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According to several independent, in-depth studies that have been done by the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), businesses perform better when they invest in the development of their leaders.

Findings from work by The Conference Board, Bersin & Associates and HR analytics expert McBassi & Company, among others, point to the fact that leadership development is one of the most pressing issues facing organisations globally today, and represents a great chance for HR to set up leadership development programs that are key to helping companies seize competitive advantage in their industries.

More precisely, investments in leadership development allow companies do four following things that drive sustained success:

1.     Improve bottom-line financial performance. Companies that rate highly for their investments in human capital deliver stock market returns five times higher than those of companies with less emphasis on human capital. Leadership development builds capacity to reduce costs, drive new lines of revenue, and improve customer satisfaction.

Global pharmaceutical company, Boehringer Ingelheim, has successfully bolstered their bottom line because they have developed their leaders to come up with ways to reduce costs (nearly USD$2 million saved) and drive new lines of revenues.

2.     Attract and retain talent. Leadership development boosts employee engagement, increases the organisation’s ability to deal with gaps in the talent pipeline, and reduces headaches and costs associated with turnover.

After implementing leadership development, KONE, a global leader in the elevator and escalator industry, has transformed its organisational culture into one that’s powered by strategy, collaboration and overall excellence – helping the company to retain valued employees.

3.     Create organisational alignment. Effective leadership development isn’t development for its own sake. Organisations need a leadership hierarchy that closely connects with the business strategies and equip employees with the necessary leadership skills to implement these strategies. Leadership development allows organisations to shape the culture and strategy of business.

Financial services provider, Barclaycard, found itself facing regulatory changes and competitive pressures in a volatile global economy. It turned to CCL for the development of Barclaycard Academy which is a consistent leadership model for all business leaders that bolstered overall strategy and execution for Barclaycard.

4.     Increase organisational agility. Leadership development increases people’s ability to respond rapidly in unpredictable business environments. When organisations look beyond developing senior executives and high potentials to unlock the full potential of their talent pools, agility is magnified.

Insurance company, Aviva, partnered with CCL to help develop leadership development programs (LDP) that will include a bigger portion of the employees. Such LDP approach allowed Aviva to widen their pool of leaders and forge a more nimble organisation. Ultimately, it helped them to weather the global recession.

The sooner organisations fully embrace these four reasons, the sooner they will reap the rewards.

Source:

http://www.hrmasia.com/resources/leadership/four-reasons-to-invest-in-leadership-development/142485/

COMPENSATION PROCESSES

Global ? Organisations that constantly evaluate and improve their total compensation processes are more efficient at achieving their strategic workforce performance goals.

Research from Ventana Research has shown that 72% of companies indicated that deploying a total compensation management system was a top priority. A quarter of 145 executives surveyed across various industries found that their companies still have inconsistencies in executing compensation processes across the business departments and divisions. More than half lack confidence in their existing processes.

Respondents added that managing merit pay and base pay were still at the forefront of their issues. Alignment of pay and performance were listed second and third as areas for improvement.

Ventana offers five recommendations to improve compensation management processes.

Focus on outcomes for improving workforce performance.
Before an organisation can take action to realise the benefits of investment in total compensation management, HR and finance must ensure they agree on the direction. The benefit companies desire most is the ability to align their workforce to the business strategy and goals (52%), followed by efficiency of process (50%). Companies also want visibility into employee compensation, performance and succession related information (40%) and establish pay for documented performance (39%).

Replace outmoded technology to increase efficiency.
Although companies are looking to improve their processes, more than half of respondents are still using spreadsheets for compensation activities. Organisations should assess available applications to determine what may meet their needs cost effectively. Those that don't are likely to fall behind in the race to acquire and retain talent.

Work to integrate appropriate sources and systems.
To drive improvement, it is necessary to integrate existing information sources with compensation and workforce performance or talent management systems. Integration will require the organisation focus not just on the usability and functionality of the applications but also the architecture needed to support integration to other internal systems, including the Human Management Resource System and spreadsheets, as well as external hosted or on-demand systems.

HR should explore ways to find a compensation system that can become the repository of the single view of compensation at every level, from individual to organisation. If separate dedicated compensation systems are needed, they should be designed to support integration into the system that provides the integrated view.

Understand what you really need.
Make sure you fully understand what your managers want and need from the compensation management so you can determine the type of application to use and the sources of data to draw upon. Individual compensation management software systems have relative strengths and weaknesses. Some are better at managing variable pay components while others have better capabilities for making critical decisions about workforce planning and strategy.

By clearly defining your business, user, information and technology requirements, you will be better equipped to evaluate how well providers of total compensation management applications will satisfy your particular needs.

Bear in mind it is possible that no single dedicated application will meet all of your needs. Perhaps bringing together specific capabilities from different systems will be required. If the latter, integration capability is essential.

Seek top management support.
Enlist sponsors from finance and senior executive management who will support the required investments and provide organisational leadership for the programme and its goals. With improved processes that work together efficiently, you can reduce friction in the workforce and focus on driving performance improvement.

Source: http://www.careerwise.com.my/Newsletter.php?id=6

Over the past decade, HR has evolved to become a strategic partner in many organisations. The ability to outsource basic HR functions to third party businesses has been a key enabler in this process.

Some of the functions that are commonly outsourced include recruitment, payroll processing, benefits administration, and employee database management. According to research by IDC, the HR outsourcing market has grown by close to 70% over the past six years, with employers spending some US$103.3 billion on services in 2007 alone.

The recent recession saw an increase in demand for HR outsourcing services as companies sought to improve efficiencies, reduce employment costs and eliminate risks.

Even as the economy recovers, companies are still seeking to maintain cost efficiencies.
An outsourcing service provider manages sometimes thousands of transactions across many clients and normally enjoys greater economies of scale. This can lead to increased value and lower costs, Caleb Baker, General Manager, HR Outsourcing, Talent 2, says.

He says the typical HR outsourcing contract can lead to savings of up to 25%. However, there is more than just cost savings in its favour – quality is also an important factor to consider. Sometimes HR just does not have the expertise or headcount to execute certain functions, Baker says.

Dollars and sense
Payroll processing is a time-consuming and administratively routine task that was once the sole concern of HR - this makes it a good starting point for organisations looking to outsource. Farming this out to a service provider can help in-house HR to focus on more value-added services or strategic decisions.
Outsourcing payroll functions is often cheaper than hiring your own specialist staff, particularly for companies with smaller overall headcounts. According to Andrew McArthur, Managing Director, Pay Asia, a full-time in-house solution requires the procurement of software and hardware as well as maintenance. “This will result in a significant cost which makes less it financially viable for a small and medium enterprise,” he says.
Service providers can often provide greater accuracy from their “outsider” position. For example, they will ensure that employees are paid on time and that your tax payments are in. Many leading providers have avenues for compensation in the event of a mistake – something that is impossible under an internal administration regime. Outsourcing also lowers the risk of corporate fraud.
MacArthur says that companies with a payroll service provider are also freed of the need to be constantly abreast of changes to professional and statutory requirements. Instead, the service provider will check on the regulations and implement them as needed, he says.

Talent search
For many organisations, recruiting new employees is a labour intensive process that is subject to market fluctuations and company performance. A hiring blitz would call for more staff specialising in recruitment. The same employees might become redundant during a hiring freeze. Outsourcing this function to a third party can alleviate these problems.

In recruitment process outsourcing (RPO), an employer moves all or a part of the organisation’s recruitment efforts to a third-party. Service providers in this area cover the whole gamut of recruitment functions from hiring and onboarding, to performance assessment and succession planning. These are handled by hiring specialists who typically have access to a large database of potential candidates.

According to Simon Bell, Regional Director, Managed Solutions and Talent Management- Asia, Hudson, an RPO service provider can offer better control and visibility over the recruitment process. This can lead to improvements in candidate quality with better-defined job descriptions and selection methodologies.

“The power of your resourcing function is only as strong as the people manning it and the tools that enable them. In a rapidly recovering economy, they can be the difference between success and failure,” he says.

Getting started
Organisations need to establish their most pressing HR needs and prioritise them accordingly. Many outsourcing service providers offer diagnostic tools that can guide HR through the various strengths and weaknesses before settling on an appropriate solution. The outsourcing process brings along a period of changes and HR must effectively sell these to management and employees in order to get their involvement and buy-in.

An outsourcing arrangement also requires HR to work alongside service providers. Both parties need to plan and communicate their needs and expectations, to ensure that service level agreements are adequately fulfilled. A structure of governance that includes transparent reporting on key metrics is essential to cut down on unnecessary time spent on outsourcing issues.

Organisations must also understand that outsourcing HR does not lead to immediate profit. It often takes time for the outsourcing service provider to fully understand and deliver a client’s requirements.

Source: http://www.hrmasia.com/resources/outsourcing/sharing-the-load/49850/

How often have you been ashamed or embarrassed by the words you chose during a situation? Maybe you were speaking with friends, co-workers, or even family members. If you look back, most of these incidents likely occurred during a high stress situation where you were frustrated. Unfortunately, during times of high stress we tend to make bad decisions when it comes to the words that come out of our mouths. Certain situations bring along high tension and more episodes of frustration will inevitably occur; therefore, we must be careful in choosing our words. Remember, regardless of the situation, the use of the wrong words is never justifiable.

If you say the wrong thing during a conversation, each of your words is like a stray bullet. Once the words are dispensed, they can never be retracted and we ultimately deal with the aftermath. With the potential for serious damage, we should all consider the impact our words have on others. To be clear, if someone is direct when communicating, it doesn’t mean they are a poor leader or that they are using the wrong words. At the same time, just because they choose their words wisely doesn’t mean they’re a great leader. There are going to be times in our careers when we need to be direct. As long as the words we select don’t break people down, most will understand the message.

A good example of the power of words is revealed in movies depicting soldiers in boot camp. The goal of the drill sergeant is to “break down” the soldiers (both physically and mentally) then build them up. Choosing your words wisely is not a skill set considered when your goal is to break someone down. Although the ultimate goal is viewed as a positive, the method is not usually viewed as desirable.

As leaders our goal is to build people up instead of breaking them down. When interacting with our team, there are three main concerns: 1) the words we use, 2) the tone of our voice, and 3) our body language. Even if the right words are chosen, the wrong delivery and poor body language can derail the message and it might not be properly received. Conversely, when someone is speaking to you with a genuine nature and sincere body language, the outcome of the conversation will influence you in a more positive manner.   Tony Dungy once said, “When you commit to encouraging, comforting, and strengthening others with your speech, you are not only making their lives better, you’re also making yours better by surrounding yourself with people who are affirmed and encouraged.” What a great message about the true value of our words and how we can impact the lives of so many people if they are well chosen.

Take time today to think about how you choose to speak to people around you. Would you be ashamed or proud of your words? Are you building people up or breaking them down? The uttering of a few simple words can spawn great things or create disasters. It’s up to you which words you choose.   As leaders, our words are more powerful than we could ever imagine. With the right words, we have the ability to unite, inspire, and engage people all over the world to achieve the unthinkable. By selecting the wrong words, we have the ability to break our team members down, leaving them with a lack of engagement and no reason to be inspired. We owe it to ourselves, our team, and our company to choose our words carefully. With our words, let us encourage the next generation of leaders to unite, inspire, and engage people all over the world.

“Most people are careless with one of their most powerful resources: their words. Use yours as an investment in people’s lives.” – Tony Dungy

Source: http://www.humanresourcesiq.com/management-development/articles/the-power-of-your-words/

What is it that makes some people cringe when asked, “What are you planning to do in the future?” The reason seems to be that many people are not planning that far ahead. They say that the future is too unpredictable, that they are having enough trouble just figuring out what to do next – or even now.

It is difficult to plan for the future when we have no idea what the future may bring. After all, haven’t we all seen unanticipated changes in recent years – restructuring, downsizing, even total business failures? We are concerned and worried about this economic uncertainty. So many feel this way that it appears we may be experiencing a new epidemic – Futurephobia - a widespread fear of what the future may bring.

While there is no simple cure for Futurephobia, there is hope. Let’s step back for a moment and consider the words of some of this year’s commencement speakers. These words are not only appropriate for those just beginning their careers that can apply to leaders in these current circumstances… in fact, they are applicable to all of us.

Oprah Winfrey, at the Spelman College commencement 2012, said: "You want to be in the driver's seat of your own life because if you're not, life will drive you."

Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, in her Facebook Harvard Business School Class Day speech said: “As you start your post-HBS career, look for opportunities, look for growth, look for impact, look for mission. Move sideways, move down, move on, move off. Build your skills, not your resume. Evaluate what you can do, not the title they're going to give you. Do real work. Take a sales quota, a line role, an ops job. Don't plan too much, and don't expect a direct climb. If I had mapped out my career when I was sitting where you are, I would have missed my career.”

Jane Lynch, at the Smith College commencement, 2012, said:“My counsel to you, women of Smith College? Let life surprise you. Don’t have a plan. Plans are for wusses. If my life went according to my plan, I would never ever have the life I have today.”

Inspired by the words of these speakers, here’s how you can manage Futurephobia and gain control of your life and career.

1. Don’t just sit still, waiting for something to happen. Be proactive in finding opportunities. If you don’t like the job you have, think about what you can do to change or refocus it into one you will love. If you can’t find any ways in which you can make it a better fit, maybe there is another job within your organization that will be the right fit for you.

2. Be open to different possibilities and be willing to take chances. Rigid long-term plans are often ineffective because the world is changing so quickly. Flexible, short-term plans can be useful in evaluating possibilities and determining next steps.

3. Engage in relationship networking – use your relationships to identify possibilities and to find opportunities. Meet in person with those you consider to be your trusted advisors and ask for their ideas and suggestions. In doing so, you may find that you can also help them.

4. Understand what success really means to you. This is critical because if you don’t know what it means, how will you know when you’re successful?

5. Discover your purpose (if you don’t already know what it is), and understand how the work you’re doing expresses your purpose. If you find that it doesn’t, it may be time for a change.

Futurephobia may be easily avoided (or cured) by thinking, reflecting and then just doing it! Are you ready to try?

Source: http://www.humanresourcesiq.com/business-strategies/articles/managing-futurephobia-and-gaining-control-of-your/

In the world of employees, a good boss is differentiated from a bad boss by the way the boss makes the employees feel. They also assess the boss based on his or her contribution – or lack thereof – to their ability to get their jobs done successfully.

Employees tolerate a lot of bad boss behavior. Many bosses are untrained, uncaring, and not held accountable for their actions and interaction with employees. Some were promoted to jobs above their competence to perform. Bad management practices weigh heavily in whether your employees hate you.

If any of these practices spell out your actions and behaviors as a manager, it is true. Your employees probably hate you. Oh, they may like you as a person and hate you as a boss, but that’s treading on a narrow line. If you bungle management long enough, or badly enough, they will hate you as a person, too.

· You Don’t Know What You’re Doing
Are you competent at your job? This is the first consideration when your employees look at your work. Do you provide them with the leadership they need to succeed? Are you leading and managing in a way that makes your employees know that you know what is going on in the organization. They have to be able to see that your department’s goals are part of something bigger and that they help move the something bigger forward.

The worst manifestation of not knowing what you’re doing is to give employees the wrong information and then lie when confronted with the truth. You also demonstrate incompetence when you present information that is wrong or you interpret the numbers incorrectly when talking or presenting to your reporting staff. They will always catch you out when you don’t tell the truth, pretend to know what you don’t know, or withhold information that made them fail. And, they will hate you.

· You Treat Them Disrespectfully
When you demonstrate a lack of respect for employees, you injure their feelings, their self-confidence, and their self-esteem. Furthermore, if you treat them disrespectfully, you will never garner their respect in return. Employees are feelings-oriented people who are like radar machines scoping out the work environment.

When you talk over them, belittle their ideas, ignore their input, and criticize them unfairly, they feel disrespected. Calling last minute meetings with no regard for their prior commitments, refusing to okay vacation time use that was appropriately requested, and failing to commit needed resources in a timely manner are hallmarks of disrespectful behavior. Employees know when they are not respected and they will hate you.

· Work Is All About You
Are you the center of the employees’ world? Everything starts with you and ends with you? Do you formulate expectations for employees based on whether their outcomes will make you look good? Worst, do you chastise employees for errors or unmet goals because they made you look bad? When everything is all about the manager, employees know and they hate you.

· You're a Blockhead or a Jerk
Insert negative name of choice. Take your pick. Are you unreasonable, selfish, manipulative, or stupid in your behavior toward your reporting staff? A prima donna that requires their attention and approbation - constantly? Do you think about their feelings or the impact of your decisions on their work? Do you tell tales about one employee to his or her colleagues in your department?

Do you play one employee against another by offering a prize for the best project? Think about a time when you thought of another individual as a jerk? Was he or she a lot like you? If so, you know why your employees hate you.

· You Over Manage Good Employees
Even earnest managers can make an incorrect assessment about how much managing an employee needs. When you trust your employees and let them figure out how to accomplish their job, you call forth their significant contributions. If you micromanage and nitpick their ideas and work, you will never tap into their discretionary energy or the best they have to offer.

Sure, new employees, employees in training, and employees who change jobs or acquire new responsibilities need more guidance. But, if you don’t watch your need to guide them lessen over time, you are the problem. Micromanage good employees and they will hate you – or run away as far as possible as quickly as they can.

· You Don’t Know What They Are Doing
You don’t have to know how to do every employee’s job to be a good manager. But, you have to understand enough about their work to guide them. You need to communicate with the employee often enough to know how he is progressing and what challenges he experiences.

If you make decisions about his work, you must know more than the minimum about the project or job. If you tell him what to do or how to do it, which is not recommended, you better know more than the employee does, or he will hate you.

· You Don’t Act As If They Have a Life
You don’t need to know everything about the lives of your reporting staff, but you need to act as if they have lives. Asking employees to work late, work more, and assigning more work than they can do will stress out the employees. They want to do well at work, but they also have myriad responsibilities with home, family, friends, volunteering, sports events, and so much more. Offering some flexibility and understanding will earn their respect.

In fact, the youngest generation of employees, unlike their older coworkers, demands flexibility and free time to pursue all of their other interests. Put barriers in their way and you will find yourself without an employee. And, who you lose will be your most skilled, highly valued employees who have the skill set necessary to network and leave. If you make them feel guilty, object to what they need to do, or act as if you are put out every time they pursue their other priorities, your employees will hate you – and the best will leave.

· You Don’t Give them Credit When Credit Is Due
Employees enjoy recognition and credit for their accomplishments. They like having coworkers praise their work and think highly of them. Where managers mess up in this arena is by taking credit for their employees’ ideas and accomplishments. Not mentioning that the idea was Mary’s is the fatal omission a manager makes. You may think that you are currying favor from upper management, but your employees will find out.

A senior manager will mention your idea in an employee meeting and everyone will know it wasn’t your idea. You’ll get credit for a job well done – and the job was done by your reporting staff - but no one recognizes the team – which employees know means that you didn’t. Your employees won’t trust you and, when this happens repeatedly, they will hate you.

· You Don’t Have Their Backs
When you throw your employees under the bus, you will not recover. The minute an employee knows that, rather than supporting her and offering reasons why a project or timeline may have failed, you blamed her, it’s all over. Even if you are disappointed in the employee’s performance, you publicly blame them to your shame. Rather than earning the approbation of senior managers, you will be known as the manager who throws employees under the bus. And, those employees will hate you.

· You’re a Bully
Bullies reside in boss’s clothing more often than you’d ever think possible. In fact, bully behavior is one of the bad boss indicators that is shared on this site most frequently. Bully behavior encompasses bosses who yell and cuss at employees, physically intimidate employees by physical proximity, and block employees from getting away either from their desk or the room.

Bullies intimidate employees with words, threaten employees and their jobs, and have even been known to throw objects at employees. Bullies belittle employees and chip away at an employee’s self-confidence and self-esteem with criticism, name calling, and ridicule. Bullies are condescending, demeaning, and cruel. It’s tough to describe bully behavior, but employees know when they are being bullied and they will hate you.

All of these behaviors are unacceptable at work. Yet, they occur daily in workplaces worldwide. My best advice to an employee who is experiencing any of these behaviors? Get out of there. You do not need to spend your life or your career being subjected to behaviors like these. Begin your stealth job search now.

In the meantime, you have to decide whether you have the courage necessary to take on any of these behaviors. If you do, and it may not be in your best interests, these ideas will help:

Source: http://humanresources.about.com/od/badmanagerboss/a/10-reasons-why-your-employees-hate-you.htm

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Four Reasons to Invest in Leadership Development

Five ways to improve compensation processes

Sharing the load

The Power of Your Words

Managing "Futurephobia" and Gaining Control of Your Organization

10 Reasons Why Your Employees Hate You

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