by creating a mobile video interviewing unit (think the EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle from "Stripes.").  Each unit has the latest technology to ensure the video connection is strong.  Inside the unit, there is a spot for hair, makeup, wardrobe.  Professionals in the unit will be available to assist with any of the candidate's needs prior to the interview.  The actual interviewing spot will have a green screen in the background, so that the candidate can choose the image he or she wants to project.  And, best of all, the unit can come directly to the candidate...no travel involved.   With the mobile video interviewing unit, candidates can take comfort knowing that they are able to put their best foot forward?

Call me Mark Cuban...I'm ready for my pitch on Shark Tank.

On November 8, one month from today, leading HR professionals will be heading to Grapevine, TX and Symbolist HQ to have a little BBQ and discuss the latest HR issues at the 7th iteration of HRevolution.  The full agenda can be found here, but I wanted to give you a taste of what to expect from a couple of sessions.

Bold HR with Broc Edwards

Are you ready for HRevolution 2014?

Four years ago today, some 50-odd people (or is it 50 ODD people) descended upon the Hilton Seelbach in Louisville, KY to attend the first HRevolution unconference.  Put together by Trish McFarlane, Ben Eubanks, Steve Boese, and Crystal Peterson as an alternative to the mega SHRM Annual Conference, HRevolution attempted (and continues to emphasize) to bring a new voice to the future of HR.   Topics for that first day included:

• Blogging Basics - tools, platforms, getting started
• Advanced Blogging Topics - hosting, building an audience, promotion, aggregation
• Social Media in HR - building the case, learning the tools, planning the strategy, executing the plan, measuring the results
• New Technology you can use - Demo and discussion of some exciting new technologies for information sharing and collaboration, low-cost (some even free), low maintenance, and really cool

Since its inception, it has had five iterations, with the latest in Las Vegas.  

For me, it has been a truly transformative event, both personally and professionally, as I have gone from a simple attendee, to presenter, to planner.

Significant friendships have formed.  People who never met prior to the event have taken trips together.

Its spawned the ever popular 8 Man Rotation series.

Its even led to marriage, as 6-time attendees Frank Zupan and Tammy Colson met in Louisville, fell in love one year later in Chicago at the 2nd HRevolution, and married four years later on the eve of the 6th event.

So happy anniversary HRevolution....here's to many more.   Anyone interested in St. Louis in May 2014?

The 6th iteration of the HRevolution event took place on October 6 in the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas.  As a different HR conference, HRevolution has strived to provide 1) quality content that is entertaining, informative, and thought provoking, 2) opportunities to network, 3) opportunities for conversation to break off from the prescribed agenda, and 4) all of the above at a more than reasonable price.

All was accomplished with aplomb.

Content
The agenda kicked off with a range of topics, from a discussion of generations with Matt Charney and Ben Eubanks, to early technology adoption with China Gorman, to global HR with a panelist of HR professionals from New Zealand, Canada, the UK and the US.

Craig Fisher once again provided the latest and greatest in HR Tech tools, while Lois Melbourne provided an important lesson on the importance of passion in what we do in HR.

At lunch, HR Improv made its triumphant return, much to the delight of the audience.  A bevy of volunteers had to give a 5 minute presentation from a PowerPoint deck of slides they had not seen before.  From the difference between English and French Cheese, to "what is a birthday?"  the audience had a rollicking good time.

Seasoned television veterans Kelly Kahl and Phil Gonzales gave their unique perspectives of HR from an industry few in the audience were familiar, while Teela Jackson and Crystal Miller kept the audience engaged with their session on employer branding.

The last set had Tincup and Sackett talking about the problems of "A" Talent, while Dwane Lay led a raucous session where HR professionals tried to top one another with their HR horror stories.

Anne Meath provided a fitting close with how Wegman's provides a great place to work.

Networking

With over 100 attendees, HRevolution provided not only an opportunity for old friends to reconnect, but to welcome new attendees to, what Trish McFarlane describes, as the 'family.'  From 9 6-time attendees to over 50 first timers, the opportunity to discuss the latest in HR as well as their own personal experiencing, provided a warm, inviting environment.

Extended Conversation


As recommended, it was not surprising to see conversations go beyond the agenda.  Lance Haun led an impromptu session on "Not Talking About HR For An Hour," while Bill Boorman broke off with "Every Time You Talk About EVP, a Puppy Dies."  As always, one never knows where the conversation will go at HRevolution.

Thanks again to SumTotal for sponsoring the evnt, fisherVista for sponsoring the Saturday evening Tweetup, and co-organizers Steve Boese, Trish McFarlane, and Ben Eubanks for their tireless efforts over the past few months to pull the event together.

 

We're rapidly approaching the 6th iteration of the HRevolution conference sponsored by Sumtotal, October 6th at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas.

Steve Boese and Ben Eubanks have already shared their reasons for attending the event.

While all the sessions will likely be fantastic, for me, the session I am most looking forward to seeing is "What HR Can Learn from the Television Industry" with Kelly Kahl and Phil Gonzales.

Kelly Kahl, Senior Executive Vice President, CBS Primetime, oversees the planning and scheduling of all primetime programming for the CBS Television Network.  He also supervises coordination between CBS programming divisions and the network’s respective operations in sales, marketing, affiliate relations, news, sports and research, as well as with the CBS Television Station Group.

 Joining Mr. Kahl will be Phil Gonzales, Senior Vice President, Communications, for CBS, who oversees the network's publicity campaigns on behalf of primetime series, specials, longform, as well as late night and daytime programming.  He also serves as the media liaison for network activities in program development, casting and scheduling.

So, why should those in HR listen to these two?

To focus on promotion, public relations, and crisis management.  

Whether it is the firing of an employee at AOL or the recent issue with Applebee's firing a waitress over a tip, the importance of crisis management once again rears its head.  The TV industry deals with crises all the time (think Charlie Sheen's outburst and quitting over "Two and a Half Men)".  

Similarly, HR could always do a better job with promoting what it does. What would they suggest HR do to better improve its often battered image?  What is HR's pitch?  Does being in HR make, perhaps, good TV?

Find out the answer to these questions, and more, by attending the HRevolution event in October.  Click here for more information and to register.

The HREvolution unconference will be taking place on October 6th at the Mandalay Bay in  Las Vegas (you can buy tickets here.  In the previous five years, the conference has been incredibly successful, growing from a small uenknown conference of 50 attendees in Louisville, KY in 2009 to its 6th iteration with 200+ attendees in October.  To explore why it has been so successful, I drew inspiration from Jonah Berger's book, "Contagious: Why Things Catch On."  

In Contagious, Berger identifies six key components (with the acronym STEPPS) that allow messages or ideas to go viral:

1.  Social Currency

To Berger, social currency allows to share things that make us look good.   "Knowing cool things....make people seem sharp and in the know."   One has to break the pattern people have come to expect.

The unconference experience of HREvolution challenges the typical HR event in that instead of being passive observers, attendees are encouraged to participate and take the discussion in a different direction  than the presenter may have originally intended....this is a good thing.  

Further, social currency makes people feel like insiders, due to the scarcity and exclusivity of the idea or event. The limited number of people that attended the first iteration of HREvolution in Louisville generated quite the stir and excitement that others wanted to belong.

2.  Triggers

Triggers are things that are at the top of our mind or on the tip of the tongue.  According to Berger, "give people a product they enjoy, and they'll be happy to spread the word."  One creates ongoing word of mouth, where people talk about it weeks later.

HREvolution certainly has brought a strong response from others.  Excitement is shared on Twitter, Facebook or a blog about the experience.   When each event is over, people want to know when it will be occurring again.  Check out at some of the HREvolution experiences people have shared in the past, and actively recruit others to attend.


3.  Emotion

An idea becomes contagious when we care enough to share it with others.  It creates what Berger describes as the "power of awe."  For an idea to become contagious, it must focus on feelings.

HREvolution concentrates on conversations that haven't or aren't this taking place.  Whether it focuses on eliminating of keeping the performance review or the intersection of politics, pop culture and HR, HREvolution creates high arousal emotions that drive people to action and inspire attendees by showing how they can make a difference.


4.  Public

Berger argues that "when we can see other people doing something, we're more likely to imitate it."  This is the power of observability.  When one follows the HREvolution hashtag, the conference advertises itself when one sees the passion and excitement that is being tweeted by the attendees, and those not in attendance.  Just ask Steve Browne how he felt about missing it.

 5.  Practical Value



Does the idea help people help others? Does it provide news one can use.  

Not only do people take back to the workplace ideas from HRevolution that can create actionable change, it is incredibly cheap to attend.  Thanks to the kind people at SumTotal Systems, the premier sponsor of the event, 50 tickets are available at an early bird discount of $125.  In addition, registering for HRevolution gets you a code for $600 off the registration fee (most promotional codes you'll see in the coming months will be in the $500 range) for the HR Technology Conference.  It's almost like you get to attend HRevolution for $25.

6.  Stories

"Is the idea embedded in a broader narrative that people want to share?  Is the story not only viral, but also valuable?"

"Bifurcation." "Creepers."  "Cinco De Wempen."  People who have attended HREvolution soon develop their own jargon and stories of their shared experience.  See, for yet another example, the HR Improv session was particularly popular. 

In sum, I hope you see how exciting the HREvolution conference can be.  I was one of the 50 original attendees in Louisville and moved from simple acolyte to co-planner for the past three years.

I hope to see you in Las Vegas in October.

Last Sunday, the fifth iteration of HRevolution took place in the West Wing of the McCormick Place with over 100 attendees and guests in place.  Already, reviews have come in fast and furious - check out:

• Ben Eubanks: HRevolution 2012 - What Just Happened
• Bonnie Titgemeyer: No Nudie Pictures on LinkedIn & Other Tips from HRevolution
• Robin Schooling: Communal Collaboration
• Robin Schooling: The Pushback on the Push-Pull

After attending all five events, speaking and presenting at the last three, and co-planning the last two, here are my impressions from Chicago.

The Good

• High-Quality Content - We'll have to wait for the conference evaluation survey to go out, but I heard few complaints about the sessions were offered.  At each breakout time, attendees were offered at least two quality breakout sessions.
• Cost - Given the quality provided, the registration fee still feels like a bargain compared to many SHRM day long conferences
• Many New Attendees - Nearly 50% of attendees had not been to a previous HRevolution event.  It's always great to see fresh faces and new perspectives.
• Sponsors - Aquire, Ceridian, Pinstripe, and SilkRoad were helpful in keeping attendee costs down.
• McCormick Place - While it is an expansive locale, we only needed a small number of rooms in a confined space, and McCormick Place fit the bill (other than having no Diet Coke and being far away from coffee)
• The planning team - As always, Steve Boese, Trish McFarlane, and Ben Eubanks were dedicated to making sure the event was a success and were wonderful to work with.

The Not-So-Good

• Chicago - As much as I like the city, putting the event on the same day of the Chicago Marathon made travel to McCormick Place difficult, as well as hotel cost prohibitive.
• Missing Friends - While I loved seeing many new attendees, I missed seeing some usual attendees as well as there input.
• Combative Conversation - Perhaps it was the quality of sessions, but for the ones I attended, there was a lot more one-way presentations with questions than discussion about the HR issues of today and tomorrow.

The Future
We are no sure what the future of HRevolution will be, but here are a few items I wouldn't mind seeing if a sixth event comes to fruition:

• New speakers and content - While our sessions and speakers were great, there were many familiar faces who have spoken at HRevolution before.  Then again, the 1997 NBC campaign for reruns comes to mind - "If you haven't seen it, it's new to you."  With so many new faces, it was great for those attendees to see some of the best in the business.
• Sponsored Bloody Mary Bar - I don't know why we haven't seen it before, but given the inevitable Tweetup the night before, providing Bloody Mary's the next morning seems apropos...and I believe at least one potential sponsor has already been identified.

With this in mind...Whether you attended or not, what would bring you back for a sixth HRevolution? What would you like to see differently?

In a little over a week, many great HR professionals and thought leaders will be heading to Chicago to attend the fifth iteration of HRevolution.  This can't miss event continues to challenge attendees to look at human resources in a new way.  One of the companies that make such an event possible is Aquire.  Here are three things Aquire is currently doing that truly improve HR:

1. Hire the greatest employees with a passion to solve customers problems.  Aquire has a dedication to its employees that has placed it on several"Best Places to Work lists."  In addition, through initiatives such as the "Aquire culture club," employees can give back to the community.   This has enabled Aquire to not only maintain a strong retention rate, but serve the customer in a meaningful fashion.  Click here to learn more about working at Aquire.
2. Aquire InSight - Taking workforce planning and analytics to the leaders of organizations in a visual and powerful way, Insight allows individuals to determine the root cause of performance issues, without keeping that valuable information and knowledge in a back room with only the data crunchers.  Click here to learn more about InSight.
3. OrgPublisher mobility - Aquire's OrgPublisher has long been a leader in organizational charting and workforce reporting software.  Now, like the Who, it is "Goin' Mobile" by enabling OrgPublisher to be used in on the iPad and putting talent data in the executives hands.

In addition, if you are attending the HR Technology Conference and view a demo of OrgPublisher Executive or InSight Executive at the Peoplefluent/Aquire booths, Founders Ross and Lois Melbourne will donate $10 per company viewing to No Kid Hungry.

Note that tickets are still available for the HRevolution event on October 7th.  Register now and not only do you get to attend a great event, but you get a code for $600 off registration for the HR Technology Conference. 

Hope to see you there.

In a little over 2 months, the fifth iteration of HRevolution will take place in Chicago on October 7 at the McCormick Place.  Hotel rooms have been secured, and tickets have already been sold.

So, what's new?  The agenda has started to be released.  If you head to the Eventbrite page, you can see what some of the topics and who some of the speakers will be.

And, don't forget, after you register for HRevolution you get a whopping $600.00 discount off the HR Technology® Conference on-site rate. Look for the savings promo code at the bottom of your HRevolution confirmation email.

Check it out.