For 2023, the official IWD theme is #EmbraceEquity, because equal opportunities aren’t enough, and true equity means creating an inclusive world. Over the last three years, I have marked IWD by talking to women in the HR and recruiting industries, amplifying their voices and sharing their advice for doing the work. Here is what they had to say:

Dr. Denise Caleb, PHR, President of the HUMAN RESOURCE STANDARDS INSTITUTE, on where to start:

“Create a practice of equity within the people, processes, practices, procedures and profits of the business. This requires organizations to review the internal and external approaches to equity by placing accountability and measures of the policies and governance that guides the organizational behaviors. An organization’s work in the DEIAB space needs to be measured, systemized and follow a path of continuous improvement.”

Building on this, Daniela (Dani) Herrera, Director, Recruitment Operations and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at R/GA, talks about best practices:

“It starts with pausing and reviewing all the systems, processes and platforms we have in place in our organization so that we can design them anew – with equity, inclusion, accessibility, transparency and accountability in mind.

Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, but there are a few best practices to help your organization get started. You could, for example, ensure that you’re using inclusive language in all company communications, review your performance and salary raise processes to ensure transparent and equitable processes, deconstruct all your interview questions to identify and minimize biases and continuously work on your company benefits offerings.

Doing this work takes time, effort, flexibility and, more importantly, unwavering commitment!”

Freelance Technical Recruiter Dayna Ciarfalia on understanding how we, as individuals, factor into equity initiatives:

“Breaking biases in hiring and retention is anything but simple. A skill I’ve found to be particularly helpful in decreasing bias across the board is self-awareness.

From identifying unconscious belief systems that drive assumptions of others to snap judgements we make based on “gut” feelings, learning to challenge our beliefs, assumptions and feelings rather than accept them as truth can help mitigate bias and promote equity.”

Elliott White, Director of Recruiting and Onboarding at RemoteBridge, on creating sustainable change:

“The only way to #EmbraceEquity in the workplace is by taking an objective look at where biases already exist in your systems – because they do. Too many times, the wrong efforts are made simply for the sake of making change.

Consider this: Your team implements a tool to lessen bias in initial screenings. Every subsequent candidate then experiences vastly different questions during interviews with your company due to unconscious, or even conscious, bias from interviewers – nothing has changed. Your candidates and employees should be experiencing an honest, unified voice of equity and inclusion, encompassing everything from a job posting to an annual review. If you aren’t moving with intention, you will only ever be moving to the side, never forward.”

With regard to participation, Susan Lowe, Global Chief People & Sustainability Officer for Fuel50, shares:

“I think we often don’t talk about discrimination, whether we witness it or experience it, for a multitude of reasons. I heard a phrase last week that resonated, which I have adapted for this as

‘it’s not enough to be a non-discriminator, we must be anti-discriminators.’ We can all play an active role in forging a discrimination-free world!

I am passionate about enabling a world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive, where everyone feels that sense of belonging, even if I can only impact my own ‘backyard.’ But I believe it ‘starts at home,’ so at Fuel50, we are focused on a culture that enables everyone to thrive, especially women in the world of tech.”

Claire Fang, Chief Product officer at SEEKOUT, on flipping the script:

“Human brains like to be ‘lazy’ and make quick judgements based on our prior knowledge, bias, or expectations. To break the biases, we need to intentionally fight the ‘lazy’ brain and approach each person with curiosity and an open mind, to learn about what makes the individual special.

When evaluating women for job opportunities, we need to catch that whispering voice in our head that says, ‘she can’t handle our situation because she is too soft-spoken’ or ‘she won’t be able to handle the demanding workload because she has three young kids,’ and give women an equal chance.

Furthermore, we all need to proactively refer women for jobs, promotions, and special projects in the workplace so that we all get to see women shine in a variety of differentiating situations.”

Emphasizing the need for action, Jennifer Cobo, SVP & Global Head of Enterprise Transformation and Cloud Modernization for Virtusa, offers:

“Equity is not about fulfilling a basic need but understanding unique requirements and providing the exact resources to succeed. Equity paves the way for achieving your goals and preparing for success.

This IWD, in efforts to close the gap in gender equity, Virtusa orchestrated the Engineering Equity Hackathon – ‘a hackathon made for her.’ The hackathon aims to address and solve societal problems by creating a platform for women STEM students to develop solutions that directly address the challenges they face in technology. The event also provides mentoring, training, certifications, scholarship, and job opportunities.

With this contest, we intend to drive gender equality by empowering women to take charge of their careers and providing tools to enhance their talent. We also hope this event sets an example for the industry and inspires other companies to take action in establishing their own gender equality initiatives.”

Katrina Purcell, Chief of Staff at Harri, on the culture connection:

“Diversity of thought breeds better outcomes for employees and the organization. When an organization creates and fosters an environment of psychological safety – where employees can have open and honest conversations about passions and life choices on a professional and personal level – it provides the opportunity to discover commonalities across generations and career areas and connect on a deeper, more meaningful level.”

And finally, Ayishah F. Williams, MBA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Director, People & Culture at Sounding Board, on recognizing the humanity of it all:

“I am a huge proponent of holistic HR. When practiced consistently, it ensures that you embrace equity because you hire human beings. We need to understand that we get the whole person at work and embrace everything that comes with it. Understanding the needs of your entire employee population, being able to connect and address their specific wants and goals, and then providing services and programs that support them is a holistic HR leader’s primary function in today’s changeable, disruptive marketplace.”

From choosing to challenge to breaking the bias, the annual occurrence of International Women’s Day reminds us that we need to continue to raise awareness and find new ways to take action within our spheres of influence. No matter your role, experience, or gender, we all have a part to play, and I hope this article offered inspiration to help you embrace equity in your workplace this year.

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The Job Posting

While not a scientific claim, it is my experience that nine times out of ten, job posts follow the same format. Plug and play the following information: job title, organization name, location, employment type, a brief overview of the position, more detailed requirements and responsibilities in the form of too many bullet points and finish with the perfunctory EEOC/legal language.

While there’s nothing wrong with the information included, it’s not necessarily what candidates want to know, especially when there’s ample evidence that certain job seekers (read: women) are less likely to apply if they aren’t a perfect match.  

Women are less likely to apply if they aren’t a perfect match.

Most articles say this stems from a confidence gap, and while that’s probably true in many instances, there’s also the matter of time. It takes candidates time to find and read through job postings, prepare their resume and cover letter and complete the application. Why bother taking the time if the job posting isn’t a fit? Why bother if the job posting doesn’t tell a story they can be a part of?

Related to the job posting is the matter of pay transparency. Some states have enacted laws requiring that employers put salary information in the job post. Employers in some of these states have hit back by looking for workers in other locations.

Weird flex, but I get it. Some of the HR and TA leaders I’ve talked to express concern about sharing salary in the job post because the organization might not be seen as competitive. To which I usually ask a few questions: Is the pay fair? Is pay the whole story? What more does the organization have to offer? 

Value

Value goes beyond monetary rewards, and it plays a significant role in what candidates want. From the second they engage, they want to feel valued and with job posts, that means going beyond the cursory details to show them where they might fit within the organization.

Once they’ve applied, value comes in the form of open communication. That doesn’t mean they expect flawlessness. It means they expect humanity. Candidates will make typos on their resumes and show up late to interviews. Recruiters will forget to send an update on Friday afternoon or get delayed by a hiring manager who wants to see just one more candidate before they make a decision. In today’s job market, candidates often say, “It has to be worth my while.” 

Showing grace from the get-go helps to ensure candidates feel supported. It’s when the position is full-time in office at $200K, and the candidate wants to be remote at $300K, and the process was supposed to involve three interviews and take three weeks but drags on for months that it becomes a problem.

It might appear the candidate is being picky, and perhaps they are; this is a big decision for them too. And yes, while they sometimes enter into the process with a chip on their shoulder due to previous work traumas, it is possible to get on the same page by listening and setting expectations.

What’s behind the curtain? Is there really a wizard? 

Hiring is messy, and while there seems to be this belief that somewhere, somehow, there is a magical organization that has it all figured out. That’s simply not true. It ebbs and flows, following an unpredictable job market that makes it impossible to “future-proof” anything. Likewise, technologies and trends come and go, and at this point, I’m sure most would agree the robot recruiter narrative has gone on for far too long.

The challenge is that resources are limited, and having meaningful conversations about what candidates want requires individual interaction rather than relying on hearsay, generational stereotypes or unreliable research. 

The best outcomes happen when recruiters and candidates align, when recruiters cut through the noise to see candidates as real people looking to improve their lives through their work. Instead of generalizing, or judging candidate expectations, work to understand and level set.

Gaps will always exist because everyone wants better for themselves, recruiters included. And isn’t it great when that’s what’s delivered?  

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1. 1. They’ve heard about the rest of us. Gen Z is keenly aware of the generational divides plaguing the workplace, from Boomer on down. They have heard about it their whole lives and understand that it freaks employers out. The New York Times even published a piece titled “The 37-Year-Olds Are Afraid of the 23-Year-Olds Who Work for Them.” This level of consciousness empowers Gen Z job seekers and gives them an advantage in hiring scenarios where they know they’re needed. 
   2. That don’t impress them much. During the pandemic, as the balance of youth power shifted from Millennial to Gen Z, the latter took a stance against the former. Gen Z went after their predecessors on social media, sharing their thoughts about everything from Harry Potter fandom to hairstyles. While this may seem unrelated to recruiting, it demonstrates an astutely observational nature and willingness to share opinions. Both of which fall firmly under the umbrella of “soft skills.” 
   3. They’ve lost out but won’t anymore. With everything Gen Z witnessed over the last two years, it’s no wonder that nearly half (46%) of survey respondents admitted to being stressed or anxious most or all of the time. They don’t want work to make that worse. Says content creator DeAndre Brown, “I wouldn’t necessarily say that as a Gen Z [worker], we’re spoiled. I just say that we’re doing what everyone else should have been doing a long time ago: setting strict boundaries at work. In the past, it’s more that you’re working for the company and now [Gen Z] has an approach where the company is working for us.”
   4. They don’t have the same experiences. Hiring managers and stakeholders love to appraise candidates on nebulous factors like “gravitas,” much to the chagrin of recruiters. With Gen Z specifically, these job seekers haven’t necessarily worked in an office before. Heck, some of them have barely stepped foot in a classroom, let alone a trade show floor or business dinner. The difference between business casual and casual Friday might not resonate, and that doesn’t mean they’re not ready, willing and able to get the job done. 
   5. Because they get what’s going on, they also see the role they play. Gen Z is keyed in on a number of issues, and as Deloitte noted, “They’re tired of waiting for change to happen and are taking action to hold others accountable. But they understand their actions as individuals can only do so much to reverse climate change, create pay and wealth equity, and end racism and bigotry. They want organizations to work together – governments, education systems and business – to drive change on a much broader scale.” 
   6. Digital natives or not, there’s no one way to communicate. Even though there’s plenty of evidence that confirms Gen Z loves to multitask on different devices, they don’t necessarily want you to lump them together just because they like their screens. Rather than assume anything about these candidates, the recruiting process needs to ask them about their preferences. The first step in personalization is the person, and when it comes to finding a job, Gen Z expects nothing less. 

Perhaps the most important thing to note about Gen Z is that they aren’t afraid to use what they know – and compared to most generations (Millennials included), they seem to know their fair share. They are entering into the job market with well-defined ideas about what they want and need from their potential employers – and they aren’t going to settle for the way things were before. Why should they? We’ve seen how well that worked for … other generations. 

But rather than try and fit everyone born from 1997 to 2012 into the same box, let’s use this opportunity to build processes that appreciate whole people. Let’s cut the young folks some slack, allow them to job hop without judgment and make a type or two on their resume. They may even teach the rest of us a lesson or two along the way. 

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For 2022, the theme of International Women’s Day is #BreakTheBias, and though we’re only beginning to understand the full impact of the pandemic on the workforce, research indicates that women bore the brunt. With that in mind, I asked women from across the HR and recruiting space to offer thoughts on what employers can do to #BreakTheBias in their recruiting and retention efforts. 

Christine Tao, co-founder and CEO of Sounding Board, on sharing personal experiences: “When I was fundraising, an investor I had gotten pretty far in the process with told one of my existing investors he didn’t think I was aggressive enough.

My natural style is not overly aggressive, but I am highly competitive and ambitious. I was lucky that my existing investor immediately shared some stats about how I had established more than 70% market share in my previous job in a hugely competitive market with lots of competitors.

But not everyone is so lucky to have someone defend them or call out bias on their behalf. Stories like these happen to women and POC every day. While it’s the overt prejudice or stereotyping that gets called out, the everyday, hidden biases are what continue to hold us back.

The more we can bring these to the surface and name them, the more likely it is that we can start to break these biases and create a more even playing field for us all.”

Lorna Hagen, chief people officer at Guild Education, offered thoughts on the role leaders play: “Breaking the bias starts with your executive team understanding and believing why this is important. It’s important and impactful to your company. It’s also the right thing to do.

Only then can you clearly define what inclusive hiring practices are. Beyond the signed offer letters, companies need programs and training in place to combat bias and build a sense of community, belonging, and inclusion. Through parity, clarity and, most importantly, listening, the people function can shape a workforce representative of the diverse stakeholders it serves, and create space for culture additions who feel they truly belong.”

Deborrah Ashley, founder of Thrivoo Marketing, suggested ways to get more women to apply: “The first thing to consider when hiring is your job posting. The language you use in your job postings can influence the candidates who apply for your role.

It’s really important to make sure you’re using language that encourages a diverse applicant pool. Instead of saying you value diversity and inclusivity in the job description, describe the company culture on your LinkedIn company page. By describing your company as a place that values diversity, you’ll attract applicants who share those core values.

Once you have your job listed on LinkedIn, share the position in a LinkedIn post and encourage your women employees (having an employee advocacy program makes this seamless) to share it with their networks. This way, you’re getting beyond the existing recommendations on your page, which are likely influenced by unconscious bias as well.”

Jill Stutzman-Deaner, vice president of customer success at HiringSolved, proposed this rethink: “A recent Nature: Human Behavior study found that a slightly extended shortlist of six candidates, rather than three, resulted in a 33% increase in the addition of women. This is an incredibly simple way to increase gender equity in hiring without a massive change to resources or budget.

I love this suggestion because it allows the recruiters to remain in control of the efforts toward gender equity. It can feel like, as a recruiter, you don’t have a ton of power because you’re ultimately trying to please an outside hiring manager. But you can take the step yourself to break the bias by giving yourself the power to be a champion for women candidates.”

Christy Spilka, vice president of talent acquisition, iCIMS, dug into the overall process: “When it’s time for the interviews, build a diverse slate of interviewers to strategically include a broader base of perspectives. Provide each interviewer with focus areas and standardize the feedback process. Gather feedback from each interviewer individually prior to team debrief conversations to reduce groupthink. ATS feedback forms can be a great way to do this.

Analyze your hiring data to continually optimize your processes. Do you have a lack of female applicants for certain roles? You may need to re-visit those job postings and/or evaluate your talent attraction and sourcing strategy.

Consider showcasing videos from employees across multiple dimensions of diversity sharing how your company supports work/life balance, an engaging and inclusive culture and day in the life. Continuously check your performance and pivot as needed.”

Adriana Herrera, founder of PayDestiny, emphasized the importance of systems that promote equity and belonging: “Feeling overlooked for career growth opportunities and under-compensated results in unhappy employees that voluntarily turn over.

Every year U.S. businesses lose over a trillion dollars due to turnover, (approximately half of which is voluntary). During the pandemic, men were promoted three times more than their women counterparts. 

To recruit and retain women workers, companies need to recognize the economic value of women workers who voluntarily turn over and build their systemic organizational capacity to compensate and promote women fairly.

An easy way to make women workers feel appreciated is to establish transparent data-driven pay matrices and promotion processes. When every team member knows that their value to the company and their team is based on market data and an equal assessment of their performance rather than a perception of their value (based on who they are), their level of work satisfaction and happiness increases. This is because compensation and career growth opportunities are standardized, creating a level playing field for all employees.”

Addie Swartz, CEO of reacHIRE, underscored how employers can support women workers, no matter where they are in their journey: “For decades women who have taken breaks have faced significant challenges returning to work, including unrealistic job requirements, unconscious bias toward career breaks or older workers.

And now, given a record number of job openings, forward-thinking employers are seeking alternative talent pools – including hiring women returning from career breaks through returnship programs. Employers can #BreaktheBias surrounding career breaks by seeing candidates’ skills and experience, not their resume gap.

Likewise, given the shift to hybrid work, recent data shows that employees who choose to continue working remotely – as is the case for many women – face bias when it comes to advancement opportunities.

To #BreaktheBias and drive retention among women, companies need to be more intentional about offering all women – not just high-potential employees – virtual tools and resources to build meaningful relationships, gain expert, in-the-moment career advice and develop their skills. Such resources empower women to have a supportive community focused on career growth, leadership, sharing stories and working together to seize opportunities and overcome challenges.

Tracey Parsons, CEO of WORQDRIVE, summed up the obstacles left to overcome: “Right now, we really need to be doing more to keep our current employees engaged and frankly, we need to let go. Letting go, for me, is the best way to #BreaktheBias.

We need to let go of our preconceived notions of the people on our teams, their skills and what they are capable of. I’ve seen this firsthand. While I may be known as a recruitment marketing professional, I am also a software developer. How many of these hidden skills are in your own company?

When we #BreaktheBias, when we let go, we can start to see our people as multifaceted, multidimensional people. And when we let go and see this, we can start elevating people based on their skills, not their facetime, favorability or ability to talk louder.”

Reflecting on where we were a year ago, it’s clear that changes are taking place— some good, some bad, some still to be determined. But we can’t #BreakTheBias this International Women’s Day without action. So how will you help?  

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If you attended the 2021 HR Technology Conference, you already know that this cringe-worthy turn of phrase would make for a dangerous drinking game, based on the number of times it was repeated throughout the week.

The problem with the Great Resignation is that it goes deeper than the blatant abuse of branding. It’s distracting from a much larger issue – there’s a labor uprising taking place. Now, usually, when we think about uprisings, our minds wander to images of Jean Valjean in Les Miserables, newsies singing about “papes” or soot-covered workers striking in the streets. 

In the words of Gil Scott Heron, the revolution will not be televised. What’s happening with today’s workforce is less overt but just as real, and here’s why: The pandemic forced the collective realization that we can’t continue to work under the conditions we’ve created. Read that again.

We created these conditions – conditions that left workers with few choices and even less autonomy. Employers expected engagement with minimal benefit to employees beyond basic survival. The global health crisis only exacerbated an already dire situation – to the extent that some workers had to choose between their health and safety and paying bills. It’s a modern-day struggle akin to the battle between the bourgeoisie and proletariat. 

So why are we overlooking what’s really going on? For one thing, we keep hearing from the wrong voices. Much of the Great Resignation storyline quotes the C-Suite, rather than workers, organizers, recruiters or HR professionals.

Case in point: A recent spate of articles that featured insights from Dropbox CEO Drew Houston. The coverage pointed to a speech Houston gave about the end of the 40-hour workweek, where he said, “The workplace will now be wherever work happens, and the workweek will be whenever work happens best for each person.” 

There’s a lot of context missing here, with Houston’s comments geared toward knowledge workers, the folks who can work from anywhere, anytime and don’t apply to trade or service industry jobs. But worse, these comments intentionally exclude the majority of the workforce impacted by the so-called Great Resignation, and that’s a problem. No wonder there’s a revolt in progress – subtle as it may be. 

A recent Vox piece attempted to reframe the resignation narrative, citing Tim Brackney’s opinion that we’re experiencing a “great mismatch” in terms of desires, experience and skills. Brackney is president and COO of a management consulting firm, and while his take gets us a little closer to what’s going on, it’s not quite right. If Houston was too narrow, Brackney is too broad. At the conference, Marcus Buckingham presented the “Great HR Reset and Reinvention,” while Ben Eubanks called it the “Great Reprioritzation.” 

The reality of this moment is somewhere between these expressions, representative of the need to disconnect work from life. Does that make this the “great disconnect?” No. The disconnect has existed for decades, the struggle to separate our work from our worth is nothing new – the pandemic is simply the agitator. 

So, while women are giving up their careers, men are opting out of college and people everywhere are checked out or burned out, all the C-Suite can talk about is how people resigning affects their organizations. Further complicating matters is what candidates know and understand about the use of technology in the workplace, particularly in hiring.

Headlines like “Automated-hiring systems are excluding many people from job discussions at a time when additional employees are desperately needed” are contributing to the idea that it’s us vs. them, employer vs. employee, recruiter vs. job seeker. Some within talent acquisition are rallying against this – likely why we heard little about AI at this year’s conference. There’s a need to connect and protect, and that requires more humanity. 

How the world worked before 2020 is no longer relevant, and most employers are struggling to come to terms with that. At the core of what’s going on, the problems remain the same. It’s that disconnect that’s growing faster. In practice, the technologies we use for recruiting, retention, culture, engagement, experience and so on are all good and well if people’s needs get met. If we fail to establish a solid base, the entire structure will fall, and fixating on the Great Whatever feels like one more wave that will wipe us out. 

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This three-part eBook looks at what’s next for human resources and talent acquisition. Part one makes a case for 2021 as HR’s moment of radical praxis, part two for rebuilding the relationship with TA, and part three for recentering what functions as the heart of organizations.

Inside the Cover

1. Radical Praxis: What Happens When HR Gets Rehired?
2. Radical Empathy: A New Relationship for HR and Recruiting
3. Radical Flexibility: The Great ReawakeningAbout the authors

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If you’ve made it this far, you know that we have egos, and not just us (though certainly us, too), but everyone. These egos influence us and the way we interact with people around us. Sometimes our egos go undetected, minding their business and letting us go about our days.

Other times, they cloud our judgment and make it impossible to act objectively or even rationally. While we believe that ego is primarily an individual issue, one that we ultimately control, it can also manifest on a larger level.

The HR echo chamber is a prime example, one where the majority of the ideas come from a few folks at the top that bounce around and around and around. Now, to be perfectly clear, we’re not here to attack any one person, organization, or association. That’s not our style.

The HR and TA industries are rich with resources. We’re writing this in one such destination, grateful to have the platform. But we have noticed ego often creeps into the conversations surrounding these spaces, both from the people doing the resourcing and those absorbing and putting the information into practice.

So, What’s the Problem?

The concept of an echo chamber comes from media studies, and while definitions vary, the basic theory is that these are environments where opinions and beliefs get reinforced through repeated interactions with peers or sources who have similar tendencies and attitudes.

In practice, that means reading and re-reading similar stories, listening to similar presentations, and internalizing similar thoughts from the same thought leaders until you consider their word to be the final truth. We see the effects of this with some of HR and TA’s more rigid mentalities.

This is not to say that the information out there is bad. But the ego associated with the HR and TA echo chamber has led to the idealization and adoration of some over others, directly challenging the growth and expansion of ideas. At a time when many are looking to move the needle on initiatives such as diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, we have to challenge the status quo.

That isn’t comfortable for some egos, and that’s the point. The same old doesn’t cut it anymore.

It’s up to HR and TA to shake off their egos and develop resources outside of said echo chamber – resources full of new or even dissenting ideas and opinions.  

But What Else is There?

We’re here to advocate for a more flexible sentiment. We want to hear from up-and-coming voices and explore content that exists outside the immediate landscape. Doing this supports both unlearning and gaining a broader understanding of what surrounds you. It also helps you overcome your ego and bring a fresh perspective back to HR and TA.

Where to start? Micole Garatti, Marketing Director at Fairygodboss, recently said, “Be the person in the room who constantly brings up other people who should also be in the room.” Think about that because it requires humility and the ability to actively listen to, recognize, and amplify the thoughts of others.

That can be a big ask of our egos. But what impact could you have on those around you by merely introducing them to someone else? Seeking out people who think differently than you do, who challenge your mindset, is a small step in an entirely new direction. You might already know these people and just haven’t thought of them in this context.

They could be hiring managers, marketing, legal, even your CEO. Why not step outside the HR and TA comfort zone to invite others in?

Likewise, look for adjacent content. We send one another things we find interesting almost every week. Very few have anything to do with HR or TA directly. Not long ago, this meant an episode of the podcast, Call Your Girlfriend, about burnout that talked at length about what’s behind the façade of success and ambition.

The episode was mostly about workplace issues, even though the hosts consider themselves a journalist and a businesswoman, respectively.

You might be questioning the relevance of certifications or continuing education from one organization versus another. Know that you have options. You don’t have to follow a set course because it’s what someone, somewhere recommended.

In the same vein, you might aspire to become an influencer, wondering why you see the same people on these lists, year in and year out. Recognize that what worked for them likely might not work for you. Blogs don’t have the same pull in 2021 that they did in 2011. Everyone has a podcast now, and many think Clubhouse is the new Twitter.

Maybe that means this is your chance to revolutionize HR and TA on TikTok. You get to decide. Just don’t let the fame go to your head, OK?

Ego surrounds each of us, and in professions that rely on engaging other humans, egos get magnified. To cut through the noise of the echo chamber and find your true voice, you need to get quiet and listen. Drop any and all doubt and silence your inner critic by listening hard to yourself – and to others.

Foster self-trust by acknowledging you don’t have all the answers and neither does anyone else. At the same time, adopt a mindset of mental liquidity, which enables you to quickly change your mind without being stuck on a particular worldview.

The point is to get familiar with your ego, where it comes from, how it infiltrates your work and shapes your way of thinking.

We think HR and TA owe it to themselves to unlearn, to dismantle the ego in, out, and all around the space. That’s why we’re here to pose this challenge. We’re ready to take this journey, growing pains and all. Are you?

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Ego impacts the way we see the world around us. It influences how we perceive threats, challenges, and opportunities. And whether we realize it or not, ego clouds the judgment of HR and TA on a daily basis. This is not a criticism so much as an observation and a concept we explored in-depth in the first part of this series.

For this part, we’re going to carry the conversation forward and look at what happens when ego intervenes in HR and TA’s interactions with other audiences.

But first, Nietzsche:

“What damages a person most is to work, think, and feel without inner necessity, without any deep personal desire, without pleasure—as a mere automaton of duty.”

Now, read that last part again. What did you see first – automaton or automation? We talk a lot about automating HR and TA, allowing these functions to free up time in their day, to improve speed and efficiency.

And while automation absolutely works to the benefit of HR and TA, it doesn’t solve for what’s happening internally – for being automatons.

By many accounts, HR and TA have spent the last year just trying to get the work done. They were told to do more with less and to do it now. Given that HR and TA partner with others, these pros have found themselves in precarious and unenviable positions.

That’s not necessarily new, so much as it’s gotten worse. The blame and shame game has led to increased finger-pointing – at hiring managers, at candidates, at leadership – and intensified feels of loneliness, inner turmoil, and defensiveness.

More often than not, this plays out as ego on the part of the HR and TA pros, tasked with justifying their actions and expertise at every turn. But defense mechanisms aren’t the answer, and sometimes the only way out is through.

Mending Fences

You’ve probably heard about Clubhouse, the audio-only chat-based social network. HR and TA took to the app almost instantly, launching rooms and having conversations about everything from robots inside the ATS to griping about hiring managers. The nice part about these off-the-cuff discussions is that people from across the space have a platform to share their experiences.

Listen in, and you’ll realize that ego creeps in pretty quickly as some get louder and more aggressive and others jockey for the opportunity to demonstrate their expertise. Even in a room with like-minded professionals, HR and TA still feel the need to prove their worthiness.

There are four possible responses to most scenarios – fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. Since flight might imply weakness and freeze could infer incompetence, the ego of HR and TA tend to go with either fight or fawn, depending on the threat at hand. But what typically comes across to the other party is insecurity.

Insecurity leads to discomfort, discomfort to miscommunication, miscommunication to misalignment, and the issues pile up from there. How do we help HR and TA persevere? We make it OK to be vulnerable. We make it OK to be human. And we start to mend fences with the other side.

Improving Communication

We’ve talked about the challenge of silos and the “us versus them” mentality before but not in terms of finding a solution – and certainly not through the lens of ego. And at the end of the day, it’s these gaps that create the tension and cause ego-driven reactions.

Going back to Clubhouse for a moment, one thing we repeatedly hear in HR and TA rooms is that “we’re speaking different languages.” It’s the Tower of Babel, and it’s up to HR and TA to bridge the divide and make sure everyone is on the same team.

It’s nearly impossible to predict or control external variables, so much of this work needs to come from within HR and TA. That means learning to understand our egos and use them to our advantage, through active listening and effective communication.

Both require discipline, practice, and taking comfort in our own discomfort. Adam Grant recently shared, “Vulnerability is not the opposite of resilience. Vulnerability builds resilience. Projecting perfection protects your ego but shuts people out and stunts your growth. Revealing struggles shows humility and humanity, opening the door to new sources of support and strength.”

Rather than keep pointing fingers or making excuses, HR and TA need to drop the façade, within this space and out. There is nothing perfect about working with other humans, day in and day out. Humans are, by nature, flawed creatures. Pretending otherwise is how we become that “mere automaton of duty.”

The post Dismantling the HR Ego: Collaborating with External Skeptics appeared first on RecruitingDaily.

We recently talked about what’s next for HR and TA, and in doing so, we realized that we might be getting a little ahead of ourselves. Like the rest of the world, we’re eager for those next steps, a return to “normal,” or at the very least a life that vaguely resembles the “before times.”

The truth is that many in HR and TA are burned out, and if they’re not there yet, they’re well on their way. As a result, these spaces have become contentious – a hotbed of infighting that goes beyond Twitter and LinkedIn.

HR and TA professionals are tired. Tired of doing more with less, tired of solving everyone else’s problems without outside support, and frankly, tired of each other. Of course, a lot of these feelings actually pre-date the pandemic, an experience that’s only exacerbated the situation.

We’re talking about years of blame and shame, unhealthy behaviors and unchecked biases, defensiveness, resistance to feedback – and that’s just what’s going on inside.

The issue is how these internalized struggles present, and often it comes across as ego. Sure, some will say we’re wrong, that there is no ego, just insecurity, but even insecurity sometimes masquerades as arrogance or, worse, indifference.

How We Got Here

There are a few ways to talk about ego. We can look at it in the Freudian psychoanalytical sense, where ego serves as the mediator between the person and reality. That echoes the function of HR and TA, which work as mediators, sitting between the organization and its audience, typically employees or job seekers.

Or we can take a more philosophical approach and see ego as the self of self-consciousness of self-reflection, which also applies because here’s the thing: everyone has an ego. It is a driving force for human beings, whether we realize it or not. As Cy Wakeman advises, it’s when we accept and get to know our ego and how it distorts our thinking that we’re able to overcome its challenges.

In the past, HR and TA often found themselves stuck in a fixed mindset, mired in ‘that’s the way we’ve always done it‘ thinking. A never-ending list of demands meant these pros constantly felt the pressure to demonstrate their worth to their organization and audience.

That’s not to say HR and TA didn’t want to be strategic and innovative but getting stuck in the weeds kept them in one place while the world around them evolved.

Over the last decade or so, organizations grew flatter, and job seekers grew more empowered. Technology and automation entered into the conversation, a threat to some and a boon to others. Compensation and benefits became freely discussed between coworkers.

Work took a turn for the transparent, but what’s unclear is if HR and TA were psychologically prepared for the shift.

Even so, HR and TA certainly saw what was happening, absorbing and observing. That why we’ve heard the desired ‘seat the table’ diatribe repeated over and over again. The convergence of internal struggles and an external evolution forced HR and TA into an awkward – often uncomfortable – spot, so it’s no surprise that we see self-protection in the form of egocentrism as the outfall.

How We Move Forward

Dave Ulrich recently wrote, “For decades, all of us in the human capital profession have relied on best practice logic…But using best practices falls short when human capital issues become ever more central to changing business conditions.”

That’s where we stand now, so what can we do about the damage done to the HR and TA psyche? We can understand how the state of HR and TA informs everyday actions and decisions. We can find new ways to resolve what HR and TA feel on the inside. Some say they’ve been lumped together, others siloed.

Some feel lonely, others hyperconnected. Almost no one has the support they need, and nearly everyone has questions about where the function should report and how it advances.

Tech is a great example, given the reticence by many to adopt solutions designed to support and not supplant. If and when HR or TA moves to implement tech, do they have the power or budget to decide? Does the CFO or CEO always need to get involved?

Training is another example. Who is coaching HR and TA through this? What’s the hang-up? Do HR and TA not feel ready to embrace new technologies or opportunities to develop? Do they feel threatened by newness? Is ego blurring their vision?

HR and TA are trapped in a cycle that’s creating a disillusioned population of professionals, doubtful of their own expertise and without the toolkit to succeed.

The frustration is both palpable and justified. Ulrich says that “now is the time for HR to reinvent itself by moving beyond benchmarking and best practices to guidance.” While that may be true, it won’t fix what’s broken on the inside. And for that, there is no sweeping statement or easy answer.

Instead, there’s the admission that there’s work to do inside the house first. That looking inward and accepting ego’s influence will help HR and TA evolve to a future state.

The post Dismantling the HR Ego: Escaping the Internal Demons appeared first on RecruitingDaily.

But even though the introduction of vaccines is causing a renewed sense of hope and optimism, we’re not out of the woods yet – and parents will probably be the first to tell you that. Though the last year and then some have been trying for most folks, parents faced the unenviable task of balancing priorities without much in terms of support.

Organizations that previously provided perks like childcare and on-site fitness facilities shuttered. Daycares and schools bounced from remote to in-person and back again. Colleges required the careful orchestration of on-campus living, off-campus learning, and continual testing to try and keep students safe.

Caught somewhere in the middle of this were the parents, just trying to keep going.    

For some, the work-life integration act turned flaming tightrope walk proved to be too much. And in turn, a considerable number of parents, particularly women, left the workforce entirely.

However, this devastating loss shined a light on deep-seated issues affecting working parents – and what some companies have done to support these employees.

Parent-Friendly Programming

When COVID started spreading and lockdowns took effect worldwide, the CEO of MURAL, a digital workspace for visual collaboration, reached out to Head of Culture and Collaboration Laïla von Alvensleben and asked what the company could do for employees juggling work and homeschooling their children.

Recognizing the need to keep kids both entertained and educated, MURAL moved quickly to develop a homeschool program as an extracurricular activity. The program delivered weekly resources focused on specific themes to keep children engaged and offer parents some of the structure missing from their routines.

Partnering with bilingual content creators, MURAL stood up the program in one week, with options for children of different ages. von Alvensleben commented,

“The parents were really grateful. That’s the first word that comes to mind. And they were excited too. I think it helped parents feel a little less overwhelmed while they were juggling so many other things and so many changes.”

Communication Expectations

Doist, the company behind the productivity app, Todoist, and communication app, Twist, has been remote for over a decade, shared Brenna Loury, Head of Marketing. As such, she explained, Doist has perfected a set of tools and workflows that support remote work and built a culture based around asynchronous communication.

Loury said, “We’ve been operating under this type of methodology forever. That gives our team members, no matter their circumstances, the flexibility to never feel like they have to respond immediately. We’ve always had a company policy that you should respond within 24 hours, but even that’s pretty loose.”

She continued, “Building a team culture around asynchronous communication is really the best practice that companies should aim for. That way, you’re giving parents the opportunity to act like parents, allowing them to work odd hours and when they have a moment free. Then they’re not feeling this immense pressure to respond in real-time.”

Autonomy for All

Over the last year, we’ve heard endless talk about resilience, agility, flexibility, adaptability, and the like. But it isn’t easy to find the time to build these out when you’re one person just trying to get through the day. That’s why much of this conversation goes back to what employers can do for their workforce.

In the case of MURAL and Doist, both organizations empower parents through autonomy.

Beyond the homeschool offering, MURAL also created content about identifying the symptoms of burnout and introduced an Employee Assistance Program to connect employees with the support they need when they need it. von Alvensleben said, “We wanted to help managers understand how to identify burnout in a preventative way. We also opened this up to other employees just to help them understand their own wellbeing, both mental and physical.”

As a remote-first company, Doist spent much of the last year reinforcing its commitment to autonomy.

Loury noted, “I think it’s a huge mentality shift for a lot of people. But I think the sooner companies adopt this mentality, the faster the parents on their team will be able to work more efficiently. This isn’t just for parents but for the wellbeing and productivity of everybody on the team.”

She offered, “Instead of these crazy tactics of monitoring if people are at their desk or having people check-in at certain hours of the day, you should optimize their workflows to see, did this person commit to what they said they were going to commit to? Are they reaching their deadlines?

It’s pretty clear when that’s not happening and when that becomes a pattern of behavior. We’re talking about a lot of big mentality and cultural shifts. I recognize that that doesn’t necessarily happen overnight, but companies can take baby steps in this direction and ultimately convert their culture to a culture of trust.”

The post Work From Home and the Impact on Parenting appeared first on RecruitingDaily.

In support of this, I asked women from across the HR and recruiting space to offer advice or “challenges” to their fellow business leaders.

Challenges that will help keep women in the workforce, or alternatively, work to bring them back following the ongoing exodus. Here are their responses (alphabetically, by last name):

Rocki Howard, Chief Diversity Officer at SmartRecruiters, says,

 “Assess opportunities and embrace flexibility. Does your role actually require a full-time person, one person, or a person to work “regular” hours?

Does it matter if someone submits the P&L at 9:00 am or 9:00 pm, assuming it is submitted on time? Challenge your organization to find ways to create outcome-based opportunities, the ability to work during non-traditional hours, or job share.

These options could open opportunities for a diverse set of talented women while adding value to the company.”

Jeanette Leeds, Managing Director and Head of Americas at Oleeo, offers,

“Seriously focus on opening up the pathway back for women who have opted out of the workforce.

There is an amazing untapped talent pool that is just waiting to be accessed – you have to keep in mind there may be a need for flexible or part-time roles – which is even more doable than ever from a business perspective with the world of work now changed by COVID-19.

Even before COVID, I hired incredibly talented women on my team – from marketing to finance to HR – they were ready to return to the workforce, and all were rock stars. Complete win/win situation for everyone.” 

Caitlin MacGregor, CEO of Plum, thinks, 

“To help people and businesses meet the challenges of our new working reality, we have to put people in jobs that align with their unique talents. 

People thrive at work when they are in roles that play to their natural strengths, and this is key for keeping women in the workforce.

Working in a role that drains you becomes nearly impossible when you’re facing the demands of caregiving, especially in this pandemic.”

Monique Mendoza, Recruiting Lead at Humanly, explains, 

“To help hire more women at an organization, hiring managers can start by cutting out nonessential qualifications off of job descriptions.

Studies show that women tend to only apply to roles where they meet all of the qualifications, while men are likely to apply to roles even if they only meet a fraction of the listed qualifications.

Shortening the list to just the crucial requirements for the role will likely attract more female applicants.”

Talent acquisition consultant and founder of How to Level Up Rhona Pierce believes,

“One of the main things leaders can do to keep women in the workplace is to be intentional about advocating for us.

Don’t just leave this up to HR and DE&I practitioners. Most of the initiatives around advocating for women in the workplace teach women to advocate for themselves, and that’s great, but what we really need is a culture where everyone is empowered to call out unfair treatment, lack of opportunities, pay inequality, etc.”

Jay Polaki, founder and CEO of HR Geckos, comments,

“Women have consistently shown up during this crisis and led with grit and determination, pivoting when and where needed with great dexterity, proving they are better leaders in a crisis.

To keep women from leaving the workplace, leaders should reciprocate and advocate for their female workforce while ensuring that such advocacy aligns with the person’s abilities and offerings during these unpredictable times. Meeting women where they are and providing resources to help them remain engaged and motivated in the work they are doing is key.”

Polaki continues, “Scheduling and flexibility have always been a challenge for women in the workplace who have myriad responsibilities outside of work. Working with women’s schedules, especially with women of color who have suffered the highest job losses and will be slower to recover, is paramount.

By addressing the “why?” and the “what’s in it for me” (WIIFM) for women in a workplace with competing priorities, leaders can begin to ensure women employees are getting meaning out of their work and thus remain engaged and active.

For instance, if you are in the healthcare industry, ask your women workforce to think about how their work impacts not just the patients they serve but the community they live in. Helping them derive meaning from their work will galvanize the women in your workforce to stay engaged and remain with your organization.”

HR consultant Tamara M Rasberry, SHRM-CP, PHR, of Rasberry Consulting, writes,

“FLEXIBILITY IS KEY. Working women have so many competing needs and responsibilities, from self-care to childcare to elder care and everything in between.

Leaders wanting to attract and/or retain women employees need to understand the importance of allowing them the flexibility to be successful in all aspects of their life, not just work.

That includes generous PTO as well as remote work and other flexible work options.”  

Jennifer Ravalli, Vice President, Marketing at PandoLogic, presents two challenges.

The first for when women return to work after having a child, “Prepare for this just like you would a new hire. Give her a mentor that has been through it to talk to openly, make sure all of her systems work, orient her to what has changed, stayed the same, and where you need her to focus.

Work together on an achievable 90-day plan, so she feels confident re-entering and taking back her responsibilities.”

For the second, Ravalli speaks to workload and achievement, “According to the 2018 Hive Gender Study, women are assigned more of the work (54.9%) and complete 10% more than men.

I challenge leaders to make sure that the work being assigned to women is equally as promotable as the work being assigned to men.”

Amy Roy, Chief People Officer at Namely, shares, 

“The challenge for leaders, is to find compelling reasons for keeping women in the workplace.

What programs do you offer that appeal to the needs of women? Do you offer specific coaching or mentoring opportunities? A safe space to discuss the needs of women in the workplace. Benefits, perks, and/or flexible scheduling?”

Roy continues, “Talk to the employees who associate as female and see what they value and if what you are offering matches what’s valued.

Do your company values and culture support the needs of women in the workplace? For example, if you value the employee experience, what do you offer that support working women who are often the primary caregiver in their homes?”

In Closing

It’s evident in reading these thoughts, that we’re overdue for meaningful change in the workplace. Change that recognizes the work women do and the value they provide. Change that promotes flexibility and destigmatizes having responsibilities that extend outside office hours.

In closing, one more challenge, after today, and after the end of Women’s History Month, what will do you to change work for good?

The post IWD 2021 #ChooseToChallenge: Supporting Women in the Workplace appeared first on RecruitingDaily.

The Great Reawakening

If we’ve learned anything over the last year, it’s that the “doing things the way we’ve always done them” fixes absolutely nothing. Knowing that the world has experienced a period of collective, sustained trauma, there’s been a lot of talk about building resilience, agility, flexibility, and the like.

But what about grace? For ourselves and those around us? HR has long had its critics, both external and even some on the inside, doing the work. Where are the encouragers? Are you one?  

The HR of 2021 is not going to be the same HR of 2020. Nor is it going to be the HR of 2019, 2009, or anything before. The HR of 2021 is part of a great reawakening on the part of organizations and the larger collective consciousness. In part one of this series, we advocated for introspection and a call to action.

In part two, we talked about empathy and repairing the relationship between HR and TA.

Now, it’s time to think about the future.  

Lars Schmidt refers to HR’s internal conflict in his book, Redefining HR, reminding us that there is a distinction between the old-school teams and next-generation leaders. More than that, what we need at this exact moment is a way to and solidify HR as a next-generation function.

Finding Center

Given its role at the center of the action, critical to the health of the overall organization and all of its various functions, we would argue for HR as the heart, anatomically and metaphorically. The heart is necessary. You quite literally can’t go on without it, and yet, it’s pretty easy to overlook just how important it is, day-to-day.

You don’t always see your heart. You don’t always know when it’s hurting. And as a result, we sometimes end up more damaged than we realize.

There are a number of ways we could take this metaphor. However, we’re not here to talk about HR in a cutesy, Valentine’s paper heart sort of way. That’s been done before.

There are no two ways about it: HR is a vital organ and, as it stands today, is pretty broken. And once you’ve been heartbroken, you have to pick up the pieces. You have to reconsider patterns and habits. You have to rethink who you were, decide who you want to be, and unlearn what you once believed in order to evolve.

Reflecting on her 2020 HR heartbreak, Kayla Moncayo wrote, “We must stop convincing humanity they have to experience tragedy to earn good things in life.”

Do you hear us, HR?

We want to see HR through a “can’t live without out it” lens. In a “this is the department that keeps your organization happy, healthy, and alive” sort of way. CEOs are always the first to say that their people are their biggest asset. And HR represents the people.

Despite this undeniable connection, the HR muscle has weakened over the years, and its heartbeat has slowed. But HR can’t neglect its own health any longer.

Beyond Purpose

The pre-pandemic narrative focused heavily on reskilling and upskilling in the face of automation. We read scary statistics from McKinsey that estimated “between 400 and 800 million individuals could be displaced” and “75 million to 375 million may need to switch occupational categories and learn new skills.”

We talked about work-life balance or work-life integration and whether remote work was actually productive. We let HR get sick with worry about an unknown future rather than work as an organization’s main artery of support.

You’ve likely heard of purpose-driven organizations. Deloitte explains that purpose “articulates why an organization exists, what problems it is here to solve, and who it wants to be to each human it touches through its work.” Deloitte also shares that these companies witness higher market share gains and grow three times faster on average than their competitors while achieving higher workforce and customer satisfaction.

These are the types of ideas that make the C-Suite care, and let’s be honest, if HR is the heart, the C-Suite is the brain. There’s no denying their role – or say – in the matter.

Getting There

So, with that in mind, we’re not going to say we have the business case for a heart-led approach to HR all figured out. What we do know is that present circumstances aren’t the only reason HR is in this place. Organizations have been neglecting these teams for years. It wasn’t until HR was needed the most that anyone realized how bad things had gotten.

The good news is, we’re waking up.

Still, we can’t move from old-school to next generation if we don’t acknowledge the value in emotional intelligence and the softer side of what HR represents. If we’re to believe that humans are an asset, we must treat them as such, including HR and its varied professionals.

Yes, hearts can harden, and encouraging HR to become heart-led will mean working through the pains brought on by years of derision and disdain. There will be valves to unblock before HR will live at the center of organizations, where it can focus on connecting with others, creating and caring for the community (and itself), and pumping in fresh energy and ideas.

That will take acknowledging lived experiences, shoring up weaknesses, providing help when it’s needed, and demonstrating grace whenever and wherever possible.

And, of course, it will take a whole lot of heart.

Additional resources:

LISTEN:

Spark Conversations: Power of Purpose – Kellee Marlow & Eric Kim

READ:

Adam Grant – Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know

WATCH:

The post Radical Flexibility: The Great Reawakening appeared first on RecruitingDaily.

A New Relationship for HR and Recruiting

The last 12 months have delivered countless clichés. Now more than ever. The new normal. These unprecedented times. We also heard a lot of “We’ll get through this together,” which seems to indicate a level of solidarity that didn’t exist pre-pandemic, so why would it now? The world is full of silos, and HR is no different, often caught in a tug of war with related functions, but mainly TA.

Much like the two-party system, HR and TA’s rift is growing increasingly contentious, despite everyone ultimately wanting what’s best for the organization. HR wants to own TA, likely because it factors into their performance, while TA is on a Rodney Dangerfield-level quest for some respect for their expertise.

The ownership mentality pits one side against the other, allowing the misery and judgment to continue. That said, if 2021 is HR’s moment of radical praxis, it needs to do more than self-reflect.

It needs to assess its collateral damage and find a way to repair relationships. TA first. You need each other more than you realize – or are willing to admit.

Before we hug it out, let’s look at what happened and how we fix it.

The Power Struggle

For today’s purpose, we’re going to talk about radical empathy. The concept, which has a few definitions, encourages people to consider another’s point of view. The key is to consider it even when (maybe especially when) we disagree in order to connect more deeply with the other side. “Side” is an important word here because there are almost always two sides to every story (and relationship).

Some say there are three: yours, mine, and the truth. But what about yours, mine, and ours? Are we on opposing teams – or the same one?  

Regardless, the trouble begins when people start to struggle, something the pandemic only exacerbated. When we start to struggle, we tend to see ourselves as alone, without resources, direction – or help. When we feel alone, we get scared and look for a way to control the situation.

Wanting control leads to power … and you probably see where this is going.

Researcher Brené Brown sees power as the real issue, noting that Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. said power is “the ability to achieve purpose and effect change.” That right there could be the mission statement of both HR and TA professionals the world over.

And even though these functions aren’t known for their power within organizations, Brown goes onto say, “What makes power dangerous is how it’s used. Power over is driven by fear. Daring and transformative leaders share power with, empower people to, and inspire people to develop power within.”

Now, some will take umbrage with her use of the word leadership, and to that, we say, don’t. It doesn’t matter if you are an HR Business Partner or Talent Acquisition Associate. Leadership isn’t what’s wrong here – you are all leaders in your own right. It’s power – and power is in direct conflict with radical empathy. 

A New Position

To improve the connection between HR and TA, you need to stop looking for power over the other. That’s not going to improve outcomes. Instead, you need to think about how you’re evaluating your team, as well, a team. How are you working together to engage talent? Who is talking to who?

HR needs to stop looking down on recruiters as less-than, and recruiters need to realize that HR isn’t the enemy. One does not have power over the other.

Having more experience doesn’t make you more empowered. Ageism works both ways (and isn’t helping anyone!). Assuming you need to power over someone more experienced than you because you’re more innovative, or assuming you need to power over someone less experienced because they lack expertise is only making things worse. No respect!

For these barriers to come down, you can’t be too busy (or powerful) to talk to each other. In the world of Zoom, are you making time?

Remember open door policies? Have the doors slammed shut? Think about creating one specifically for HR and TA. Make it an open-heart policy, one that enables you to get back on the same team and become true partners.

That could mean hosting office hours so recruiters can check in with HR and vice versa. Don’t sit – or struggle – in silence. HR and TA are both based on relationships. Yours can be mutually beneficial if you remove fear, power, and shame from the equation. Is it going to take work? Absolutely.

But as Brown says, “Getting it right is more important than being right.”

Likewise, getting to a place of radical empathy will be a build process. There will be growing pains along the way. Building is rarely seamless or easy. Still, someone needs to take the first step. Someone needs to open the door.

We need to put joy back into the work we do. It’s supposed to be fun to hire. It’s supposed to be rewarding to partner with the people around us. If we move away from power and ego and allow trust and collaboration back into the HR-TA relationship, we can center ourselves around connection and humanity, as Brown urges, and use empathy to drive our agendas, cultures, and values.

Additional resources:

LISTEN:

Unlocking Us – Brené Brown with Joe Biden on Empathy, Unity, and Courage

READ:

Tina Marie Wohlfield – Stop Collaborate and Listen: Developing Impactful HR Partnerships through Collaboration

WATCH:

The post Radical Empathy: A New Relationship for HR and Recruiting appeared first on RecruitingDaily.

What Happens When HR Gets Rehired?

By now, we all know about 2020 and its impact on HR and TA. For many, it meant turmoil and disruption, subject to job loss and the search for something new. For others, it meant a call to action, to perform without a roadmap or resources in place.

There is burnout on both sides and a lingering sense of uncertainty. A lot has happened in a relatively short period of time, and many of us are still working to reconcile and process. Even so, we know from past crises that things will turn around eventually, and when they do, it pays to be prepared.

But how do you prepare when there’s still so much unknown? You turn inward before looking out. Many things remain outside of your control, especially now, but there’s always more you can do inside.  

There are different ways to approach HR’s role within an organization. For years, we’ve heard the call to “secure a seat at the table” and “think more like marketing,” and while this advice is no doubt well-intentioned, it’s also misplaced.

There’s exhaustion to work through, fatigue – and let’s face it, a bit of an image issue to reconcile. 2020 only illuminated that, and without self-reflection, these symptoms will only get worse. It’s time for solutions, for radical praxis.

Here’s why:

Shifting Mindsets

If you work in HR or a related role, take a minute and ask yourself what you’ve learned over the last 12 months. Do you want to keep doing this work? Because if there were ever a moment to get out, it would be now. Are you still in it? OK, keep reading.

If you’re in it and committed to continuing, you need to be in it harder than before. HR is harder than before. Recruiting is harder than before. And things might get worse before they get better. We don’t know. Accepting that we’re dealing in unknowns, we need to start identifying what’s changed.

For one, there’s the continued push towards “strategic” HR, a word we’re all so sick of hearing. Still, to move ahead, we need to understand what this means in today’s context. For years, HR existed as solely transactional. The departments where someone would show up and say, “Can you answer my question about X benefit?” or “I need your help to hire Y.”

That was it, like ringing up an order at the grocery store. Scan the items, hit total, collect the money, and hand over the receipt. Have a nice day – see you maybe never. A lot of old school practices are based on this type of methodology.

Over the last decade, folks have been working to break down this wall and introduce “strategy.” In doing so, we overlooked that HR had been taught to be guarded, to protect their information and knowledge. So much so that HR folks were encouraged not to talk to their peers because why would you share trade secrets?

Not to take a seat at the table or in that meeting, to sit quietly and do the work. Not to ask for what you want and need from leadership. Not to feel worthy of budgets, opinions, or perspectives.

Sure, you could argue it’s because no one encouraged you to speak up, but think about what got internalized along the way. Some unlearning needs to take place. Now, we have this call to be strategic. The call itself isn’t new. It’s just growing louder.

Strategic exists on a continuum: one that favors relationship building, asking for help, learning from one another, and more. The problem is, how to be strategic when you still have the transactional work and less headcount to rely on? HR is being pulled in different directions.

Hence the need for a reckoning.

What’s Next

By definition, praxis refers to the necessary relation between theory and practice – making the implicit explicit. Radical, in most instances, means advocating for complete change or reform. Taken together, the idea of radical praxis is about embracing a new way of thinking and being.

If we’re to make the implicit explicit, HR needs to rethink its role as soon as possible.

HR can continue on this current path, where all of these problems can continue to exist and rehire and pretend none of this ever happened, or it can figure out its problems and pivot in a new direction.

In some organizations, HR might remain strictly transactional if that suits the workforce and culture it supports. In others, it might need to become more strategic to help redefine the employee experience.

HR is full of employees. Employees who need help, coaches, and training. Employees who also face burnout if not considering self-compassion and boundary setting. Coming off the back of 2020, HR probably needs this “now more than ever” to reconcile the “us versus them” mentality that’s led to this point.

It isn’t HR against employees or HR against the organization. HR bridges the gap between employer and employee and needs to demonstrate that it serves both parties (and itself) equally.

That takes emotional intelligence and self-worth, two things that aren’t always easy to quantify or develop.

You don’t have to be kind. You can remove the heart and humanity from the equation. You can choose productivity and efficiency.

HR has done that for years, and ultimately, you have agency over the decision.

It’s the power of choice that makes 2021 your moment to decide.

Additional resources:

LISTEN:

Ten Percent Happier – The Scientific Case for Self-Compassion

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This two-part series looks at the impact of the pandemic on women’s careers and workplace equity. Part one spotlights recent findings and recommendations. Part two offers actionable insights and practical advice for leaders. 

The first part of this series leveraged research from the Rutgers Center for Women in Business (CWIB) to envision the impact of COVID-19 on women. While hardly a positive experience for anyone trying to navigate pandemic conditions, CWIB found a potential silver lining for women’s careers, particularly those who are mid-career: the benefit of increased support from partners and employers. 

With regard to current gender gaps, Adam Feigenbaum, a member of the CWIB advisory board, offered, “CWIB believes that while most CEOs – which data shows are predominantly white and male – agree there is a problem; they just don’t think it’s their problem.

To do so would require a CEO to outwardly acknowledge inequities in their business, opening oneself to at the very least reputational risk, and perhaps fear of financial or even legal risk at a corporate level. As a result, business leaders lean on HR to put in policies and processes to protect their business above all else. These are not conditions for progress – they reinforce the status quo as the standard for success is just keeping out of trouble.”

The Business Imperative

Knowing that women prosper when they have the right resources, consider what it takes to deliver more equitable experiences – and why this hasn’t been the case all along. It’s well-documented that women represent a large, highly skilled, and extraordinarily capable talent pool often underutilized.

The recent exodus of women leaving the workforce, at a rate four times more than men, amplifies that point. However, historically, diversity and inclusion initiatives have been HR’s responsibility, but what’s happening now, Feigenbaum says, is less of an HR issue and more of a CEO opportunity. 

He continued, “More progressive companies will think about this surplus of talent that’s available, specifically from women, that is beginning to go unutilized because they’re leaving the workforce. And it is incumbent upon CEOs, not just HR representatives, but CEOs to identify this as a potential competitive advantage, an inefficiency in the market that they could then leverage and focus on.

As more CEOs understand this, they will proactively transform their culture and policies, with the help of HR, to attract and engage women as a priority will earn themselves the talent advantage organizations needs to thrive.” 

The Redefinition of Resources

The path forward involves several factors, starting with a solid business case, buy-in from senior leaders, and alignment back to HR. If policies and processes designed to protect the organization are what led to this juncture, then develop policies and processes that safeguard workers, too.  

Lisa Kaplowitz, the center’s executive director, said, “We see two sides of this issue. One is to remove barriers, structural barriers, systemic barriers, and the other is to empower women with the confidence and skills necessary to succeed as business leaders.” 

Specific to HR, the barriers Kaplowitz referred to exist throughout the talent lifecycle, from job descriptions that use words that prevent women from applying to certain jobs to inflexible practices for families and caregivers that cause women to stop working. 

Recognizing such challenges, Kaplowitz explained that CWIB is piloting new programs, including one that offers women mid-career mentoring. So far, she revealed, the response to sessions such as “Positioning Yourself for Promotions and Performance Reviews Virtually” has been incredibly positive, with measurable results.

During that particular event, participants were polled about their intent to ask for a raise or a promotion in the next six months. At the outset, 38 percent were thinking about it. By the end, 67 percent said they would. While just one example, Kaplowitz makes the point that, “When you see something that powerful in 55 minutes, it speaks to the impact that we’re making quickly.” 

The Future of Work (is Female)

Kristina Durante, the center’s director of research, commented, “One thing I stress when I talk about our research is that we need to be responsible for the conversation. Now that we’ve had this experience, now that we see what’s going on, let’s turn it into a positive and keep talking about it. Especially if that helps get the CEO or leadership team members to buy-in.” 

The pandemic’s strain is real for everyone. But as the labor data indicates, this is especially true for women. Without action, the workforce will lose a substantial talent pool, set to influence productivity and profitability for the foreseeable future. That goes beyond anything that exists today. It requires a rethinking of what work looks like and how it operates. 

Whether a small business or enterprise organization, HR and senior leaders need to advocate for their women workers by providing support for work-life overlap, offering increased flex time or leave options, promoting engagement and wellbeing, and ultimately, encouraging advancement.

Feigenbaum reiterated that the evidence is already out there, “If we’re thinking about it, this is in the best of interest of the workers as well as the business. It’s in everyone’s best interest to create and drive cultures that promote workforce diversity. That’s how organizations win time and time again.” 

The post The Pandemic’s Equity Impact, Part 2: The CEO Opportunity appeared first on RecruitingDaily.