CHANGE IS COMING TO YOUR COMPANY—HERE’S HOW TO PREPARE

Every company, across industries, of all sizes, is exposed to disruption. According to research from NextGen Personal Finance, the accelerating pace of change is decreasing the average lifespan of most companies. Some predict 50% of the S&P 500 will be replaced in the next decade.
This disruption can come from a variety of places, with common catalysts being mergers and acquisitions, technology and regulatory changes. But no matter what prompts the change or transformation, adapting is challenging for any company. There’s a famous statistic that 70% of all change initiatives fail due to employee resistance and a lack of support from management. Making a successful change, therefore requires improving in those areas.
Enter: Dr. Tom Tonkin is a Senior Principal with Cornerstone’s Thought Leadership & Advisory Services department and an expert on change management. He has been helping companies navigate it for over a decade. 
“We all should have some understanding of people’s behavior and change, no matter what job we do,” Tonkin says. 
With 2020 set to see even more disruption, we asked Dr. Tonkin to share some of his learnings about why change initiatives fail and how a different mindset can lead to better outcomes. 

Let’s start with that data point: that 70% or more of change initiatives fail. What are companies getting wrong?

That number has been around for decades. The first reason people get it wrong is because they fail to see that change is a people thing. The second reason is they approach it with the wrong mindset. Instead of being prepared that something probably is going to go wrong—and they just have to figure it out and communicate it and get through it— they fold their arms and say, ‘I can’t believe this happened,’ and get outraged and start blaming people. 

You also say that people tend to mistake—or not know the difference between—change and transformation. Can you talk a little bit about that?

Some of my customers try to give me a 64 page transformation plan. And I tell them no, that is a change plan. Change is just doing things better, faster, cheaper. You’re going down a pretty well-known path so you can plan out every single step.
A transformation plan is closer to three pages because you likely know the first two or three steps, but after that it’s kind of fuzzy. You’re just going to have to work it out when you get there. Usually, the reason people will transform is because the pain of remaining the same is greater than moving to something different. That’s the only time you’ll actually change into something else, or transform into something else. That’s true for organizations. If I’m hemorrhaging my revenue, and I am losing in the competitive environment. Doing stuff faster and cheaper and better is not going to be able to help me. 

What’s your advice for executives leading these initiatives—whether it’s a change initiative or a complete transformation?

We often say things in business, “Then the organization struggled,” or, “The company was lacking skill.” But that’s a mischaracterization. The accountability and responsibility is abstracted away. Organizations don’t struggle, people struggle. People lack skills. And companies don’t change or transform—people do.
My clients will come to me and they’ll say something like: “And then we had a bad quarter, and then I was just really upset.” I stop and I ask them, “Well what was it about your leadership that made that happen?” Their first reaction is like I’m blaming them. But the reality is the minute you push off the blame or try to rationalize something, not only have you pushed off the blame, but you’ve also pushed off the solution. As a leader, that’s not where you want to be. If you take the culpability, what you’re also doing is you’re taking on the ability to solve the problem too.

If business leaders don’t necessarily know how they’re going to transform, how should they be preparing for a potential transformation?

The best time to start a transformation is when there’s no need to. When your margins are good, when things are happening, when your clients are happy, and you have some foresight. That’s when to start thinking about doing something different. 
Think about a caterpillar turning into a butterfly: Before the caterpillar goes into the cocoon, it eats a lot to get all of that energy to go through the process. Sometimes what I’ve seen is, people can’t go through a transformation because they run out of resources. They run out of time, they run out of money. Then all of a sudden, it’s like, well, we failed in the transformation. Well, I don’t know if you failed in the transformation as much as you weren’t prepared for one.

What do you find is the most impactful for helping executives rethink their approach to change and transformation?

Most people approach change initiatives like okay, I’ve got these plans, I’ve got this Gantt chart and I’ve got all of these documents and communication plans—we’re going to do this right. The minute you come to the appreciation that guess what, we’re people. We have different expectations; we have innovators and laggards. We’re probably going to land on some challenges that we’re going to have to deal with. The minute you land there you’re going to be successful. It’s really hard to land there, because you have to admit to yourself and to everybody around you that something’s going to go wrong.
For more advice from Dr. Tonkin and other HR leaders about how to manage change and transformation at your company, download Cornerstone’s 2020 Transformation Guidebook here. 

Making the Most of Your Campus Visit

Visiting a college is the most effective way to learn about campus culture and student life. Want to make the most out of your college visits? Take the time to meet as many people as possible, and check out everything from the dorms to the dining halls.

Here is our campus visit checklist:

Explore the Campus

  • Take a college tour
  • Interview with an admissions officer
  • Sit in on a class that interests you
  • Talk to current students about what they like and dislike about the school
  • Visit the freshman dorms, bookstore, career center, and dining halls
  • Walk or drive around the town or city where the college is located

Student Life

  • Find out if students primarily live on campus or off campus
  • Scan bulletin boards to learn about campus life
  • Visit the school’s website to find events and activities
  • Read the student newspaper and any campus blogs
  • See what students and graduates are saying on the college’s social media pages

Access to Professors

  • Ask if your professors host office hours
  • Inquire about the professor-student ratio, ask about TA support and qualifications
  • Find out how many students participate in research during their undergrad experience
  • Meet a professor who teaches in a subject that interests you

Experiential Learning & Career Advising

  • Learn what percentage of undergraduate students gain internships
  • Find out if there are scholarships/fellowships available for summer or post-graduate opportunities
  • Find out how many classes provide out-of-the classroom learning opportunities

Financial Support

  • Learn about available scholarships
  • Pick up financial aid forms

Food on campus

  • Sample the offerings! Dine on campus
  • Find out how many eateries are on campus

List of Hot Jobs You Can Land with a Finance Degree

The financial services field is a great option for individuals who have a passion for numbers and helping people. Having the right career information about possible professional paths can help you determine if the industry is right for you and which job you should consider. Below is some key information about some of the most common financial services jobs you can get with an associate degree in Financial Support Services.
Sales Agent in Financial Services – Working directly with clients is a big part of this job. Your title might be client manager, financial services representative, financial specialist, investment officer, personal banker, relationship manager or another option but your main duty will be to determine the financial services needs of the client and recommend a solution. Additional responsibilities could include reviewing business trends to advise a client on future fluctuations, making presentations on financial services to attract new clients and preparing forms or agreements to finalize the sale of a financial service product. Strong verbal skills, customer service, critical thinking and persuasion are all part of this career. Additionally, you will want to be sure you have a good grasp on math, principles of economics and accounting, and sales and marketing. Many of the positions in this career require an associate’s financial services degree or an equivalent associates degree. The national median salary is $71,720.
Financial Manager – In this role, you might manage and facilitate the activities in a branch, office or department. There is some flexibility in work environment as financial managers are found in banks, brokerage firms, risk and insurance departments and credit departments. Financial managers earn a national average of $109,740 depending upon their experience levels, work setting, geographic location and other factors. Some of your daily duties could include establishing and maintaining customer relationships, processing loan applications, recruiting staff members, establishing procedures for custody or control of assets, records, loan collateral, or securities to ensure safekeeping, or preparing financial and regulatory reports in accordance with established laws and regulations. To handle these responsibilities successfully, financial managers need a background in human resources, accounting, economics, mathematics, sales and marketing, in addition to having a variety of soft skills related to being a good manager. A good option to earn these qualifications is completing a bachelors degree in finance, especially since employers often require a degree.
Personal Financial Advisor – As Baby Boomers approach retirement, the career field of personal finance could be a rewarding and growing area. You will advise people on financial plans, including cash management, insurance coverage, investment planning, or other areas that help them achieve their financial goals. As a personal financial advisor you will also evaluate clients based on their current income, expenses, insurance coverage, tax status, financial objectives, risk tolerance and other information to create a financial plan for them. After creating the plan you may meet with clients regularly to assess whether life changes, economic changes, environmental concerns, or financial performance necessitate a shift in the plan. Since you are dealing with customers regularly, having strong interpersonal skills is key. Having a deep background in business, accounting and finance and being well rounded educationally are also important. Many employers will require you to have a bachelor’s degree in order to be considered qualified. Nationally, the average income for a personal financial advisor is $67,520 yearly.
If you are interested in enrolling in a degree program that will set you on the path for one of these careers, contact Bryant & Stratton College. An admissions representative can tell you more about our degrees in financial support. You can learn more by calling 1.888.447.3528.

Get Rid of That Boring Resume

Stuck in a resume rut? If you’re using the same resume over and over and over blank resume template and only updating your most current job, your resume is probably boring! Here are three ways to breathe new life into it right now.
1. Walk in the resume reviewer’s shoes.
It’s very possible that the person reading your resume is not someone who is an expert at it and may not even want to be the one reading it at all. He or she may be a department manager who has a vacancy and wants to hire someone fast so he can get back to managing a sales team or leading an IT project. Faced with a stack of hundreds of resumes for one position, he may only review each one for 15-30 seconds. So, boring isn’t going to fly.
“The ones that are easy to read and stick out from the others are usually the ones that get a call or inquiry,” said Danyelle Little, editor-in-chief of TheCubicleChick.com.
2. Start with a professional profile.
Personal branding is critical. As a job searcher you must be aware of, and more importantly communicate to employers, who you are and what you have to offer that is unique to you and relevant to them. A well-written and focused resume can do just that. Rather than starting with an objective statement that says Here’s what I want, consider starting with a professional profile that answers the question Why should I hire you?
Summarize in 3-5 bullets why YOU are THE person for THIS job. Include how much experience you have in the field, what job-specific knowledge or skills you bring to the table, and industry-specific awards, certifications and professional memberships. Remember it’s only a few lines, make them count!
3. Focus on your own unique results.
Once the personal brand is established, present clear and consistent evidence of being who you say you are and having delivered to past employers what this employer needs most. You don’t necessarily have to start all over creating content. Give your current content the once over, one sentence at a time.
Ask yourself, besides key words for the job, have I mentioned the challenges I faced based on my experience and work environments? Does every sentence begin with an action verb? Have I specified how much, how many, how often, and other quantifiers that make my accomplishments unique and not something that will be read in any generic job description or in the next three resumes? Instead of listing the usual skills to put on a resume like this list below, include examples of how you use these skills:
  • Analytical/Research Skills
  • Interpersonal Abilities
  • Communications Skills
  • Leadership/Management Skills
  • Planning/Organizing
A better list would be more like:
  • Analyzed and researched top ways to …
  • Coordinated with co-workers to create …
  • Communicated with clients on …
  • Lead a team of …
  • Planned and organized the…
“Don’t pad your resume with buzzwords and fillers. HR and hiring managers read right through that. Instead, stick with meaty content that keeps the reader interested in learning more about you,” said Little, who has worked as a brand ambassador with Toyota, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Verizon and T-mobile. “It’s the results and accomplishments that get their attention.”
Bryant & Stratton College offers career resources to students as well as professional development courses. Contact the Admissions office or, if you are already a student, check out the Career Resources section of our website.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

DEAR REWORKER: MY COWORKER THINKS HE IS THE VOICE OF HR

Dear ReWorker,
We are a small company. We have no HR department, but we do have a jerk. A jerk who is a director and has decided that he is the voice of HR. Nobody appointed him to this role.
He frequently dips snuff at his desk, which is a shared table with eight coworkers. He throws temper tantrums exactly like a three year old, ranting and cursing at employees and vendors alike. He\’s a serious liability to the team.
His behavior needs to be curtailed ASAP. He does not report to me, so my hands are tied. He is wise enough to change his tune when senior management is in the office. Do you have any helpful suggestions? If only we could hire an HR person!
Sincerely,
Had Enough
___________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Had Enough,
While it\’s true that a great HR person—who can leap tall buildings with a single bound and enforce the dress code on the way up—could handle this guy pretty easily, that great HR person is pretty mythical. Someone who is good at bamboozling senior management is likely to be pretty talented at hiding his bad behavior from HR as well.
While you don\’t have an HR person, you do have yourself—and sometimes that is enough. Let\’s start with the snuff dipping. First, go to him privately and ask him to stop doing it at the table. If he refuses, every time after that, just say, \”John, you need to do that outside. It\’s disruptive and unsanitary.\”
When he points out that it isn\’t cigarette smoke, and you shouldn\’t be offended by it, just calmly repeat that it isn\’t appropriate for the office setting. Your co-workers will likely join in. The fear people often face, when attempting to call out co-workers for inappropriate behavior is that the tables will be turned and they\’ll get in trouble for nagging—or worse, bullying. But if the behavior is truly inappropriate, your actions can be clearly explained to senior management as valid requests.
The temper tantrums should be reported to senior management. You\’re right—they are damaging, not only to employee morale but to your vendor relationships. So, first report the problem. Second, walk away when he starts his temper tantrums and ask your co-workers to come with you.
Big picture: Don\’t let a toxic employee ruin your job, but more importantly, don\’t let it ruin your business. Involve senior management if having a crucial conversation with the employee himself doesn\’t work. A healthy work environment should be one of their foremost concerns.
Your ReWorker,
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

Staff Spotlight: Senior Admissions Representative Elizabeth Evans

Sometimes things around the office can get a little hectic, especially for our admissions team.
Between helping students get into class, speaking with interested students who are ready to enroll and handling any other responsibilities each day, our admissions representatives have a lot on their plates.
That’s why Senior Admissions Representative Elizabeth Evans can be found at the river by her house from spring to fall relaxing with a fishing pole in the water.
“I love to go fishing,” she said.  “Well, I love to sit on the bank and pretend I know how to fish. There’s something relaxing about ending the day watching the sun set over the river.”
Elizabeth also shares something in common with each and every one of our online students, she took online classes with Bryant & Stratton College as well. She enrolled in a Paralegal Certificate program just over a year-and-a-half ago and lived the life of an online student as she worked towards completion.
Of the many lessons she learned, the one that stood out the most to her was the importance of knowing your day-to-day schedule each week. She noted that having a plan of attack for each day and week will ensure that you manage your time properly and get all of your work done in a timely manner.
“As an online student you’re faced with new tasks and responsibilities that you didn’t have previously,” she said. “But if you’re prepared from the get-go, you’ll know exactly when you will have time to get work done and will be set up for success.”
Elizabeth’s first-hand experience as an online student has paid off in each and every relationship she forms with students. She said that working closely with her students is her favorite part of her job and playing such a large role in a stranger’s life is extremely rewarding.
For over three years Elizabeth has been helping guide students towards their educational goals. Hopefully you’ll have a chance to build a relationship with her just like so many students before you.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

Alpha! Bravo! Charlie! Ed Dennis Joins IAVA\’s Storm the Hill teams fight to end veteran unemployment.

Ed participated in the 2011 Storm the Hill as an individual veteran, not as a representative of the College. He was part of a select group chosen from hundreds of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans across the country that applied to participate in Storm the Hill 2011. The group was made up of individuals with a diverse array of military service and personal experience who offered lawmakers a unique understanding of the issues facing the veterans’ community. Bryant & Stratton College Online is proud of his dedication to the veterans’ community as well as active-duty and military students. Read more about his Storm the Hill 2011 experience below.
I just returned from actively participating in Storm the Hill 2011: (www.stormthehill.org) which is sponsored by IAVA, a non-profit and non-partisan organization dedicated to improving the lives of today’s veterans, as part of an advocacy team focused on veterans’ employment issues. In 2010, the unemployment rate for veterans was 11.6 percent, compared to the national average of 9.7 percent.
 The event discussed IAVA’s 2011 Policy Agenda, which addressed the most urgent challenges facing Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families. IAVA annually surveys 90,000 Member Veterans and drafted the priorities from the survey results as well as in coordination with partner Veterans Service Organizations and community-based nonprofits nationwide. As an Iraq war veteran, I feel fortunate to have participated in this great event to increase awareness with our nation’s leaders about the unemployment challenges facing Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. 
Times are tough for everyone, but veterans are more likely to be unemployed than Americans as a whole. Education and employment opportunities are essential for today’s veterans to be the next ‘Greatest Generation.’ Unfortunately veteran unemployment has been above the national average for a couple of years. If this trending in the unemployment rate continues, we will fall behind our peers and the leadership and management abilities gained by those who served our country won’t be maximized in order to take America out of our current financial crisis. – Ed Dennis , Military Relations Manager
Storm the Hill 2011 on YouTube: The Thunder Rolls
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

Alpha! Bravo! Charlie! Ed Dennis Joins IAVA\’s Storm the Hill teams fight to end veteran unemployment.

Ed participated in the 2011 Storm the Hill as an individual veteran, not as a representative of the College. He was part of a select group chosen from hundreds of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans across the country that applied to participate in Storm the Hill 2011. The group was made up of individuals with a diverse array of military service and personal experience who offered lawmakers a unique understanding of the issues facing the veterans’ community. Bryant & Stratton College Online is proud of his dedication to the veterans’ community as well as active-duty and military students. Read more about his Storm the Hill 2011 experience below.
I just returned from actively participating in Storm the Hill 2011: (www.stormthehill.org) which is sponsored by IAVA, a non-profit and non-partisan organization dedicated to improving the lives of today’s veterans, as part of an advocacy team focused on veterans’ employment issues. In 2010, the unemployment rate for veterans was 11.6 percent, compared to the national average of 9.7 percent.
 The event discussed IAVA’s 2011 Policy Agenda, which addressed the most urgent challenges facing Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families. IAVA annually surveys 90,000 Member Veterans and drafted the priorities from the survey results as well as in coordination with partner Veterans Service Organizations and community-based nonprofits nationwide. As an Iraq war veteran, I feel fortunate to have participated in this great event to increase awareness with our nation’s leaders about the unemployment challenges facing Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. 
Times are tough for everyone, but veterans are more likely to be unemployed than Americans as a whole. Education and employment opportunities are essential for today’s veterans to be the next ‘Greatest Generation.’ Unfortunately veteran unemployment has been above the national average for a couple of years. If this trending in the unemployment rate continues, we will fall behind our peers and the leadership and management abilities gained by those who served our country won’t be maximized in order to take America out of our current financial crisis. – Ed Dennis , Military Relations Manager
Storm the Hill 2011 on YouTube: The Thunder Rolls
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

Alpha! Bravo! Charlie! Ed Dennis Joins IAVA\’s Storm the Hill teams fight to end veteran unemployment.

Ed participated in the 2011 Storm the Hill as an individual veteran, not as a representative of the College. He was part of a select group chosen from hundreds of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans across the country that applied to participate in Storm the Hill 2011. The group was made up of individuals with a diverse array of military service and personal experience who offered lawmakers a unique understanding of the issues facing the veterans’ community. Bryant & Stratton College Online is proud of his dedication to the veterans’ community as well as active-duty and military students. Read more about his Storm the Hill 2011 experience below.
I just returned from actively participating in Storm the Hill 2011: (www.stormthehill.org) which is sponsored by IAVA, a non-profit and non-partisan organization dedicated to improving the lives of today’s veterans, as part of an advocacy team focused on veterans’ employment issues. In 2010, the unemployment rate for veterans was 11.6 percent, compared to the national average of 9.7 percent.
 The event discussed IAVA’s 2011 Policy Agenda, which addressed the most urgent challenges facing Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families. IAVA annually surveys 90,000 Member Veterans and drafted the priorities from the survey results as well as in coordination with partner Veterans Service Organizations and community-based nonprofits nationwide. As an Iraq war veteran, I feel fortunate to have participated in this great event to increase awareness with our nation’s leaders about the unemployment challenges facing Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. 
Times are tough for everyone, but veterans are more likely to be unemployed than Americans as a whole. Education and employment opportunities are essential for today’s veterans to be the next ‘Greatest Generation.’ Unfortunately veteran unemployment has been above the national average for a couple of years. If this trending in the unemployment rate continues, we will fall behind our peers and the leadership and management abilities gained by those who served our country won’t be maximized in order to take America out of our current financial crisis. – Ed Dennis , Military Relations Manager
Storm the Hill 2011 on YouTube: The Thunder Rolls
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

Making the Most of Your Campus Visit

Visiting a college is the most effective way to learn about campus culture and student life. Want to make the most out of your college visits? Take the time to meet as many people as possible, and check out everything from the dorms to the dining halls.

Here is our campus visit checklist:

Explore the Campus

  • Take a college tour
  • Interview with an admissions officer
  • Sit in on a class that interests you
  • Talk to current students about what they like and dislike about the school
  • Visit the freshman dorms, bookstore, career center, and dining halls
  • Walk or drive around the town or city where the college is located

Student Life

  • Find out if students primarily live on campus or off campus
  • Scan bulletin boards to learn about campus life
  • Visit the school’s website to find events and activities
  • Read the student newspaper and any campus blogs
  • See what students and graduates are saying on the college’s social media pages

Access to Professors

  • Ask if your professors host office hours
  • Inquire about the professor-student ratio, ask about TA support and qualifications
  • Find out how many students participate in research during their undergrad experience
  • Meet a professor who teaches in a subject that interests you

Experiential Learning & Career Advising

  • Learn what percentage of undergraduate students gain internships
  • Find out if there are scholarships/fellowships available for summer or post-graduate opportunities
  • Find out how many classes provide out-of-the classroom learning opportunities

Financial Support

  • Learn about available scholarships
  • Pick up financial aid forms

Food on campus

  • Sample the offerings! Dine on campus
  • Find out how many eateries are on campus
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

Instructor Blog: Why Does Writing Well Matter?

For some students, English courses can seem unrelated to the knowledge they need to be successful in their field. However, strong writing skills demonstrate that you are educated, professional, and pay attention to detail. Before I was in the education field, I was part of a team that was evaluating candidates for a position. There was one resume from a candidate that had great experience, but it also included a typo.  The individual was not offered the job. Imagine sending your resume to a potential employer with the employer’s name spelled incorrectly. What first impression would you be making? The truth is that grammar matters!
These are certainly minor errors and it may seem unfair to disqualify someone from an interview because of them. However, these are the details that can leave a negative impression before someone even has the change to meet you in person. Error-free communication, especially when applying for a job, is crucial.
With that in mind, let’s address some frequently asked grammar questions in writing by examining these commonplace errors:
Incorrect apostrophe usage
An apostrophe is used to show possession. For example: “Alex’s idea. “ The idea belongs to Alex so there is an apostrophe.
It is not used to show plural. For example, “Gladys has two interviews.” The word “interview” is plural and not possessive, so there is no apostrophe.
Inappropriate use of personal pronouns
The use of personal pronouns should be minimal in academic and professional writing. For example, phrases such as “I think” are usually unneeded, and can detract from the facts.  Using “you” should be done with caution.  Using phrases such as “you should” can appear condescending and should only be used when clearly appropriate. Personal pronouns also detract from a professional tone.
Lack of proofreading
Any document that has a typo, spaces missing between words, or misspellings shows that the writer did not take the time to proofread a document. Incorrect word choice is not always caught by spell-check. For example, the words “defiantly” and “definitely” are similar in spelling, but quite different in meaning. Any document with your name on it represents you and your company. In our digital world, these words can be around for a long time!
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
Antecedent doesn’t have to be part of your regular vocabulary, however, consider the following sentence:
A student should always cite their work.
In the above sentence, student is singular therefore their is not the appropriate pronoun as it is plural. The grammatically correct way to state the sentence would be either of the below sentences:
A student should always cite his or her work.
Students should always cite their work.
Learning how to write well by correcting these errors in your writing is a great start! Keep those English textbooks handy so you can always brush up on your writing. It may make the difference between a glance and an interview!
For more career resources, check out the career center at Bryant & Stratton College.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

3 WAYS TO MAKE EXIT INTERVIEWS MORE EFFECTIVE

Exit interviews are a double-edged sword: Your company desperately wants information from departing employees about how to improve, but employees have little motivation to provide complete, honest reasons for their departure.
You can promise up one side and down the other that you’ll keep individual answers confidential, but the person is unlikely to believe that his former manager won’t find out if he says, “I’m leaving because my manager is a jerk.” Jerk managers are jerks about lots of things — and they don’t take negative feedback well. Your former employees want to keep their good references, so they’re not likely to speak up.
So, if your employees aren’t likely to be entirely honest, should you hold exit interviews at all? The short answer is yes. The long answer is yes, but only if you ask for constructive criticism, understand how to use the information you’re given and focus on trends. Here’s a deeper look at how to ensure your exit interviews are effective.

Cover Your Bases With the Basics

There are a few basic topics on which most employees will be very straightforward with you, and it’s important to consider what their answers indicate about your company. When you’re assessing your own company policies and procedures, honest feedback from the below categories can serve as valuable information:
  • Their new salary: Is it higher? Did they take a pay cut?
  • Their new title: Are they making a lateral move? Are they getting promoted?
  • Their new employer: Are they staying in the industry? Or becoming more specialized?
  • Their feelings on general company policies: PTO, flexible schedules, work hours
For instance, you can learn a lot about your own company’s career development process through the type of positions people are taking. If too many people are leaving for promotions, it may be time to look at your company’s performance review and promotion process. Or, on the other hand, if too many people are willing to go through the time-consuming effort of finding a new job for the same pay and responsibilities, it may be time to look into your current team structures and workloads.
In addition, feedback about your company’s policies can lead to important procedural changes. If enough people start saying that your health plans stink, then your health plans stink. If people keep saying that you don’t have a reasonable vacation plan, you don’t have a reasonable vacation plan. Believe them — or else you will continue to lose star employees.

Ask for Constructive Criticism — and Know How to Use It

Should you try to move behind the “big four” topics for more nuanced feedback? Absolutely — just make sure you use clear questions and have a process in place for following up on that feedback.
For instance, if you simply ask, “Why are you leaving?” and someone tells you she’s leaving because her boss is a jerk, it’s hard to act upon the information. Do you hold a meeting with her boss and report that information back? If you do that, there’s a good chance that you’ll ruin the future reference for the employee. Do you notify the manager’s manager that there may be a problem? Providing individual feedback is trickier than generating a report with overall performance numbers — and opens potential for personal bias.
If you want more feedback, don’t make your exiting employees feel like they’re just naming names or complaining. Instead, try asking for constructive criticism through questions like these:
  • What, if any, changes would have made to your time with us?
  • How do you feel you advanced in your career while working here? What held you back?
  • Would you ever be interested in returning to work here? Why or why not?
  • During the hiring process, what could we have done differently?
These questions are more HR-oriented and within your power to fix. However, it’s important that you do try to fix them — don’t bother asking these questions if you’re not going to take the answers into consideration. Remember, your exiting employees likely have friends that still work for your company and they’ll hear about whether changes are being made.

Take Feedback With a Grain of Salt

Last but not least, don’t take every interviewer’s feedback as gospel truth. “My manager is a big jerk” coupled with an employee’s record of coming in late and clocking out early most likely means that the manager was simply managing and the two didn’t see eye to eye.
An exit interview can provide valuable information, but it’s not a source of unbiased information. Instead of just looking at interviews on a case-by-case basis, look for trends and consistent feedback — and then use the collective information to improve your company. If you do this, you’ll be able to build a better culture and take care of problems proactively.

DIGITAL HR: THE EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE, BEYOND THE CLOUD

“Digital technologies are transforming every aspect of HR, this requires HR to engage employees using the same techniques that their company has used to engages their customers. With this shift a fundamentally different HR strategy is required. It stands to reason that no element of work is immune to digital disruption.”
Does this sound familiar? Driven by the success that companies have experienced in the last decade reaching their target audience through marketing and other digital techniques, we have by default established a new expectation in our employee experience as well.   HR now must know their employees as well as marketers know their customers.  This is combined with new calls for expertise from the HR function which extend far beyond the classic “system of record”.  
Without in-depth knowledge, HR people can’t fully engage or hire the talent required to ensure their organizations execute.  This coupled with the coming demographic tsunami of skill gaps makes the ability to differentiate in a noisy world a critical part of the HR job function.    Leadership development, culture, employee retention and engagement are at the top of the list of every CEO.  A recent PWC survey shows that 50% of CEOs plan changes to how they develop their leadership pipeline[1].  This shift is driven by the change in the abilities of the target audience from the digital experience they are comfortable with.  A vastly different set of expectations will be placed on this new leader to navigate a world of diverse laws and attitudes, to be analytical in their decision making, while ensuring their ability to distil a strategy to business outcomes and stay on message.  HR is expected to be a driving partner in these changes.
A widely accepted metric in the consumer market is that it costs 5 times as much to acquire a customer as it does to keep one.[2] By extrapolation, one can assume that these same investments in digital tools and customer satisfaction processes will pay big dividends to the organization when it comes to the employee experience.   The thinking is if we segment our target audience well through analytics, ensure the content is crisp and consumable, develop an agile HR mindset and adopt leading edge technology we can achieve our goals to reinvent HR.

Big Investment in Technology (But To What End?)

Investment in this technology has accelerated to an estimated $40 billion in 2015 alone.[3]  This reflects the deep interest and pressure on the CHRO and team to perform differently with the new expectations that are in front of them.  From full suites to purpose-built applications and a myriad of other options, there is no shortage of solutions and providers to help you transition from a “system of record” to a “system of engagement”.[4]  The promise and potential are tremendous and many are making the digitization leap in ways that truly add to the bottom line.
But, not so fast. What if it’s the wrong technology? What if it doesn’t work? Does it really meet an immediate need?  What is real and what is vaporware?  Is digital HR really a “thing” or is it just the latest technical term dreamed up by technology providers trying to sell their own brand of transformation?

What Is Right for Your Business?

Source: Gartner, Inc.
The Gartner group has a useful way of looking at the technology landscape for a variety of emerging trends called the hype cycle.  The idea here is to sift through the maturity and scope of technologies and capture the benefits of a particular choice at the right time for your business plans.
Where to start?  I suggest you examine your own business initiatives and strategies.  How can you enable what your CEO and board are driving toward?  Where should that technology investment go?
If you are in hyper growth mode, then talent visibility (across BU, Region, Manager, etc.) and talent acquisition are a critical part of your strategy.  This would be exclusionary to many of your other initiatives because you have to be able to manage and monitor this to execute. If you find yourself in an M&A environment, then the ability to organize, segment, identify and quickly onboard are the critical components of what drives your HR life the next few years.  If you find yourself in the classic “hunker down” scenario then you are looking for the foundational HRMS functions of payroll, compliance, travel and expense as cost takeout measures.

Your Employee Is Your Customer

Regardless of emphasis, be aware that attracting and retaining employees will be at the top of your list for years to come. You will be required to differentiate yourself just as we differentiate to our customers.  Global fertility replacement rates in most developed countries continue to fall placing pressure on the talent pipeline you have to manage.[5]  Your employee has rapidly transformed to becoming your customer as we change from a buyer’s talent market to a sellers’ market.  You will need to begin to look for a broad range of Digital HR tools which include:
1)  Using Analytics and Data
  • To provide analysis and some level of prediction for risk of loss and best-fit selection techniques
  • To perform strategic workforce planning for projecting need both internally and externally
  • To listen to the “voice of the employee/customer” through social monitoring tools and brand awareness
2)  Using Development
  • To demonstrate to your employee/customer the sense of community and investment you have in their satisfaction
  • To enable your employee/customer to get what they demand at the 5 critical moments of learning need[6]
  • To create visibility for your employee/customer of what the potential paths to growth are
3)  Using New Multi-Mode Delivery Techniques
  • For short, specific moments of communication that are timely, relevant and useful
  • To ensure that the brand and organizational value statements are embedded in every interaction as a potential or current employee/customer
  • To create the collaborative environment that the modern employee/customer demands
The customer experience drives the expectation of the employee experience, regardless of the classic GenY / GenX arguments.  This means choice of employer and clear articulation of values.  Your strategy for Digital HR will be driven by those expectations.  They truly are overwhelmed as employees.[7]  The average attention span of your employee/customer has shrunk to less than 9 seconds in some cases.  How do we garner some of that “attention share”?[8]
We need to think like digital marketers. Choosing which digital techniques we employ are varied but we know we need to serve our employee/customer who in return will generate value to our business.  This means that we need to know who they are; highly autonomous, highly connected and highly efficient.  We need to serve them in the way that they have come to expect, in any channel, at any time.  As a result, if they stay longer, refer others more and are engaged in what they do – we all win.

[1] PWC Global CEO Global Survey, 2016
[2] Shankman / HONIG 2014, Diginomica 2015
[3] Bersin by Deloitte’s HCM Market Trends, 2015
[4] Josh Bersin, Forbes, 2014 – Top Ten Disruptions In HR
[5] CIA Global Factbook,  2015
[6] Learning Solutions Magazine – Bob Mosher & Conrad Gottfredson, 2012
[7] Forbes, Josh Bersin, Why Companies Fail To Engage Today’s Workforce: The Overwhelmed Employee, 2014
[8] Microsoft, How Does Digital Affect Canadian Attention Spans?,  2015