Alternative HR Activities in Las Vegas For Students Prior to #SHRM15?

by Matthew Stollak on Wednesday, January 14, 2015

I've been a SHRM student chapter advisor for nearly 20 years.  For most of that time, I have brought several dedicated students each year to  SHRM Annual, who want to advance their learning as they pursue a career in HR.

Dedicated students are giving up nearly a week of their summer break, sacrificing a few days of work where they earn tuition money, to attend SHRM Annual, often on their dime.  Students have raised money through the student chapter during the academic year to attend, or they are paying for hotel, airfare, food, discounted conference registration and other incidentals out of their pocket.

 However, we are not unique. There are many student advisors as well as hundreds of student members across the country who do the same.  Some colleges, including my own, even offer course credit to students who attend the conference

 One of the highlights of the conference for them (as well as me) was a stand alone student conference on Saturday and Sunday morning prior to the start of the SHRM Annual Conference.  Faculty members could meet and discuss the future of HR education.  Students get to share best practices and ideas with their peers across the country. SHRM also highlights quality student chapters as well as recognizes the advisor of the year award.

 But, of particular note, was the quality of the programming that was geared directly to students.  HR leaders such as Laurie Ruettimann, Jennifer McClure, John Hudson, Matt Charney, Meredith Soleau, Jon Petz, Simon Bailey, Joe Gerstandt, Clint Swindall, Libby Sartain, Tim Sackett, and Ryan Estis have provided quality content to those attending.  Several have offered content multiple years.

 Unfortunately, after 20+ years, SHRM will no longer be offering the student conference at this year's meeting in Las Vegas. Like everyone else, students would have to pay extra to attend the Saturday Pre-Conference One-Day Workshops.

 So, I reach out to my dedicated readers for suggestions for alternative HR activities to students arriving early to the SHRM Annual Conference.  Unfortunately, a Zappos tour is not available as the last tour is on Friday, June 27 at 1:00 pm.

 Are there other plant tours one might take?  Are their readers out there getting into Vegas early, who might be able to give 45 minutes to an hour of their time on Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning to sit with a few students and discuss a HR topic of their choosing?  Starbucks is on me.

 Let me know in the comments if you have any other suggestions to enhance the learning of the HR leaders of tomorrow.

What You Need To Know About MOOCs and Mobile Technology #talentadvisor

by Matthew Stollak on Monday, January 5, 2015

I'm up at the Talent Advisor Portal at CareerBuilder's Hiring Site talking about how Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) and mobile technology are driving recruiting and retention.

Check out the post here

True Faith #HR Rewind: Best Employment Application Ever - Kris Kringle

by Matthew Stollak on Thursday, December 25, 2014

Originally posted December 25, 2012
From "Miracle On 34th Street"

Merry Christmas everyone

3 Adult Learning Trends You Need to Know for 2015

by Matthew Stollak on Monday, December 1, 2014

I'm up at the Talent Advisor Portal at CareerBuilder's Hiring Site talking how adult learning will impact 2015.  Learn how the problems of adult literacy, MOOCs, and the growth of online competency-based education will likely impact HR.   Check it out here:


MUST SEE: The Conference Concierge #HalfBakedHR #HRevolution

by Matthew Stollak on Wednesday, November 19, 2014


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!

Employee-to-Employee Wellness Challenges #HalfBakedHR #HRevolution

by Matthew Stollak on Tuesday, November 18, 2014




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.

#HalfBakedHR - Mobile Video Interviewing Prep #HRevolution

by Matthew Stollak on Friday, November 14, 2014


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.