The Five Most Important Things

Translated from Ralf Junge'es blog entry "Die fünf wichtigsten Dinge"

What if your company´s employées come to work each day with a bright smile and are embracing their job because it gives them the feeling of accomplishment and fulfills them? - Unrealistic! Yer, I thought so, too.

Lately I have looked more intensively into the subject of Corporate Culture and Leadership and I came upon this interesting book named  "The Big Five for Life" by John Strelecky. If you did read his book, you wouldn't find the intial question of mine less unrealistic as it appears. More likely it is a question of the Coporate Culture after all. 

Strelecky describes a leadership principle which aims to accomplish a balance between personal aims of Life and Job - these aims are the "Big Five". The idea goes back to having Safaris in Africa which are only titled successful when the five infamous animals of the wild were really seen - Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Elephant and Buffalo. As there are also the five most important things man has on his personal bucket list. The accomplishment of those are ones own benchmark for success and realization. The Big Five serve the compliance of the "Purpose for Existing (PE)" which every person and company should define in the first place. The better the employée's PE fits to the company's the higher the likelihood of a long and fulfilling employer-employée-relationship for both parties. 

For that matter a Corporate Culture has to develop in which well qualified people are hired who will have receive the freedom to figure out how to work successfully - again for both sides.

As written in the book, talented "people don't need somebody monitoring their behavior."  They don't work that well because they are monitored, but because they can identify themselves with their work and like their job.

When recruting new employées already, Human Resources Decider have keep an eye on the matter if the preferred candidate fits to the Corporate Culture, not if the candidate fits the profile of the vacant position in each detail. If employées find fulfillment and accomplishment in their Job, the risk of psychological diseases such as Burn-Out Syndrome is reduced and more energy and creativity is put in as effordt by the employée.

Nothing hinders a project more than a person who has the wrong job or is notoriously unhappy.   

„The Big Five for Life“  is a very interesting book which certainly contents some impulses and much food for thought in regard to the own Corporate Culture and ones own Leadership. It nudges to question a few things - the own way to work, leadership and certainly the own path to self-realization.

RJ

From Human Resources to Human Relations

Translated from Ralf Junge's blog entry: Von Human Resources zu Human Relations

From Human Resources to Human Relations – How will the work look like in the future? This subject was discussed in a debating at this last weeks annual re:publica in Berlin. Participants of this debate were Joachim Hasebrook, Teresa Bücker, Anke Domscheit-Berg, Stefan Sell and Sue Reindtke. At the evening the conclusion was:

Employers do not put any effort in it anymore, neglecting the relation to their employées. Those have defend themeselves and network in order to bind powers and force.

This statement preceded a discussion about the labor cultur in their companies and the changed working environment. Last named I would like to let float as thesis (opinions are welcomed):

• Employées have hardly any fun working.
• Assurances and securities such as permanent contracted jobs i.e. are gone.
• Workload being concentrated is increasing; more and more employées have to work more.
• Precarizing is increasing, meanwhile deap into the middle-class.

(Graffiti in Berlin. Translated: From the inside a rat race looks like a job ladder.)

As you can see, the radicalizing working conditions were the center of attention at this discussion. As main points of criteria the "Over time - Rat race"  and blindness of one owns situation were named. "You don't know anymore how it feels to relax".  Employer cannot expect his employées to discipline  themselves constantly in regard to working hours, workload, according to Anke Domscheit-Berg. Domscheit-Berg herself decided to be self-employed after having worked at Microsoft and McKinsey. 
Another point of criteria which I have talked about in my blog entry from May 1st, also, is the balance-thinking of companies. Too often numbers are being set as a higher priority rather over human capital.
Right on, Joachim Hasebrook, Professor für Human Capital Management from the Steinbeis Academy Berlin, asks when employer will change. The answer: "When the tail is burning", meaning when this attitute has a negative effect on the balance sheet. Sad, but true.

Panel member were sounding as if  a revolution of employées is going to stirr up, fighting against working conditions named - having the debate title as demand: From Human Resources to Human Relations.

Overall the debate did not give me much new insights or aspects since the precarious working conditions are well known. Unfortunately, no model for a better work in future was introduced, nor developed, although the title suggested such. Nevertheless I found it to be interesting that the criticism became louder and even reached the panels of re:publica. In my opinion this is the first sign indicating that employers WILL have to confront and solve these problems OF (and WITH) their employées in order to have both parties benefiting from a employer-employée relationship in the long run.  The redistribution of workload, the support and relief of overwrought co-workers, will become subject of importance - not only internally but also in regard to the reputation of the own Employer Brand obverse the external target groups.

In the 1930's already, scientific studies and statistics of firms indicated how changed working conditions imply on labor productivity and effectivity. Social group relations and a friendly leadership especially increase such. Taking care of interpersonal relations, the human relations, moved into focus. The Human Relation Movement accrued considering the working human as social being. Maybe we are awaiting a second ripple of this very movement.


RJ

AIDA in Personnel Marketing - Simple rules simply applied?!

Translated from Jannis Tsalikis' blog entry AIDA im Personalmarketing - Einfache Werber-Regeln, einfach mal anwenden?!

Every advertisor (should) have it running in his blood, the rules above all rules for advertising communication: the AIDA principle. Applying the bases of this principle should help developing a (at least halway) good communication mean. It is so simple and nice to apply to to almost anything - of course the in Personnel Marketing, also! Let's apply the rules to the Personnel Marketing. The four bases of AIDA would look like this:
 
Attention
The applicants awareness is attracted. The mean must somehwat surprise, stick out and be visible - it gotta catch an eye or two.

Interest
The applicant starts to be interested in the advertising employer at some point and in some way. The target group should be and feel addressed to.

Desire
Going one step further, the interest in working with the employer is awakened. The wish to get the job advertised is generated and strengthened, convincing the employer.

Action
The applicant applies for the very job finally. At the „Point of Application“ applicants are endorsed applying for the job.
 
Easy, isn't it?
 
We can test this systematic with this simple example following. 
Please look at this poster below and judge by applying the prior explained rules to this very job-ad.
 

Attention? Well, yes. I would say such a big poster is hardly not to be seen. The layout, too, with its uberdimensional exclamation mark and the great combination with the questionmarks. Erm, yeah. Very fine! *cough*

Interest? Does the target group feel addressed? Now, considering in Berlin-Wedding, a district of Berlin with quite a few Teenager, one of them will be attracted to a job-ad as such while walking through the mall out of great boredom. With a lot "good will" we can put a check in the box on Interest.

Desire? Is this statement convincing? Start an apprenticeship as Hair Dresser/ Barber so you won't be bored as the job-ad promises? And appreciation? Appreciation and approval (stated in the ad) with a job that under the TOP-10 of the most unpopular jobs? The convincing reasons to apply for are definitely missing. At least now, Personnel Marketing is failing much. Quite a pity! 

AIDA in Personnel Marketing? It isn't that hard to follow those advertising rules, is it?

Work-Life-Balance was yesterday - today we embrace Work-Life-Choice

Translated from Ralf Junge's blog entry: Work-Life-Balance war gestern – wir leben heute die Work-Life-Choice

Last week the Online Start-Up Twago announced the resignation of its founder and Managing Director, Gunnar Berning. (Twago is an online project tool bringing Companies and Freelancer together by offering posted projects and profiles of Freelancer.)  At this juncture the differing views of the Managing Board as well as the Investors regarding expansions have been the crucial reason for this decision. More interesting, and shocking also, I found the news about the lay-off of another twenty to thirty employées along Bernings leaving. Considering of Twago only having sixty employées in total this is a very drastic decision.

However, this is what a job at a Start-Up often entails. At least, here in Berlin, the founder city Germany´s, it is not something of rarity. Primarily a young firm represents itself as IN, dynamic and innovative. Self-realization, flat hierarchies, responsibilty and promotion prospects are embraced vocabularies in terms of Start-Up's. It is true, naturally. The authority given is inviting much. Certainly, one can take a lot of responsibility within a short time already. That is surely a great feature on the résumé, also.

Start-Ups, nevertheless, are forefeiting their good image. More often you can hear about harsh working conditions. But why is that? In contrast to bigger companies and combines working hours in Start-Ups are significantly higher which leads back to the shortage of resources, such as work force, as well as missing structures. It feels like working without a break when being employed at a Start-Up company. Yes, it brings great responsibility to be taken, yet, a private life is often something not to even think of having. There is no Work-Life-Balance. It is more likely a Work-Life-Choice. Salaries come substantially smaller than in big and established companies. 

You might ask, why would one work at a Start-Up then anyways?! Well, everybody applying and being hired at a Start-Up usually know exactly what they are engaging in, which is why it is called Work-Life-Choice in the first place. Thus a conscious decision pro such working conditions.

It is everything BUT a boring office job with structured daily schedules and detailed processes and structures to encounter. The real charme lays in being constantly confronted with challenges anew and having the chance to create and frame the firm actively. And this most often within a young team and a great corporate culture which is based on team spirit and a great potion of motivation.

RJ