THE ROLE OF STRATEGIC HR IN POST-RECESSION RECOVERY

‘There is a risk for HR that the role to be played in a recession is that of "executioner's assistant"’ (Griffin and Smith 2010). This is usually due to cost-cutting measures that are often a characteristic of such periods and which are employed in an effort to keep organizations afloat in such periods of uncertainty. It has become common for firms, high profile or otherwise, to announce job cuts in response to fears of any imminent recession. According to Allen (2012), this year Britons are facing their worst employment prospects since the recession due to the growing number of job cuts and redundancies planned in the Public Sector and by Private Sector employers respectively. Statistics show that while - at 8.2 per cent in the three months to March 2012 - the unemployment rate was down 0.2 percentage points from the three months to December 2011, it is still up 0.5 from a year earlier. And according to Peacock (2008), even where HR professionals are not being told to make cuts, they increasingly have to deal with reduced resources.

Redundancy is just one of the measures, albeit the most prominent, which is employed during recession. It is no wonder then that it is increasingly becoming a challenge to maintain employee morale and engagement as well as satisfactory organizational performance in these recessionary times.

It should now be a priority for HR in this era of Strategic positioning to not only manage resources efficiently but also seek to research, develop and recommend systems and practices that can be employed to help organizations maintain optimum organizational performance not only through the recession but most importantly in post recession recovery. This is because the personnel loss caused by both voluntary resignations and redundancies during the recession will always result in reduced resources as well as reduced capability and productivity which can greatly affect an organization’s profit margin and ability to maintain operations to satisfactory standards. As Grossman (2011) recommends, it is indeed wise for organizations to ‘take stock of your [their] HR strategies to make sure they address post-recession challenges’. As previously mentioned, the current economic climate has spawned the prevalence of downsizing and restructuring their workforces if many firms are to create a lower cost base and remain competitive. However, this poses a multitude of challenges to the HR professional, who must continue to maintain the support of employees and, more critically, make sure that the organization is primed for innovation. After all, the development of new products and services is one of the keys to recovery.

Some measures than can be applied in place of or in addition to a necessary redundancy include:

1.      Cross train employees: HR should seek to ensure that as much as possible employees are multi-disciplinary. NO, not ‘Jack-of-all-trades’, but employees should have one primary area of expertise and 2 or 3 areas of good knowledge. While the areas of good knowledge may not be part of their daily workload, in the event of a reduction in workforce they can then take on these areas as much as they are able to. This will ensure that the organization can continue operations with minimal disruptions and will reduce the feeling of large gaps left or shortfalls in staff.  

2.      Flexible working: This in the sense of industrial organizations. Where a company is seeking to reduce work in a warehouse for example, rather than going through redundancies, they can reduce the hours of work available thereby keeping all employees on board and as soon as the company is out of danger and in post recession recovery, as the work increases, hours on offer can increase. In the case of corporate organizations, HR can seek to make certain positions part-time or reduced hours rather than compulsorily redundant and offer the employee the necessary support while adjusting to the new working hours. And then in post-recession again as work picks up, full time status can be restored or hours increased. These can be applied across industries and should always be done after due consultation with employees.

3.      Redistribute workload: If a member of staff seems to have quite a large workload and work overtime, this can be reduced and distributed to other colleagues who at that point may have fairly light workloads and are willing to take it on. This way people who may have seemed to have light workload and thus at risk of redundancy will help cut cost of overtime and increase productivity in the organization. This will also reduce the probability of employees developing work-related stress or feeling burnt out because of increase in or heavy workload.

4.      Balancing out Compensation: If in the habit of giving bonuses to highly performing employees, don’t stop because an attempt at cost-saving. Instead, the criteria could be slightly adjusted to be a bit stricter. Also alternative and cost saving rewards could be introduced in place of cash rewards to ensure that good performance is still recognized, when productivity and profit increases the cash rewards if the organization so- wishes can be re-instated. Also, more importantly, HR must ensure that they steer organizations right so that they do not overcompensate salary and bonus wise and then have to leave the employee stagnant in recessionary times. They should ensure that any compensation is fair but not excessive. HR must ensure that the organization is not being – as the saying goes – ‘Penny wise, Pound foolish’. This is because more important than attracting the right personnel is retaining them. There is no point hiring a person on an outrageous salary and being unable to sustain it.  

These are just a few measures that can be employed. Many more can be developed but only if HR as Strategic Partners begin to take their role more seriously and focus on not just the immediate problem but actually plan for any contingency that may arise. HR need to understand that their role as a strategic partner to the business surpasses administrative or advisory tasks but more importantly includes the role of a ‘Forecaster’ who based on trends and observations is able to almost accurately predict what may be about to happen and in addition proffers suggestions on how to prepare so that the organization is able to survive as best as possible any challenge that arises whether now or in the future.

Bibliography

Allen, K. (13 February 2012). Unemployment likely to worsen as private sector resorts to redundancies. The Guardian [online]. Available from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/feb/13/unemployment-private-sector-redundancies [Accessed 1 May 2012].

Griffin, E. and Smith, G. (2010). Recession: a shot in the arm for HR. Strategic HR Review,9.1,pp. 17-22.

Grossman, R. J. (2011). 11 INITIATIVES FOR 2011. HR Magazine,56. 1,pp. 22-27.

HR Focus. (2011). Turnover, Globalization Among Emerging Challenges Facing HR. 88.9, pp. 10-11.

Office for National Statistics. (2012). Labour Market Statistics, May 2012. Available from: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_264236.pdf [Accessed 15 May 2012].

Peacock, L. (2008). HR in front line as recession fears force firms into corner. Personnel Today, 15, p. 1.

Prabhu, J. (2010). The importance of building a culture of innovation in a recession. Strategic HR Review, 9.2, pp. 5-11.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (2011). PwC Saratoga’s 2011/2012 U.S. Human Capital Effectiveness report. Delaware: PricewaterhouseCoopers

Robbins, S. P. and Judge, T. A. (2007). Organisational Behaviour. 10^th ed. New Jersey: Pearson Education Incorporated.

HOW to Answer Competency-based Interview Questions

When answering competency based interview questions, you need to be very careful. You have to ensure that you are portraying the specific attribute that is being questioned and you must make sure not to waffle or go off discourse.

The best way to do this is to prepare such answers prior to interview or have an idea of what you will answer.

There are two ways of structuring answers to competency-based questions. The ‘STAR’ method which is widely known and used and what I will refer to as DOER. When answering competency-based questions that require you to use situations to illustrate a particular attribute or competency, the STAR model is most effective. STAR stands for:

S     Situation: What was the situation? What happened?

T     Task required: What were you required to do as a result?

A     Action Taken: How did you carry out the task?

R     Result: What was the outcome?

When answering questions dealing with making decisions and/or validating decisions made or problem-solving, DOER is better used.

D    Define the problem: What predicament did you find yourself in?

O     Option: What options did you have for solving it?

E     Explanation of choice: Which option did you pick and why?

R     Result/Outcome: What was the outcome of your action? If faced with a similar situation would you take the same action?

For some questions, you can give hypothetical answers covering all angles to show that you consider all options and are  level-headed.

Let’s look at a few examples of how these can be applied:

Please give an example of a time when you have worked with a team that was not your team.

ANSWER - STAR

Situation: Who your normal team is and what you do. The new team you had to work with and why you were chosen to work within this new team.

Task: What was required of this team and what was your role in the team?

Action: How did you carry out your new team role? How did you integrate with this new team?

Result: Were you able to achieve what was necessary?

 

How do you handle it if you know your boss is 100% wrong about something?

 ANSWER 1 - DOER

You could start off by saying, ‘I have had to deal with such a situation and this was how I handled it...’

Define problem: What were you asked to do and how did you know s/he was wrong?

Options:

-          Do it his/her way

-          Do it the way you believe to be right without telling him/ her

-          Approach with way you believe is right and if s/he rejects do it his way, if not d

Explanation: Which way did you do it? Why

Result: Was s/he happy with decision? Were you satisfied that you made the right decision? Faced with same decision would you make the same choice?

 

ANSWER 2 – Hypothetical answer

It would depend on the personality of the supervisor and/or my experience with him/her.

1.       If the supervisor is easy-going, I could politely suggest to him/her an alternative way of doing things

2.       If the supervisor is someone who doesn’t like to have his/her authority challenged or questioned I could accept the task, do it in the most effective way and present the desired results to him/her. This way I save myself  being reprimanded and everyone is happy with the result.

3.       If I were new on the job, I probably wouldn’t question the supervisor except s/he is also new, this is because I’d feel as they’ve been there longer they probably know better than me especially regarding the workings of that organization.

HOW to Answer Interview Questions about you

Question 1: Why should I hire you?

 

Question translation: What are your strengths and how will they contribute to the success of your team and my company? How do your strengths fit into my company?

How to Answer: This is not an opportunity to wax lyrical about your achievements and use endless clichés to describe your prowess. (A word of advice: AVOID clichés and unnecessarily large words...both will make you look very silly.)

This is the time to tell me what your strengths are (if you haven’t already), why you think it is a strength in relation to this position and how they will benefit the potential team and department that the role sits in and the organisation as a whole. Look at the key desirable qualities or competencies of the role and show how your strengths complement them and how they are ideal to carry out your assignment. Show how you can fit into the company while standing out in terms of quality of work and service. And finally, what do you think makes you stand out as an excellent choice? List any achievements that relate in any way to the job in question. For example a job in a recruitment agency, if in a previous role you were able to see 80% of agency workers get hired or similar in a redundancy situation this is where you should highlight and emphasize it.

 

Question 2: Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

Question translation: How long are you planning on sticking around? What is/ does this job really mean to you? What do you want to have achieved professionally in 5 years time? What do you hope to have achieved in this company via this role in 5 years time and how does that relate to your career objectives?

How to Answer: One of the most common questions ever.  No, not married with 3 children (even if you do) and please not the cliché ‘in a management position’ or ‘climbing up the corporate ladder’. What I want to know is if you are looking to diversify your knowledge or specialize in a particular area in your field. Do you intend to ‘stick around’? Are you one who is interested in expanding their knowledge base and building on it? Do you see this role as just a boot in the door and a step to something better? Never ever let on that a job is a step to something better, the second an interviewer sniffs that you can just say ‘Sayonara’ to that job.  No one wants to hire someone who will skip out the second something better comes on the scene even though it is sometimes inevitable. Why you ask? Well, think of recruitment costs, training, onboarding, and procuring equipment not to mention time spent. Now imagine that after all this, 2 months later that person skips out and you have to do it all over again, yep if I can smell that the job is just a foot in the door and you are not very enthusiastic (don’t be overly enthusiastic either) about it, you can bet I will not be offering you a job anytime soon. Also as much as possible try and give measurable answers.

 

Question 3: What about the role interests you? Why did you apply for the job?

Question translation: Why do you want to leave your previous role for this? What is the difference in your previous role and this that would make you leave it for this?

How to Answer: No, not the benefits. NEVER the pay/ salary and definitely not the opportunity for advancement! It will just make you look like a gold digger and like you are more interested in the job because of the pay and benefits and not in the actual role itself. As I’ve said previously, you do not want to ever give off the impression that you see the job you are interviewing for as a stepping stone to better roles in the company even if to you it is. You can be sure that if so much as a whiff of this intent comes through the job is NOT yours. To answer this sort of question, first talk about any similarities in this role and previous roles you have held, then talk about areas in this role that you feel will give you greater sense of achievement than your previous role and how you see this specific role as more challenging and potentially more satisfying than current/ previous roles. And then talk about how this sort of advancement to this role and the role itself including the company itself (say some fab things about the company) fit in with your ambition and career plans and goals.

 

Question 4: What are you looking for in your next role?

Question translation: Again, why are you interested in this role? How does this fit into your career plan?

How to Answer: Need I say anything? You are looking for this role. As per the previous question, relate it to the job in question. However while you would have answered question 3 like this:

‘I applied for this role due to that fact that I would have the opportunity to manage a full lifecycle implementation of Oracle software because while my previous role entailed this, we already had a system in place and so data was transferred and we did not have build everything in the ERP system’.

Your answer for this question will be more like this:

‘I am looking for a role that will give me full autonomy over a full lifecycle implementation of a ERP system as my previous role was a lifecycle implementation made easier because we already had a system and so most parameters were transferred.’

As in question 3, conclude by showing how this fits in with your career plans and goals.

 

Question 5: Walk me through your CV

Question translation: How does your previous experience fulfil my requirement for this role. How does it make you the best candidate for the role?

How to Answer: Always start with your earliest RELEVANT experience. You don’t always have to discuss about every job you’ve done if it is not related to the role in question. As you discuss each role emphasize duties, achievements and qualities which are required for the position in question. Using the job description, determine the most desirable and essential qualities and duties to be carried out and then look for areas in your previous experience which bring these to the fore. These are the areas you should discuss when this question is asked. This will help to show that you have both the experience and the expertise for the new role.

How to Stand out at Interviews – What they don’t tell you...PART 2

5.      Relax – Be cool, calm and collected

Just as you are being assessed for a position in the company, you should also be assessing whether the company, environment and job are right for you. Be unflappable, unfazed. Don’t rise to certain questions or perceived slights. Sometimes it is a way to assess how you react. Choose wisely what to react to and how to react. Use silence to your benefit. Don’t get agitated, just smile and wait. You’ve answered the question and it’s now over to me your interviewer to continue. Just look at the interview expectantly they will get the message loud and clear. However, if you are one of those people that really don’t know how to be quiet, you can say something like ‘Was there anything else you wanted to ask me?’ or ‘I hope that has answered your question satisfactorily, please let me know if you would like me to expand further.’ However, I still say just keep quiet, like the Dalai Lama said ‘Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by saying something, and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent.’ and I wholeheartedly agree.

Have a relaxed smile, not a cheesy grin or a wide smile or straight face, but a polite smile as if you were about to meet the Queen or Barack Obama for the first time. This will help to lend an aura of approachability.

 

6.      Mind your Language

Just like the popular 1970/80s British comedy series, ‘Mind your Language!’ Ensure that whatever you say cannot be misconstrued. Speak clearly and to the point with no double entendres and avoid any puns intentional or otherwise. Ensure that you tailor your language to the industry the company is in as well as to your job field. Make sure you use industry-speak/ terminology.  Where applicable, use quantifiable achievements as much as possible (sure winner especially in roles that involve reporting and monitoring trends etc). Also when asked certain competency questions, tailor your response to show how your experiences relate to the company and the job you are coming to do and how it can thus benefit the company.  When asked about yourself and experience, again, emphasize areas that most closely relate to the job in question and the company/ industry.

If swearing is a pastime, while I don’t think I should mention this, I still will...CUT IT OUT. Be polite to all whether cleaner or receptionist, you never know who is watching. Sometimes the interviewers ask receptionists their impressions and use that in their assessment. Also, always ensure there is a clear progression in whatever you are saying and that your answers flow smoothly while giving the requisite information. Practice by looking in the mirror to see how you look when you speak and improve your grammar and tense usage.

 

7.      Expert Knowledge

How do you answer your interview questions? (this will be discussed in-depth in the subsequent post, but I will highlight a few things here)

Be sure you know exactly what is needed from a question. What characteristic is required to be portrayed for a competency based question? What part of your experience relates more closely with the job in question? What do they want to know? Listen carefully and ensure that your answer shows you have what it takes and whatever they are looking for. If you are not sure, ask for the question to be repeated, you will never lose points for asking an interview to ‘please repeat the question’. When answering, get straight to the point, you will most likely be interrupted if you are waffling and while that may not necessarily detract from that answer that will most likely ruffle you, make you more uncomfortable and may adversely impact your subsequent answers. Answer confidently and calmly and show that you have complete mastery of your area of expertise. Let them know that you know what you are talking about. Use the structure for answering questions that I will explain in my subsequent posts that will address answering normal and competency based questions. When used effectively, it never fails. Also, if it is a question that can be answered different ways, answer in the way that relates to the job. E.g. if it is a HR administrator job and you are asked if you have experience of redundancy, talk about the administrative processes involved; if a HR manager role and the same question comes up then talk about the redundancy process itself. So essentially are they looking for the technical answer of the managerial answer? It will always depend on the job.

How to Stand out at Interviews – What they don’t tell you...PART 1

There are certain things you can do before and even at interview stage that will bag you that job. Here I discuss the seven most vital principles which can mean the difference between a ‘You’re Hired!’ and a ‘You’re fired!’

1.      Network

Reach out. Ask. Everyone likes to be independent and utterly knowledgeable however, no man is an island. Reach out to those closest to you and ask for as much information as possible on interview etiquette, company information but also company culture (this should always be in addition to any information gleaned from the internet). There is always extra information that someone who works for your desired company will know. So if you don’t know someone who works there, look for someone who does, use your network...LinkedIn, Branchout, friends etc. Get their insight on how they landed their job, I have always found this useful. You may be asking what they can tell you that you won’t find online. Well for starters, the company culture and the kind of characteristics that are sought after, a guide on the sort of things to know about the company and advice on how to show your best side at the interview. Believe it or not while interview questions may be the same, different companies have different methods of assessing you sometimes it is what you ‘don’t’ say.

So Stop trying to do it all your way.  The only way you can see farther is by climbing on the shoulders of those who have gone ahead.

 

2.      Pre-prepare

Live Ready. Even before you are invited to an interview you should always be prepared at least with answers to typical interview questions. As your experience and skills increase, your examples and interview answers should change and become better, more relevant and varied. I have a document on my pc that is specifically interview questions and my own answers including my strengths and weaknesses. I am constantly updating it and so when I get a call for an interview, I just quickly do background research on the company research and then review my document. At any point in time you should be ready for an interview even if you are gainfully employed because you will almost always be looking for opportunities for advancement whether within your company or externally. I have had calls that were on the spot preliminary interviews without previous notification, after the first time I was caught unawares I learnt this lesson. I have also had calls for interviews the next day or at very short notice, again, because I was pre-prepared it was not a hardship for me to prepare myself as I was literally just doing a quick research of the company and then a review of my document. Also prepare questions to ask the interviewer about themselves and the company.

 

3.      Dress to Impress

Don’t just dress to look good at the interview, dress to show that you fit into the company culture and style. For some companies you can get away with and may even fit in better if you wear a mismatched suit (i.e. black jacket, brown trousers, properly accessorized) for guys and ladies or for ladies a dress and a jacket; and at some places you will not get away with anything less than a power suit or a dressed-to-the-nines dress suit. Make it a point to know what sort of company it is and dress accordingly and fitting the position you have applied for. When you walk in, it should be obvious you’ve made an effort, but at the same time a new employee or even your fellow interviewees should look at you and mistake you for an employee. I know people who have gone in for interviews and as they walked in all the other interviewees snapped to attention because they thought their interviewer had arrived. That’s the idea. That’s what you want to happen when you step in, and this is enhanced by how you carry yourself.

 

4.      Excellent Carriage

When you walk into the room, the first thing that is observed is how you carry yourself. Are you arrogant, Shy, Proud, lack confidence or uncomfortable? When you walk into the room you should make the interviewer sit up and take notice. NO, not because you are proud but because they should see a confident, pleasant professional walk in. This is the first impression that is gleaned of you before the interview starts and as a wise person once said ‘You never get a second chance to make a first impression’. Walk like you are going to give very good news to your biggest client, with anticipation but always professional because do you know what, you are going to give them good news...their best employee has just arrived! While we are on the subject of carriage, people always ask ‘How should I sit at an interview?’ It is always said to sit relaxed but not too casual. Let me make it easy – sit how you would if you were the CEO of an organization receiving a potential investor; in this scenario you would be calm, in control, relaxed, cordial but still and above all professional, that is what you want to portray. Ladies, I always say sit with your legs crossed at your ankles and neatly to the side. Men I would advise just sit straight and no ankles on knees leg-crossing. And try to avoid tapping feet/ shoes or finger, picking nails or fidgeting.

10 reasons I wouldn't hire you (updated 29/08/2012)

A quick, humorous twist on just a few obvious and some not so obvious reasons why you may not get that job....

1. You don't convince me. You can talk the talk but can you walk the walk? You claim to have the prerequisite experience for the job but all that stuff you are spewing? Sounds like it is coming from a textbook. You don't sound like you know what you are doing, you are not confident, and you are full of cliches. *cringe*

2. You want to work for me and you don't know who my company is ans what they do? You have seriously got to be joking. Door's on the left....NEXT!

3. Have you had a shower today? You smell of stale beer. Smart-Casual does not mean bermuda shorts, shirt and flip flops. Lady, cover your bum and boobs (and I don't mean in Lycra)....I'm not hiring 'them'.

4. You look like you are about to explode...have you had a bad day? Sincere apologies but please do not take it out on me or my clients. If you can't bottle it and deal with it you do not deserve to be here.

5. When I ask about your 'background', I don't mean the folks down at the ghetto and Aunty Polly and Uncle Mike...Really.

6. If you can't sit 45mins without your phone ringing or you taking a call....You don't need the job.

7. I don't care that your last boss was the spawn of the devil.....I'm about to turn into your worst nightmare! If you are so willing to trash talk him behind his back, tells me more about your character than I want to know.

8. Say 'basically', 'bloke', 'to be honest' etc or wave your hands about just one more time...go on, I dare you.

9. How much am I willing to offer you 'cos you have a lot of better offers'? Why are you here then? If you are asking so insistently then I don't think I want to offer because you are either a very good liar or too expensive for me.

10. Ok, so you left every single one of your 'permanent' jobs of your own choice and they all want you back? They can have you! Something smells fishy.