When we start a new job we all want to make a good impression – we tend to arrive early, and probably don’t log off the minute the clock hits 5pm – but eventually we’ll fall into a familiar routine and generally stick to the standard working hours.  Likewise, when an important piece of work is on our desk, or a deadline is looming, we may work through lunch or put in some overtime.

And quite often people in more senior roles will work longer days, log back on at night to catch up on emails they missed during the day.

When exceptional becomes normal

These are exceptional circumstances because it isn’t sustainable for people to work overtime the whole time.  It isn’t sustainable for business commercials either.

So what do you do when those ‘exceptions’ evolve into ‘expectations’?

Workplace culture is important in ensuring employees feel valued and don’t burnout, and a line has to be drawn somewhere if people are continually working beyond their regular hours.  If this is happening, you need to take a step back and ask why their normal workload cannot be managed within a normal, standard working day?

Lockdown effect

The majority of people have been working from home wherever possible for the last 16 months which has afforded a flexibility that the previous ‘normal’ routine did not – walking the dog at lunchtime is my personal favourite benefit of remote working!

For people with children, it has meant they have not needed to take time off if their child is ill.  They haven’t had to devote so much time and fuss to school runs twice a day either.

 

But it’s harder to walk away from your desk when it’s in your own home.  It’s easier to tell people to pack up for the day in the office.  There are cues in an office too – it’s usually a sign that you need to stop when the cleaners and plant carers come around!

We can understand how such culture was created and finessed when people weren’t  working remotely, but many struggle achieving this with home working.

Technology can play a pivotal role

With remote working being set to continue or even increase, technology is becoming more and more important in translating the right workplace culture into someone’s own working space at home.

Whether your employees are in a dedicated work space, remote, or a mix of both, we’d like to see if we can help.  We’re all about helping your employees’ experience your unique culture – one that delivers for both the business and them.

It’s one of the ways we help progressive businesses punch above their weight.  And it’s why our Strapline starts with Experience.

Sophie

 

What do you think?  If you want to chat about the tech that can help your business maintain a healthy culture – drop us a line.

Read what Sophie had to say about recruiting blind.

Recruitment is rather like dating – don’t you think?

And sometimes feels a bit like TV’s cringiest programme, ‘Naked Attraction’.

If you haven’t watched this particular gem or it’s not shown in your country, the singleton contestant decides which of four dates they want to take out by judging their naked bodies, on view in stages from bottom to top.

So…. they are picking their date based on everything except their face; revealing only certain parts of them (if you’ll pardon the phrase) without the really getting to the whole package.  (I’m doing this on purpose now ).

And I got to thinking that recruitment holds some similarities:

• You probably know what to avoid and red flags to look out for from previous experience.
• You have an idea on paper of the type of person you’d like to hire in terms of Skills and Experience.
• But ultimately, the decision will probably boil down to how the dates (or interviews) go.

And in recruitment, as in Naked Attraction, you can’t begin to get the ‘full view’ until you go on dates (interviews). Just because someone looks good naked on paper, doesn’t mean they’ll be the right person in practice. You don’t know their moral compass, their work ethic, their attitude, their true desire to learn.

You may not even find out at an interview either.

In fact, you won’t truly get to know who you’ve hired until they are in post.

Here are 4 things to look for to find that attraction, naked and face to face;

1. Mindset– Curiosity (underpins their drive to learn), enthusiastic, empathetic?
2. Skillset – What methods do they apply to the role that you will need them to perform? (“Without method, skills are nothing more than random acts”)
3. Knowledge – What do they know about the subject or the context of the role?
4. Values – Work ethic, Customer or colleague focus (vs themselves), Ambition etc.

And if they are a good fit as a person, but not necessarily with the same level of experience as other candidates, then what do you do?  Experience is important, yet the type of person they are is critical for the dynamic of your team as well.

Remember that Skillset can be taught, Knowledge can be taught.  Mindset can develop but values can rarely be changed.

When all’s said and done, in recruitment and dating, you must take a leap of faith and follow your own skilled interviewing, experience and instincts to find the right person.  The clearer you are on what Mindset, Skillset, Knowledge and Values you want, the easier it is to ask the key questions to identify the ‘fit’.  The easier the dating game will get…. And the more chance you’ll have of success.

Anyway, I’m off to swipe right.

Sophie.

 

What do you think?  If you want to chat about your recruitment strategy – drop us a line.

Read what Sophie had to say about stopping your best recruits leaving too soon.

Isn’t it amazing how many business leaders appear to rely on their people having crystal balls? ​

​“Surely they know what to do?!” they say or, “They should know what to do” ​

​The terrible twins! – Should and Shirley (something for Airplane film fans!) ​

Here’s what I mean… ​

Picture the scene…Your new hire has made it to the end of their probationary period and their manager has decided they’re not right.  Of course you have the right to dismiss them but their manager… ​

​…hasn’t set any objectives &/or didn’t set SMART objectives. ​

​…hasn’t given them a clear onboarding programme for them to get up to speed, learn the ways of the business, the people to go to for help and how to get the job done ‘The Company way’. ​

​…hasn’t fed back to them about their performance during their probation. ​

​…hasn’t had effective 1 to 1s with them.​

​So for the poor ‘failing’ employee the first they’ve heard that they haven’t been doing their job right is when they hear “You’ve failed your probation and we’re letting you go”…What the…? ​

​What’s especially disappointing is that many managers were never properly told that these things needed to be done, let along how to do them well. ​

​Managers are expected to read a crystal ball to know how to do their job…​

​…so new employees are expected to read a crystal ball to know how to do theirs. ​

​It sounds ridiculous, right?  If someone isn’t doing their job correctly, isn’t performing as hoped, surely their manager would have raised it with them already?  Surely their manager made clear to them at the start the specifics of the role, what was expected of them and made sure they had the means to deliver? ​

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​Surely! – Yet this seems to happen only in a minority of cases according to the experiences of our Secret HR Diarist and numerous studies by Management Institutions around the world.  The lack of communication happens more often than people choose to believe. ​

​There’s really no excuse – The Brilliant Basics are easy to understand and easy to do…when people know how.  It’s the responsibility of Business Leaders to put the measures in place.  And the productivity benefits are significant. ​

​Performance management and regular contact about an employee’s work are prime opportunities to ensure a person is doing their job right / effectively / delivering value. Without them, neither manager nor employee can know that things are working as they should. ​

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 HR can help with this and so, too, can some inexpensive technology, easily used and accessible to all. ​

New Employees need direction & nurturing to enable them to be the best they can be for themselves and their new employer whilst accepting that everyone works in different ways and there will always be some adjustment.  Both employee and employer need a full ‘try before you fully buy’ period which is why probationary periods exists, so helping new employees show what they’re capable of is in everyone’s interests.  It will reduce misunderstandings, defuse conflicts and even avoid employment tribunals and unnecessary ‘pay offs’ / settlements. ​

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What are your views on the Brilliant Basics for new employees? ​

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Follow us on LinkedIn or our Blogs or get in touch if you’d like to talk more about these, and how simple but sophisticated technology can enrich the work experience for Candidates, Onboardees, Employees, Managers, HR Professionals and Business Leaders. ​

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Progressive Businesses (PBs) find and keep the best staff & managers – here’s why:​

Last week I had a conversation with George. ​

George took a risk and resigned from her “rather dull employer” in 2020 (with no other job to go to) because she felt it was sucking the life out of her.  She saw little chance of realising her potential.  “We only get one life, right?” she said.  Many of us have been there. ​

Tempted as she was to give details in her expected ‘exit interview’ (that never actually happened) she realised there would be little point because nothing would change anyway.  No matter what anyone said, the past 2 ½ years had demonstrated that no one would really pay attention, let alone respond to the points she made.  Her Top 3 gripes were: ​

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1) Process for the sake of it – Annual Performance Management a classic case in point.  A process that seemed to be designed to ‘force’ mediocre scores and have no consequence in compensation or personal development plan. ​

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2) Processes (many of them mirky and out-dated) that got in the way of her serving the Customers who put trust in her ​

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3) A Manager who ticked most of the boxes (some of them rather ineptly tbh) but critically showed little sign of care or interest in her achievements, her ambitions or her potential. ​

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So George, talented in so many ways, but needing development in so many others, resigned and decided to find a progressive employer instead. 

Here’s the definition she came up with for a Progressive Business (PB):​

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So George and I are looking for PBs that have some of the following attributes: ​

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​What do you think?  We’d love to hear your ideas – get in touch.

For the past 30 years I’ve watched groups of very serious and truly brilliant Consultants talking eloquently to their Clients about HR ‘Best Practices’.

“Best Practices out of the box”

“Implementing Best Practices”.

“Adopting Best Practices”.

And I’ve observed some of their Clients go misty-eyed at this glorious notion – the holy grail surely.

The appeal of best practice

It’s so attractive, isn’t it? – It doesn’t require us to think for ourselves.  All we need to do is follow the formula we’re being pitched and Abracadabra! – magic will happen.

But in the real world, the one I encountered in my first dozen or so HR Transformations & / or Digital HR Transformations – and hundreds since, I realised that ‘Best Practices’ can be a misleading phrase.

And this was brought home to me last week by one particular CHRO I’ve been talking to who has plenty of experience of ‘best practices’ in both large Enterprise and in Progressive mid-sized businesses.  We agreed that the notion of absolute best practise is more myth than substance.

“It’s better to go for The Brilliant Basics”, she said.

And as she said it, it seemed to make more sense, doesn’t it?  It’s so much more achievable – so much more tangible.

Whether one is in a large corporate full of complexity, or a progressive mid-sized business starting with way too much e-mail, excel, data in many places and a lack of consistent process, it’s the basics done well that will really count initially.  Best, maybe, one day, but brilliant basics to start with.

First do the Brilliant Basics well and then continuously improve in pursuit of ‘best’

Here’s what I’d add from my years of observing HR / HCM projects and transformations in 100s of programmes in search of ‘Best Practice’ holy grails.

Find your own Brilliant Basics in 4 steps:

Five Steps to your Brilliant Basics

1. Either yourself or with a Partner you can trust, pull together workflows made as simple as humanly possible for each area you want to improve or transform.  Drive hard for consistency, accepting variation only from ‘the one way’ where there is demonstrable benefit to competitive advantage &/or Employment Brand
2. Consider the nuances from the Candidate, On-boardee, Employee, Manager& Exec perspective….as well as the HR administrative standpoint, of course.  Get Empathetic – Put yourself in their shoes – ask them.  This is where one elements of your competitive Employment Brand sits and admirable culture can be reflected.
3. Go back and make sure the workflow/s provide/s an easily followed experience as well as the admin automation & information output.  This will pay dividends when you ask the HR Team and especially Managers and Employees to join you with the change.
4. Inspect and understand what comes ‘out of the box’ with your chosen technology.  How far can it automate?  What will you need to add with your own ‘content’? (Wording in automated notifications, e-mail alerts, terminology, Career site content and so forth).
5. Don’t forget the output. Management Information Systems isn’t a fashionable phrase now but this is still what systems are (alongside process automation and collaboration).

Above all, keep it simple to start with (Maybe Phase 1) because…

And remember too…

AAA

When I first became involved in HR Systems in 1986 they were amazing!

For the first time, Personnel Directors (soon to be renamed HR Directors) could count all the people in their organisations.  They could ‘digitise’ employee records and run some processes semi-automatically.

Most, if not all their metal filing cabinets could be put in a skip (Sorry, we weren’t educated in re-cycling back then) …but that’s all 35 years ago.

Yet some businesses still seem to be stuck in this thinking whilst technology has moved on…and some!

We’ve skipped from Personnel Systems through HR Information Systems (HRIS) to Human Capital Management (HCM Systems).  We’ve moved from Desktops and Servers to the Cloud and a vast industry worth $Bns pa is now built around People Systems – Systems of Record and Engagement.

Moving on

And just as we saw a transformation from ‘Shopping’ to ‘Retail experience’ over the past 10 years, we’re moving on again to a candidate’s, an onboardee’s, an offboardee’s, an employee’s, a manager’s, an executive’s and an HR professional’s experience.

Does this finally reflect the overdue move from employees being resources (for exploitation?) to the recognition that humans need to enjoy their work and, in doing so, deliver higher levels of performance for their employers?  Are we now, finally conscious that wellbeing, motivation and inspiring leadership is more important – because miserable, oppressed and micro-managed employees aren’t actually productive?

Who’d have thought it would take a Pandemic for the penny to drop?

So whilst CEOs have been saying for decades that their People are their most valuable asset , we can, at last, see some real light at the end of the tunnel.  We have the technology that can deliver a clear, simple and collaborative experience in addition to the data consolidation, consistent process automation and insightful Information needed for decision making.​

We have the technology

We have the technology that can make an employee and hard-pressed manager’s experience at work simpler, faster, easier.  Enabling them to have a clearer head for delivering and being innovative. #itsnotrocketscience

Some have referred to it as the consumerisation of the workplace.

So if you still have an HR System (Many still have HR in the name – a clue), integrated or not with Payroll and other systems, it might be worth taking a look at today’s technology because there’s a whole new world out there that can genuinely support the experience and engagement vision you’re convinced can make a big difference to the business you’re in.​

…and get ‘the machine’ to deal with the compliance and the admin weeds leftover from the mid 1980s.

If you’re wondering what we’re on about, please get in touch & keep an eye out for upcoming events.

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Today we announce that iXerv Global has sold its American consultancy arm to The Silicon Partners (TSP), allowing us to concentrate on our SaaS service platform, Punch, around the globe.​​

This will allow TSP to grow its Intelligent Enterprise business to include SAP SuccessFactors, as well as expand its footprint into Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The company, founded in 2017, provides a range of services for the SAP Intelligent Enterprise and Robotic Promotion Automation (RPA) with UIPath.

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As iXerv, we will continue to provide SAP SuccessFactors based Professional Services and solutions in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa regions as an SAP Partner.​

Our CEO Vikram Bhagdev explained the thinking behind the sale: “Our strategy is to evolve our business model to focus efforts on development and sale of our SaaS platform Punch to progressive businesses.​

We believe that recent events around the globe clearly point to the increasingly changed way that work gets done and the experience everyone has within a business – exploiting the freedom that internet tools can bring; reduced commuting hours, improving wellbeing and mental health whilst increasing productivity.  ​

As a means to deliver this, Punch can be consumed in a simple way that progressive businesses increasingly expect with an exceptional level of support – free from large up-front payment hurdles for which Enterprise Software is well-known.”​

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For a copy of the full press release click here.​

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To contact us about media interviews or images please email rob.paton@ixerv.com.

James Bennett has been spending the past 30 years working with 100s of Clients on their transformation projects sharing the best of what he has seen from other transformations (best practices). Clients have been wide-ranging from big household names employing hundreds of thousands of staff to smaller, lesser-known business with just a few hundred employees. Sophie Heaviside shares what she found out.

In James’s experience, there can be a confusion with the “transformation” objective right from the start. Some businesses refer to HR Transformation when, in fact it is a digital consolidation / transformation. It is all too common to focus on the digital transformation and overlook the enormous opportunity (but admittedly significant change required) for staff and managers.​

Either way, Transformation a significant event regardless of business size. It can feel like you are trying to boil the ocean.

The big question: “How do you boil this ocean?”

One great answer came out during a programme kick off in Cheshire, UK a few years ago with a progressive business planning a full transformation of processes, management behaviour and enabling technology to compete more effectively in a highly competitive Talent market whilst consolidating a recently acquired business.​

With a large group of HR & Talent professionals delivering a vast range of ideas, James asked the open question “…so how are we going to boil this ocean?” …. the Client’s Transformation Leader, Corrine, spoke up immediately “One kettle at a time”, she said.​

Perfectly put.  James had never heard it before.  Thank you, Corinne.  That is a great way to do it!​

A great answer: “One kettle at a time”

An invaluable piece of advice indeed.  Large transformations can generate enormous energy and it can be tempting for those in the know to get a touch over-optimistic with what can be reasonably achieved.  For this reason, ‘Big Bang’ change has been more recently replaced, wisely, with steady phased change instead.  Implementing change is now better and more effectively achieved in short sprints than in high profile super-hero programmes.​

And this is simply because, for digital changes that transform the digital infrastructure by consolidating HR, Payroll, the management of time and integrated Talent processes, transformation means providing new capabilities that enrich the working experience for staff and managers as well as HR Professionals. And this will require change in working practices and methods employed.​

As James has seen first-hand, no matter how tiresome antiquated & manual the processes may be, they are still the devil that people know and have got used to.  Unfamiliar new practices will not receive automatic acceptance simply because a Transformation Leader can point to the logic that says they will be better.  Unfortunately, we’re all wired by our evolution to hold on to things that work ‘after a fashion’ when faced with the completely unfamiliar (sub-consciously seen as ‘risky’ or ‘uncomfortable) change.​

And this gave rise to an addendum to the story this year…

When sharing this anecdote with another progressive business only last month, James’ Client added a perfect rider.  As soon as he shared the story, Mohammed added “…. Yes, I love it.  Boil the ocean one kettle at a time but be careful not to kill the fish!”​

And: “Be careful not to kill the fish”

Nicely put Mohammed!

In summary, there are three lessons we can take away.

1. Boiling the Ocean: When considering the phrase ‘Transformation’, be clear what will be transformed, who will be affected, in what ways they will need to change and how much they can change in any one phase?  Is it purely digital change requiring adjustment in working practices or are you expecting broader transformation requiring behavioural change; will Managers, for example, need to learn how to have best practise Talent conversations that complement a new digital platform?​
2. One Kettle at a time: Carefully divide the ocean of ambition into bite sized, discrete phases.  Understand the inter-dependencies with other phases of the programme and ensure that SMART objectives are published for each.  Make sure there is a clearly stated expression of what good will look like at People, Process and Technology levels for each phase.​​
3. But be careful not to kill the fish: Do not underestimate the change that staff and managers will need to make.  Put your empathy hat on, ask them, involve them early.  Change Agents within the Programme are a must, clear energy and involvement from the top of the business equally so.  But remember also to get some key respected ‘Employee and Management Level Users’ on side early.  Listen to them, adapt communications and implementation having seriously considered their perspective.​

Better to start steady and maintain momentum than start fast in a blaze of glory and lose people along the way because they simply cannot keep up.​

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The pace at which transformation happens is critical and every business is different.  It is not governed by Company size; it is governed by the culture set by the Leadership.  Do it too fast and people will not adapt as easily, or you could miss key things in the rush. Go too slow and people can lose interest. ​

Having been in the middle of 100s of digital and HR Transformations James and the iXerv Team are happy to share some of that devil in the detail….and how to overcome it.​

Boil the Ocean – One Kettle at a time – but don’t kill the fish!​

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33% of New Starters are looking to leave within the first 6 months.

And two thirds of them go on to leave within a year.

That’s a lot of time and money down the drain.

 

So what can you do about it?

Starting a new job is like the first day of school. Remember the last time you had a ‘first day’ at school? The last time I had that experience, I was 11, so it’s been a long time. But the trepidation and excitement are a familiar feeling – going to a new place, meeting new people, getting a feel for the environment you’ll be working in and the work you’ll be doing.

The first day can set the tone for the first week and the first month which are, arguably, the most important milestones in onboarding because that is the time it takes a new recruit to settle in and find their feet.

The last first day I experienced a new job start was wonderfully positive ( and pre-covid);

• My manager met me in reception when I arrived
• I was introduced to the rest of the department and shown where I would be working
• My laptop was up and running – I just needed to login and change my password
• I already had some calendar invites and emails waiting

I certainly wasn’t going to be sitting, twiddling my thumbs! I was shown where to make a drink if I wanted one (a high priority for someone who drinks a lot of coffee in the morning!), where the staff canteen was as well as how to order food for lunch, and then my manager and I sat down together with hot drinks in hand to go through my induction folder.

Looking back, it’s a bit old-school to think everything I needed was in a folder but this was before the organisation had a fully functioning HCM system in place. Inside the folder was a who’s who of my team, the Senior Leadership Team and the Board of Trustees, a list of mandatory training to be signed off, and much more. There were also 3-month and 6-month review forms which my manager and I completed.

A collection of need to know information

It was a comprehensive, but not overwhelming, collection of need-to-know information which I kept to hand even until my last day. In short I felt as though my feet were firmly under the desk very quickly.

I know now that my onboarding experience is quite unique and most likely due to having a manager who was good at that rather important part of their job – managing people. And as a result, I settled very quickly into that role and didn’t even think about leaving. I think that speaks volumes about the experience I had as a new starter.

Wouldn’t it be great if everyone could have a similar experience? And if that experience could be repeatable digital rather than old school paper? In a world where people have been working from home wherever possible for the last year, there has never been a greater need to make onboarding digital.

So, how can you make sure you do it right?

• Make the experience simple
• Think of it from the perspective of your new starters
• What would make you feel welcome and part of the team?

And remember there’s good tech out there to make it a great experience every single time, rather than rely on remembering everything and hoping the photocopier works for the next intake!

If you want to chat about that tech – drop us a line.