How to Meet People in College

Meeting new people can seem daunting! On UVM campus, there are so many ways to get meet people while you expand your skills and knowledge. See what these organizations can do to get you connected make your experience at UVM more memorable:
Sign up for a class in Pottery or Photography at the Living/Learning Center and put your skills to the test!  You’ll meet students and artists, get to practice your craft, and walk away with a few works of art.
Join an organization. The Women’s Center, LGBQTA Center, religious organizations, and ALANA Student Center (ASC) are all identity-based organizations that support students by providing diverse events, support staff, study space, and advocacy to support students’ academic experience on campus. Get involved with students who care and make a difference on campus!
Participate group study session through in the Learning Co-op. Drop-in tutoring allows you to take advantage of a great study environment and to ask a tutor for help if you need it.  Stop in with specific questions or to get feedback from your classmates – no appointment necessary.
Take a drop-in Group Fitness Class through UVM Campus Rec. They have fun classes at various times every day where you can easily meet people and get into a healthy routine.
Be part of a club that makes a difference. End world hunger one grilled cheese (or vegan) sandwich at a time!  FeelGood offers gourmet sandwiches and donates 100% of the proceeds raised to the Hunger Project.
These are just a few of the ways you can meet people and learn outside of the classroom.  With so many options to choose from, it’s easy to get involved on campus. With all of the clubs and organizations available to support you, you’re bound to find your groove in no time.

Q&A With Todd Lempicke of ThinkOptimal

As part of Bryant & Stratton College Online’s efforts to bring resources and information to improve students’ and graduates’ employability, our blog staff sat down with resume expert Todd Lempicke of ThinkOptimal to talk about trends and best practices.
Q: What’s one component that is commonly found on strong resumes?
A: Having quantified accomplishments is the single most important key to a strong resume. It’s not about what you do so much as how well you do things, and employers want to know how well you perform. Many people simply list what they did at their previous job or internship, showing what they were responsible for and what their duties were. That’s usually pretty obvious when you see the title, and pretty boring stuff. Telling the story of how well you did the job is what they want to know and makes for a much better read.
Q: How important are resume objectives today? Has there been a change in recent years?
A: Having an objective on your resume can work against you because it tends to limit your scope. For example, an employer may overlook you if your objective is “accounting” and the position being offered involves “bookkeeping”. A summary of skills or profile section has been the trend because it leaves more room for the recruiter to consider the candidate as a fit. One caveat to this is when someone has a clear career path and a targeted objective they may be viewed more positively since they are so completely in line with the job being offered.
Q: How early in their college career should a student create their resume?
A: We have requests from high schools to use our services and some provide job search training as part of the h.s. senior curriculum. Crafting a resume is an acquired skill and often helps people to visualize their worth and work towards building a skill set that is marketable. The sooner someone can put their career picture down, the better they can envision and gather the skills and experiences necessary for gainful employment. All students should be in touch with their career services department for assistance and guidance.
Q: How should students highlight class work or school projects on their resume?
A: We recommend a dedicated section of the resume such as “Relevant Coursework” or “Special Projects”. In lieu of employment experience, take every opportunity to display the training and skills. There are many examples of this in the resume builder to view. Also, consider having an eFolio or online portfolio in your job search arsenal.
Q: For students who are switching career fields, what’s the best way to position their previous work experience on their resume?
A: We recommend a combination resume where in addition to prior work experience, special emphasis is given to transferrable skills. A pure functional resume or resume where the work experience is downplayed or not listed at all creates a red flag because recruiters view it as deceptive. Recruiters will be more receptive when the candidate is up front and communicates the reasons for the change and relevant qualifications in a clear and reasonable way. Sometimes a cover letter does this best.
Q: How have online job search sites and the use of social media changed how students should prepare a resume?
A: Everyone knows that networking is the best way to find a job but it takes time to learn the methods and etiquette, and then to actually build it and use it. Social media has made networking easier but at the peril of decreased privacy and control. Today, an employer will be looking at the whole you – at your personal brand – and making an early decision based on more than just what is on the resume. They may be scanning for highly specific keywords and checking you out on Facebook. The social media profile is a precursor to the resume and it all has to create a consistent picture that is credible. You can call it your personal brand but I think of it as simply defining who you are and what you have to offer, and then managing it.

Instructor Blog: Juggling School and the Holidays

For many students, December is a busy time of juggling holidays and the end of school. While some of the time crunch can’t be avoided, a little perspective can help keep you from getting caught up in unnecessary stress.
The most important question to ask is: What is important to you? There are almost endless opportunities for holiday celebrations, and an endless to-do list.  Without prioritizing, it can be easy to run out of time for schoolwork.
For me, sending out Christmas cards was challenging with my work obligations. After a few years of stressing out, I realized two important things. The first was that most people on my Christmas card list already knew what was going on in our family and had seen recent pictures of us. The other was that I had ample opportunity to send cards around New Year’s.  Then, you can even include family pictures from the holiday itself! I was able to preserve something I enjoyed without unnecessary stress.  I haven’t received a single complaint from family or friends.
Another important consideration is to look at what is important in the long term. While so much about the holidays may either seem obligatory or something you just don’t want to miss, it’s important to think about what might be sacrificed by each holiday party attended. Not devoting time to schoolwork will have long-lasting impact. Time management is essential for ensuring you spend the time you want to devote to schoolwork. Look closely at the requirements for your courses. Which courses have final exams? How are you progressing on your portfolio projects, and how much time do you need to complete a quality project?
As you carve time for your schoolwork, think about how the knowledge you are learning will help you in your career. Think about why you want to finish school.  This will also help you avoid giving in to obligations you don’t feel that you have time for
If it feels like it is already too late to avoid stress this year, it is certainly not too late for next year! Think about what you could change for next year that will help you accomplish more.  Would you be less stressed if you started portfolio projects sooner? Are there friends or family members you can agree to see slightly after the holidays? They might be as relieved as you! Thinking ahead about how to balance school and work is an essential tool for enjoying balance in career and life. What a great gift to give yourself!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

WHY YOU SHOULD RARELY FIGHT AN UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIM

Business owners, especially small business owners, are constantly concerned about keeping costs down—and rightfully so. But there are some scenarios in which culture and costs clash—and employee departures is one such area.
If you have too many unemployment claims, your cost as a business goes up. As a result, many businesses go to great lengths to ensure that employees do not win their unemployment claims. For instance, instead of firing employees, companies place heavy pressure on employees to resign, making them ineligible for unemployment.
Is this an effective strategy as a small business? Should you try to save money by forcing resignations, instead of terminating an employee? Should you challenge every unemployment claim in order to keep your costs down?
No, no and no. After years of experience in the HR industry, I feel confident saying you should rarely oppose an unemployment claim.
This advice seems to run contrary to popular wisdom. Your goal is to keep costs down, right? So not getting dinged for unemployment seems like the right thing to do, but let\’s break it down. Here are a few things to think about.

Lawsuits Are Expensive

When you terminate someone, what\’s your real goal? To get that person to go away and not bother you again. And by bother, I mean sue you.
When you fire an employee, for whatever reason, they are likely to be angry. Most likely they think you were unfair. While you followed procedures and made decisions by the book, all it takes is this employee convincing an attorney that he was treated differently than other employees who were a different race, gender, religion, or other protected class, and you\’re on the hook for thousands of dollars—not because you\’re guilty of illegal discrimination. But, even responding to the attorney will cost you money, and it could cost you your reputation if the employee can garner public support. Cutting someone off from employment and unemployment makes people angry—and angry people will be far more likely to retaliate in court.

It\’s Your Fault If Someone Is Fired

Anytime you have to fire someone, you should look back on what you did wrong. Rarely is the answer \”nothing.\” Did you ignore red flags in the interview? Did you let bad behavior slide for a long time until you couldn\’t stand it any more? Are your managers not compassionate? Do you focus on rules, rather than employees? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you\’re partly to blame for the termination. Don\’t punish the person because your managers can\’t manage.

You Want to Build Goodwill

You may have fired John for insubordination, but chances are he has friends at the office. These friends already think you were unfair, and when you fight back against unemployment, their shaky trust in you shatters. You don\’t want that. You want your employees to know they\’ll be treated well should something happen.
Another important thing to remember is that unemployment payments aren\’t exactly a reward. You\’re not giving former employees unemployment payments; you\’re just not opposing that they receive them. Employment attorney Robin Shea advises:

If an employee (let\’s call him “Jimmy\”) is being terminated for “misconduct,\” I\’d fill out the unemployment paperwork giving the true reason for the termination. If you want Jimmy to be able to collect, you may want to be gentle with the details. But by all means be honest. And then add, “Employer does not intend to contest Claimant\’s claim for unemployment.\” Depending on the (truthful) reason you gave for the termination, Jimmy may be initially disqualified from receiving benefits.

If Jimmy is denied and appeals, you can just not show up to the hearing. You aren\’t rewarding bad behavior. You\’re not lying. You\’re just being kind. And we all know the world needs a bit more kindness.
Photo: Creative Commons
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

Real-World Experience: Why it Matters

College students hear it over and over again – to get a job when you graduate, you need to have some real-world experience under your belt. While it may feel repetitive, the sentiment rings true, Experience matters to employers.. One study found that approximately 79 percent of employers expect real-world experience and education from college graduates when they evaluate potential hires.
But why do employers want applicants with real-world experience? Here are three reasons: 
1. Some things can’t be learned in a traditional classroom setting.
Not to knock lectures or textbooks, but for some , experience is the best teacher. That’s why it’s important to practice your skills, both through hands-on classroom activities that simulate the workplace as well as off-campus opportunities, like internships and job shadowing.
2. Your soft skills need to be on-point.
Employers are looking for young individuals who will fit into their company right away. That’s why soft skills – teamwork, managerial skills, work discipline, etc. – need to be developed before you take the plunge into your job search. Participating in work experience programs like interning at a business, delving into class projects that emulate workplace scenarios, and even working at your part-time job all present opportunities to gain this experience.
3. Employers want proof that you’re career-ready.
Having experience in your field of interest shows potential employers that you’re ready to meet – and hopefully exceed – their expectations. The connections you make along the way (e.g. your supervisor from a past internship) can also serve as great references so that employers know you’re not all talk.
So you want more real-world experience. Now what?
While Bryant & Stratton College’s Career LifePrep program integrates workplace skills and practice into each program’s curriculum, you should also seek opportunities outside of the classroom. The Career Services Center offers a ton of helpful resources for students. You can also turn to the Web – there are many websites that list internship opportunities based on career field, location and more. The most important thing is to get out there – the real world is waiting.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

What does it Mean to Pay it Forward?

The “pay it forward” movement is not a new concept. According to Wikipedia, it dates all the way back to 317 BC where it was used as a key plot concept for a play in ancient Athens. There are small documented events of the “pay it forward” notion throughout history; however, it became a widely popular concept after the 2000 movie of the same name, which was based on the novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde.
The simplest way to define “pay it forward” is that when someone does something for you, instead of paying that person back directly, you pass it on to another person instead. One of the easiest examples of this is buying a coffee for the person in line behind you at the coffee shop and then they buy a coffee for the person behind them and so on.
What is the point of all this? Why do so many people live their lives according to the “pay it forward” principle? It has been proven that acts of kindness build exponentially in a community and because people believe that one good deed deserves another. “Paying it forward” can make the world a better place. That was what Leah Doperalski thought when she used her nursing skills to help make life better for Jamaicans living in the Blue Mountains. But even if you don\’t go to the Blue Mountains, nursing is just one wayto live your life paying it forward.
Paying it forward can be part of anyone\’s daily life. Whether you decide to take up a life of service to the community or join the business world, you can incorporate the philosophies of the Pay it Forward Movement into your career. Paying it forward can be rewarding in other ways too. By volunteering to help a manager or a supervisor from another department with a project, you might stay in the back of their mind when an opportunity for a promotion comes up. Even as you build your professional network, people who you’ve paid it forward to will certainly hold you in a higher light than individuals they’ve never met or even have had bad experiences with. So paying it forward can enhance your personal life and your professional life as well.
Have you ever done anything to “pay it forward?” Has anyone ever done a good deed for you? Tell us about it and how it made you feel in the comments below.
References
Pay it Forward. [Online image] Available http://yourcaringangels.com/blog/?p=1010, February 26, 2009.
For more information on Pay it Forward from Wikipedia, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay_it_forward.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

How to Meet People in College

Meeting new people can seem daunting! On UVM campus, there are so many ways to get meet people while you expand your skills and knowledge. See what these organizations can do to get you connected make your experience at UVM more memorable:
Sign up for a class in Pottery or Photography at the Living/Learning Center and put your skills to the test!  You’ll meet students and artists, get to practice your craft, and walk away with a few works of art.
Join an organization. The Women’s Center, LGBQTA Center, religious organizations, and ALANA Student Center (ASC) are all identity-based organizations that support students by providing diverse events, support staff, study space, and advocacy to support students’ academic experience on campus. Get involved with students who care and make a difference on campus!
Participate group study session through in the Learning Co-op. Drop-in tutoring allows you to take advantage of a great study environment and to ask a tutor for help if you need it.  Stop in with specific questions or to get feedback from your classmates – no appointment necessary.
Take a drop-in Group Fitness Class through UVM Campus Rec. They have fun classes at various times every day where you can easily meet people and get into a healthy routine.
Be part of a club that makes a difference. End world hunger one grilled cheese (or vegan) sandwich at a time!  FeelGood offers gourmet sandwiches and donates 100% of the proceeds raised to the Hunger Project.
These are just a few of the ways you can meet people and learn outside of the classroom.  With so many options to choose from, it’s easy to get involved on campus. With all of the clubs and organizations available to support you, you’re bound to find your groove in no time.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

HOW TO INCLUDE YOUR REMOTE WORKERS IN HOLIDAY FESTIVITIES

Remote work is becoming increasingly popular, offering employees a flexible schedule and saving them time and money that is usually spent on commuting. Studies show that telecommuters are more productive than their office counterparts. According to a FlexJobs report, 65% of workers believe they’re more productive at home than in a traditional office. However, there’s also a downside of remote work: Many remote workers suffer from FOMO, or fear of missing out. While their in-office colleagues are spending time together, remote workers are often removed from the social aspect of their jobs.
These feelings of isolation are especially apparent during the holiday season, with events like holiday parties and secret santa exchanges. If your remote workers are local, then you can surely invite them into the office for an annual party and exchange some home-baked cookies. But when you have employees that work from locations all across the country (or around the world), it is unlikely that you’ll be able to fly all of them in for these festivities.
So how can you include remote workers in holiday traditions? Here are some ideas for getting get them involved.

1) Virtual Secret Santa

Instead of exchanging gifts with fellow coworkers during Secret Santa, make the activity about donating presents to those in need. Set a budget and assign every employee a theme (i.e. “math game” or “princess item”) and set a time for everyone to gather around—via video call and in-person—and share the presents purchased. Then, donate the gifts to a children’s charity of your choice.
This activity is budget-friendly, makes for great conversation and benefits children in low-income communities during the season of giving. And, of course, it’s a great way for employees to build relationships virtually.

2) Give Your Remote Workers Time Off

If your office staff party is during working hours, give your remote staff an extra half-day of vacation time to use in December. They may not get to sample Suzanne from HR’s famous vanilla fudge, but at least they will get some time back to spend with family or buy holiday gifts. 

3) Offer Dinner on the Company Dime

On the flipside, if you’re having a party in the evening and you’re serving food, consider sending your remote workers a gift certificate for a local restaurant. Make sure the amount on the card is enough for two people to get a nice meal. This thoughtful gesture will send your remote employees the message that you appreciate them just as much as their in-office colleagues.

4) Throw a Virtual Party

Set up a time, send everyone party hats and a box of treats and host a virtual holiday party on either a video conference call or a Slack channel. Let people chat, hang out and eat their snacks. Make sure to include your remote employees in on conversation—kick things off by going around the room and having everyone share their holiday traditions or moderate another inclusive conversation. This event gives virtual employees the opportunity to get to know their colleagues in a social setting.

5) PowerPoint Karaoke

Scour the web for PowerPoint presentations that are completely unrelated to your area of business. For example, if you work for a financial services firm, you might choose slides on classic 18th century novelists or Physics. Then, ask employees to give a presentation based on these slides. You’ll be laughing as your employees try to talk through slides on topics they are completely unfamiliar with.
Of course, the most crucial aspect of a holiday party is letting your employees know that you care about them. They may not be present for an in-person celebration, but it’s important to show your appreciation for them—regardless of where they work.

Healthy Habits Make Academic Success

School, work, home – it doesn’t take long to get spread thinly between the major responsibilities of your life. Healthy habits are crucial to support that school-work-home flow that fosters academic, professional and personal success.
“The most important aspect is to ensure an appropriate balance between work, school and life — that is so, so important,” said Brandy McDonough, associate dean of instruction for Bryant & Stratton College – Online. “Being able to balance those things creates a much more well-rounded person.”
To do that, you’ve got to make the most of the time you have for each of those major life components. McDonough recommends meticulous, honest time management to keep on top of school, work and life in general. She syncs personal and professional calendars between computer and phone. She even carries a – gasp – paper version to keep herself on track.
“With that, it helps me to remain focused,” she said. “It really takes finding the time sit down and plan out each week. You really have to go day by day by day and say, ‘This is what I hope to accomplish’ and not getting down on yourself when you don’t meet that (goal).”
Another good habit: being realistic about your course load and how you work your way through it.
“The course itself is a determining factor,” she said. “If you have to take a course in an upcoming semester, it’s very important if that’s going to be a difficult course, then you might want to take only one or two courses. If you’re taking courses that all build upon your areas of strength, you could probably take a full course load.”
Be honest with yourself about your work habits. Do you need frequent breaks, or do you prefer to buckle down and complete a task without looking up? When your mind starts to wander or you’re not absorbing the material, that’s a signal that it’s time to step away from your studies.
“When you read something and you get absolutely nothing and you’re re-reading the same passage or sentence over and over again, or you get frustrated, that’s the time to walk away,” McDonough said. “Get a glass or water, take a short walk – stepping away for about 10 minutes and coming back to it from a different angle often is extremely helpful.”
McDonough recommends you start your study by tackling reading materials first.
“That will give you that theoretical foundation to build upon,” she said. “Before you complete a project, (or write a) paper, it’s really important to get that theoretical foundation first so you have that understanding utilizing a lot of resources.”
Understanding your full range of resources is another key to scholarly success, McDonough said. Beyond the digital world at your fingertips, remember family, fellow students, professors and the entire academic support staff at Bryant & Stratton.
“There’s nothing wrong with talking to peers, family members who’ve been through their education, working professionals as well,” she said. “Leveraging conversations with coworkers and peers those can be very valuable.”
Look to people who want to see you succeed to bolster your optimism and academic stamina.
“You have to have a very positive attitude and be surrounded by people who have that positivity,” McDonough said. “Have people you can reach out to on hard days – that’s healthy from a different perspective.”
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

SECRET’S SAFE WITH ME — OR IS IT? WORKPLACE PRIVACY IN THE INTERNET AGE

Human Resource professionals believe in privacy. We don’t share salaries or performance ratings (unless it’s part of our company policy to do so). When someone comes to complain about a perceived injustice, we conduct our investigations with the utmost care. When we coach a manager on how to handle a difficult employee, we do so behind closed doors so that only those that truly need to know, know. Privacy is a hallmark of good HR.
In an effort to be efficient, though, we’ve made everything electronic. Yes, this is convenient and makes it possible to review everything from an employee’s pay history to their performance reviews with one click or toggle. However, it also means that employee privacy has become a lot harder.
In the old days, we did paper — and lots of it. Violating employee privacy was possible in only a few ways — if we left something at the copier, or accidentally set a file down in the office kitchen, for example. Now? Well, take the case of a poor former co-worker who accidentally sent a detailed rejection email to everyone in the building rather than just to the internal candidate. For hours, people were hitting reply-all saying, “Why am I getting this?” and then those responses started to morph into, “For all this embarrassment, you should just give the guy the job anyway.”
The problem with this type of privacy breach is that no policy could stop it. The recruiter made a mistake. Email makes the exchange of information easy, but it also makes quick, inappropriate distribution easy, as well.
Privacy problems aren’t limited to HR departments either. It’s so easy to share information with the world today. What’s more, this sharing of information is a huge part of our current culture. Often people don’t think twice before posting to Twitter. Take for instance the hospital employee who tweeted the name of a celebrity couple’s new baby — before the couple had announced it. While most HR privacy issues are covered by custom and ethics alone, releasing patient information falls under federal law.
The reality is, you need policies and procedures in place for all of your company data and employee social media behavior. The National Labor Relations Board isn’t making social media policies easy, though. In a recent case, the NLRB held that a social media policy which prohibited blogging or sharing “confidential or proprietary information about the Company, or … inappropriate discussions about the company, management, and/or co-workers” in social media was invalid because that implies that employees couldn’t engage in protected activity, such as discussing wages or working conditions.
See how complicated it can be to comply with the law when we’re talking about keeping company information private? Remember to differentiate between company secrets, such as marketing plans and “secrets” like how much money people make and what they think of their bosses. Additionally, don’t think that just because the NLRB was originally founded to deal with unions that it doesn’t apply to your non-union company. They have jurisdiction over just about everyone — your business included.
The biggest mistake a company can make when it comes to privacy issues in the Internet age is to ignore it until something bad happens. Legal hassles can be a nightmare, but a public relations disaster can be worse. For instance, employees at a car dealership in Westport Massachusetts treated a pizza delivery person horribly, thought it was hilarious, and posted the security camera video on YouTube. The rest of the Internet did not find it funny, however, and came out strongly against the company. I doubt anyone ever thought to prohibit posting security camera footage on the Internet — but the backlash can be severe.
You need a good policy. You need to be extra aware of security controls on your internal data. Otherwise, you can have angry employees, an embarrassed company, or lawyers knocking at your door.

CIOS, IT’S TIME TO JOIN FORCES WITH HR

As a CIO, focusing your attention on human resources may not be the first thing on your list of priorities. But as the war for talent rages on, the role of talent management in an organization’s IT strategy is increasingly important.
In the past, IT and HR departments have shared a rocky relationship. HR professionals often lacked technical understanding or awareness of the work performed in IT, which made it difficult to recruit the right candidates. On the other end, the process-oriented thinkers of IT viewed HR as a reactive — rather than a proactive and strategic — department, which diminished the business value of HR in their eyes. Both departments held preconceived notions and misunderstandings about the other.
Thanks to the growing attention to HR technology and people analytics, the divide between the two departments has been narrowing. But it’s time for CIOs to help close the divide for good. As a CIO, you have the unique opportunity to empower businesses with software and data-driven talent insights that not only help employees, but also impact the bottom line.

Close the Skills Gap

At the end of the day, HR and IT share the same goal: move the business forward. And no matter the industry, the amount of progress an organization makes ultimately comes down to its people.
But as HR knows, finding and attracting top talent isn’t easy. The demand for the best people is increasing and the bar for “best” is also being raised. According to PricewaterhouseCooper’s 18th Annual Global CEO Survey, 50 percent of organizations in the survey anticipate increasing headcount this year — and 80 percent of CEOs say they’re “looking for a much broader range of skills than in the past.”
Investing in talent management software that encompasses everything from recruiting to exit interviews will transform HR’s knowledge into hard data that IT can analyze to help make smarter business decisions. By aligning IT’s technical prowess with HR’s data on the employee life cycle, your organization will have insight into what skills and experiences actually predict success, so you can close the skills gap both more efficiently and effectively.

Deliver Higher Value at a Lower Cost

In addition to closing the skills gap, working with the HR department to find the right talent management product for your company can help deliver more value while lowering costs.
The upfront cost of HR software can be returned tenfold in terms of the time and money saved on recruiting, training, turnover prevention and workforce planning. For example, the average cost of replacing a lost employee — including interviewing, hiring, training, reduced productivity, etc. — is up to 50 percent of an annual salary for entry-level workers and up to 400 percent of an annual salary for high-level employees.
However, these high costs of turnover can be avoided with intelligent tracking and analytics. HR software solutions can warn managers of at-risk employees, as well as solve a suite of talent management issues: predicting performance, identifying and solving low productivity areas, measuring retention in L&D and more.

Lead the Way in Analytics

A strong working relationship between your IT team and your CHRO’s team can also help you advance your people analytics program — an area in need of more industry movers and shakers. You’ve heard the statistics before: three in four companies believe using people analytics is important, but a mere 8 percent report that their organization is “strong” in the area.
How can you lead the way? A unified, cloud-based talent management system allows your organization to consider workforce data across the organization, instead of occasionally answering a data request from HR and performing people analytics in a piecemeal fashion.
As Chief Talent Officer Michael Arena emphasized in a recent interview, people analytics is inherently a difficult subject: “We measure people, and that makes this field uniquely challenging because people don’t behave predictably.” Instead of making it harder on your organization to integrate workforce analytics, work with your HR team to find the right solution and process for success.
The old adage “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it” applies to talent management as it does to any other department. Your HR team understands your organization’s most critical talent challenges better than anyone else — but they need your team’s IT expertise to solve them. By joining forces, you can impact the future of your organization, your people and the work landscape as a whole.

Day of Prayer

Our governor has declared today, March 29, to be a special day of prayer for our state and for our nation, particularly in regard to the current virus pandemic. In response, I offer three timely prayers as written in The Lutheran Hymnal (published in 1941). I considered modernizing the pronouns and verbs, but chose to leave them as written.

Prayer for the sick: “Almighty, everlasting God, the eternal Salvation of them that believe, hear our prayers in behalf of Thy servants who are sick, for whom we implore the aid of Thy mercy, that, being restored to health, they may render thanks to Thee in Thy Church; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord.”

A second prayer for the sick: “O Lord, look down from heaven, behold, visit, and relieve Thy servants for whom we offer our supplications; look upon them with the eyes of Thy mercy; give them comfort and sure confidence in Thee, defend them from the danger of the enemy, and keep them in perpetual peace and safety; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord.”

This third prayer might spark some thought and conversation: In time of great sickness: “Almighty and most merciful God, our heavenly Father, we, Thine erring children, humbly confess unto Thee that we have justly deserved the chastening which for our sins Thou hast sent upon us; but we entreat Thee, of Thy boundless goodness to grant us true repentance, graciously to forgive our sins, to remove from us, or to lighten, our merited punishment, and so to strengthen us by Thy grace that as obedient children we may be subject to Thy will and bear our afflictions in patience; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord.”

I posted these on Facebook an hour ago. It will be interesting to gauge the reactions. J.

6 AT-WORK GIFTS THAT WON’T BREAK THE BANK

With the holiday season just around the corner, people are ready to celebrate — both at home and in the office. Still, many companies are recovering from economic hardships, so throwing elaborate parties and giving employees huge bonuses may be out of the question. 
Just because the budget isn’t overflowing doesn’t mean companies shouldn’t celebrate, says Jay Forte on Human Capitalist. “These celebrations really matter: They connect, unite and engage us,” writes Forte. “They humanize our workplace and help us see the personal side of our teammates and customers.”
Creating a culture of celebration is a good place to start. Here Forte recommends six gifts for a culture of celebration:
  1. Camaraderie. Encourage employees to spend social time together by hosting a departmental potluck party. 
  2. Diversity. Celebrate different cultures by “having employees bring in some ethnic traditional food to share and give them time to explain how they celebrate their important holidays,” writes Forte. 
  3. Experiences. Bring entertainment to the office by hiring a magician or caricature artist — or host holiday bingo or holiday game night. 
  4. Support. “Make a donation for a cause that aligns with beliefs and values of the organization as the holiday gift,” suggests Forte.
  5. Choice. If a monetary gift is a must-have, set a dollar limit and let employees choose from a list of various gift cards.
  6. Time. Meet with each employee to connect on a personal level and learn ways to help him or her develop and improve performance. 
Great celebrations don’t need to break the bank, “they simply need to be personal and genuine,” writes Forte. “Add more humanity to your holidays and your celebrations will be remembered more than the gadgets, tchotchkes or stuff that just gets dusty, packed in a box or put on the shelf.

The Beatles

In April 1973, Apple Records released two double albums (eight sides in all) containing fifty-four songs that had been recorded and released by the Beatles between 1962 and 1970. Officially named The Beatles 1962-1966 and The Beatles 1967-1970, the recordings quickly became known as “The Red Album” and “The Blue Album” because of the color of the album covers. (A double album of new material from the Beatles, released in November 1968, had been named The Beatles but is usually called “The White Album.”)

Other compilations of Beatle music had been released before 1973 and have been released since 1973, but for many Beatles fans the Red Album and Blue Album are the definitive collection of Beatle songs. Fans can easily debate the selections. I, for example, would have included “If I Fell,” “I’ve Just Seen a Face,” “Got To Get You Into My Life,” “Here, There, and Everywhere,” “I Will,” and “Sexy Sadie,” among others.  With the coming and going of compact discs and the current availability of digital recordings, the red and blue albums are likely irrelevant to newer fans of the Beatles. But in the history of Beatle fandom, those albums have an important place.

A few days ago I tested my memory to see if I could recall all fifty-four songs included on the red and blue albums, as well as the order in which they appeared. Some sides I remembered easily; others were dimmer in my memory. Finally I had to pull them out of my collection and fill the gaps. (Yes, I still have my vinyl albums that I bought in the Seventies and Eighties.)  Interestingly (to me if to no one else), the songs I had forgotten were largely from the Rubber Soul and Magical Mystery Tour eras. “In My Life” and “Hello, Good-bye” are both songs that I like, but for some reason I had forgotten that they are included on the Red Album and the Blue Album, respectively.

Last year’s movie Yesterday imagined a world in which the Beatles had never existed and almost no one had ever heard their music. One man could remember and reproduce the songs of the Beatles, and he introduced them into the world. At first he found it difficult to get people to listen, but eventually the songs made a big impact. The first time I saw the movie, I didn’t like how the Beatle music was scrambled together, not showing the development of their musical styles and interests. But I then realized that younger Beatle fans know the music of the Beatles exactly in that fashion—all one package, without context of years and albums and formative influences. My children grew up hearing the Beatles music at home, and they probably remember some songs by album—Abbey Road, for example, or A Hard Day’s Night. But even for them, hearing “And I Love Her” side by side with “Oh, Darling” would probably not strike them as essentially different songs—just two of the many great songs written and recorded by the Beatles. J.

Bryant & Stratton College Allied Health Club Helps Community and Each Other

The most important word in this student groups’ title, is “allied”. Together, they raise money to help local nonprofits. Together, they host blood drives to bring much needed blood to the sick. Together they are students in both medical and non-medical fields driven by a single mission: to help their community. 
“I personally like the enthusiasm our club brings to brain storm ideas on fundraisers and where to donate our fundraising funds to,” said Len Lukasik president of the Allied Health Club, at the Bryant & Stratton College Milwaukee campus. “we work together to help out each other in so many different ways, that we are almost like a big family. it shows how our club members get behind one student who is asking for club participation and then receives a bunch of volunteers to help out in an event,” he said.
every year the club holds a minimum of six fundraisers. each time, the profits are donated to a local organization such as the american red cross, the aids resource center or the milwaukee women’s center, among others. and, each time you see a blood drive on campus, that too is the work of the allied health club as they partner with the blood center of wisconsin. student membership is free. each member is only asked to give “time, treasure or talent,” lukasik said.
what they gain is immeasurable. lukasik said through their volunteer work, the students have an opportunity to build soft skills in teamwork and leadership roles. they are also able to network with executives in each of the local organizations and build connections that will help them in the workplace after graduation. allied health club director, boakai paasewe, md, said this opportunity for students to work in the community gives them a competitive advantage.
“these students learn the importance of giving back to the community which is very important for their chosen field of work,” he said. “in addition, they learn about time management and prioritizing.”
club members not only help the community outside campus walls, but inside their own classrooms as well. students in this club look to each other for guidance when they are struggling with a class assignment. paasewe said since the club is made up of students from various academic levels, it is easy to find a mentor or tutor in the group if you need help.
“a student who is working (and going to school) and finding it difficult to find time to study, will find a student with a similar situation who is succeeding,” he said. and working together, they will both succeed.