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Jan 11, 2012 | mgordon | Healthcare, Research
Throughout the year, specific days, weeks, and months become times to raise awareness for a variety of illnesses and health issues, from AIDS Day to Women’s Health and Fitness Day. In addition, intertwined with these observances are times for us to recognize the work done by the many types of healthcare professionals we encounter, whether as patients or family members of patients, or as HR professionals.
Taking It to Heart
February is American Heart Month and includes observances such as Wear Red Day (February 3–to promote awareness of heart disease in women-see below for how) and Cardiovascular Professionals Week (February 12-18). CVP Week is sponsored by the Alliance of Cardiovascular Professionals to recognize the work done by cardiovascular physicians and nurses, as well as occupations that are not as well known, such as administrators, managers, technologists, and technicians.
More information about CVP Week can be found here: http://bit.ly/sBsKNK.
Recent Entries
Dec 27, 2011 | dfriedman | Healthcare, Relationship Marketing, Research, Social Media/Social Recruiting
As 2012 is fast approaching, I have been reflecting back on why I started to work in research in the first place and on the many ways we’ve used research to help clients during 2011.
While I fell into my first market research job (I used to be a French teacher), it quickly became apparent that my analytic nature was well-suited to the position. I loved the statistics, the strategic problem solving, and collaborating with clients. In short, market research appealed to me. I later went on to obtain my MBA in Marketing.
Although I have used my research skills in all types of industries, I find my work in recruitment solutions to be the most compelling. Understanding the underlying motivations of why employees want to work for an employer, the unique work environments, and hiring dynamics fulfills my sense of discovery. This is especially true because I have conducted research for so many different types of employers, from banks and mining companies to hospitals and government agencies.
Dec 6, 2011 | Mark | Consulting, Corporate Culture, Diversity & Inclusion, Employee Engagement, Employer Branding, Global, Internal Communications, Millennials, Public Relations, Recruitment, Relationship Marketing, Strategy
Winston Churchill was visibly upset during a meeting with Josef Stalin during WWII. Churchill had just learned that a family friend had died. He apologized to Stalin for being carried away by the death of his friend while the Russian people were losing millions during the war.
“The death of one man is a tragedy,” Stalin remarked. “The death of millions is a statistic.”
Stalin understood that stories count more than numbers.
Stalin was coldly correct. Many of us remember the book and movie about Anne Frank who died in the Holocaust. Hearing about the millions who also died doesn’t have the emotional impact that this young girl’s story continues to have. If you visit the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., you will be given a “passport” that bears the name and background of someone killed by the Nazis. The creators of the museum understood that the number of deaths is overwhelming, but that individual stories make these crimes more real. (I still think about the Seventh Day Adventist conscientious objector whose background I was given.)
Nov 17, 2011 | Mark | Corporate Culture, Employee Engagement, Employer Branding, Global, Internal Communications, Recruitment, Social Media/Social Recruiting, Strategy
Employer branding as a formal discipline has only been around for about twenty years. It got its start— as so many things in communications have— in the U.K., and eventually spread throughout the developed world.
Sir Kenneth Branagh as King Henry V
One could argue, however, that the principles of employer branding and employee engagement go back over five centuries to the time of William Shakespeare. Specifically, to his famous soliloquy in Henry V where King Henry gives his stirring “Band of Brothers” speech before the Battle of Agincourt.
Brief backstory: Henry and his army are in France and are about to engage a French force five times their size. The date is October 25, 1415, the Christian feast of St. Crispin. His troops ravaged by hunger and disease, anxious to go home before the onset of winter, know that they are outnumbered. Henry speaks to them to raise their morale and get them engaged.
Nov 3, 2011 | mgordon | Digital, Research, Social Media/Social Recruiting
It’s expected that job candidates will have some knowledge of the companies they are applying to, especially once they get to the interview stage. But are HR professionals and hiring managers ready for interviewees whose knowledge doesn’t come from the corporate career site, but instead are informed by the opinions of current and past employees posting online?
In the U.S., nearly half of all adults now use at least one social network (Pew Internet & American Life Project). The sharing of information on everything from status updates about their personal life to professional information and job seeking status is radically changing, expanding, and accelerating. Job seekers are using search engines to research companies and reaching out to people in their networks to find out about potential employers. The information they are receiving is influential. In The Employment Conversation research report, Hodes found that 52% of all social networking users had experienced an employment-related discussion on a social networking site, and 57% of users said they were motivated by the discussion to consider working for a particular employer.
Aug 30, 2011 | Mark | Corporate Culture, Diversity & Inclusion, Employee Engagement
Last week my wife and I enjoyed the glories of Yosemite National Park. Taking time away from work is always a good idea as it helps us replenish our spirits and gives us new insights. Some of my random thoughts from last week.
DIVERSITY
If anyone thinks we can ever go back to the idea of America as an isolated entity, go to Yosemite (or any national park, for that matter). You’ll hear German, Japanese, Italian, Dutch, Chinese, Tagalog, Spanish, and a host of other languages spoken by enthralled tourists and new immigrants alike. We are becoming one planet– albeit slowly and painfully. To me, it was kind of cool to hear all of these people admiring breathtaking scenery that is just 150 miles form my doorstep. We need to admire each other’s unique attributes and appreciate them. Whether it’s in a mountain meadow or a conference room.
Aug 15, 2011 | Mark | Corporate Culture, Employee Engagement, Employer Branding, Internal Communications, Public Relations, Recruitment
Monday’s edition of The Wall Street Journal carried an article about how difficult it is for senior executives to re-assure employees during turbulent economic times. As one Wall Street analyst so aptly put it, “What else are you going to say when something like that (the Dow dropping 600+ points) happens?”
The article went on to point out that, “employees (are) already skeptical after years of layoffs…” An academic theorized that employees believe they only get re-assurances when things are really bad or when management thinks morale is really low. In other words, workers think they are being snowed.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
Aug 3, 2011 | Mark | Corporate Culture, Employee Engagement, Employer Branding, Internal Communications, Public Relations, Relationship Marketing, Research, Social Media/Social Recruiting
I was on a commuter flight from Reno to San Francisco aboard SkyWorst. The weather in Reno was spectacular— low 80s, clear blue sky. As we boarded the Canadair CRJ200, the cabin was sweltering. The pilot made an announcement as we taxied for takeoff that the air conditioning would begin working as soon as we were airborne.
It didn’t. A tepid little stream of air flowed from the overhead ventilation valve. As we deplaned, the flight attendant listened as passenger after passenger complained. Her apology was a short, “Yeah, sorry about that” while she was tidying up the galley. No eye contact. Not a shred of sincerity.
I stopped at a grocery store to pick up some things on my way home from the airport. The cashier kept up a running conversation with the courtesy clerk, stopping briefly to ask me if I had found everything (I had) and if I needed help out to my car (no). At the conclusion of my transaction, she scrolled the receipt from the register, scratched her fingernail along the paper with a flourish and said, “Thankshaveaniceday.”
Jul 8, 2011 | Mark | Consulting, Corporate Culture, Employee Engagement, Employer Branding, Internal Communications, Public Relations, Recruitment, Relationship Marketing, Social Media/Social Recruiting, Strategy
Atlantis on the final voyage of the Space Shuttle program.
A news reporter was covering the Mercury space program in the early 60’s and was on a press tour of the Cape Canaveral complex. Looking for an angle not covered by the other media, he asked a lone man near the group who he was and what he did.
The man gave his name, said he was a janitor at the complex, and then added, “I’m helping to put a man on the moon.”
Many have heard this attributed to President John F. Kennedy, but there is no confirmation of that. The take-away, however, is that the janitor came to embody the ultimate engaged employee. Even though he never flipped a switch or wrote a line of code, he still saw his job as contributing to the overall mission and was determined to do the best he could to ensure the organization’s success.
Apr 16, 2011 | Mark | Consulting, Employee Engagement, Employer Branding, Internal Communications, Public Relations, Recruitment, Relationship Marketing, Social Media/Social Recruiting, Strategy
In the previous three posts, we’ve explored the shift in employer branding (as well as branding in general) away from the linear Brand Funnel model to today’s chaotic, multi-platform, mash-up culture. Just as product marketers and corporate communications specialists must grapple with the changes in how people consume media, so must employers as well.
I created a slide show which describes what I call The Employee/Candidate Journey. The ideas are based on a study completed by McKinsey & Co. in 2008 on the Customer Journey. McKinsey consultants studied several industries worldwide to determine how advances such as social media and online shopping had impacted sales of automobiles, cosmetics, PCs, insurance policies, and wireless services. The study found that instead of a linear funnel, the best model to describe the interaction of customers and brands was a loop.
The Employee/Candidate Journey