SHRM konference - dag 2

Dag 2 på SHRM

Der er ikke længere prærieulve i Las Vegas – måske bortset fra dem der 24/7 sidder ved de enarmede og håber på den store gevinst, og lysene blinker og maskinerne bimler og bamler.

Men der er ca. 14.000 deltagere på SHRM konferencen i Las Vegas. Jeg skrev i går, at der var 18.000 deltagere, men det lader til, at man i år lander på ”kun” 14.000 Blandt disse er der 1.100 ikke-amerikanere, og heriblandt meget få danskere. Men det er jo også midt i vores ferietid, Roskilde Festival, Wimbledon og Touren.

Huffington

Huffington Post er et nyt nyhedsmedie, som tager sit udgangspunkt i blogs. Det er blevet et meget stærkt alternativ til de traditionelle nyhedsmedier i USA, og kvinden, Arianna Huffington, som begyndte dette blog-nyhedsmedie, var i dag hovedtaler på SHRM. Hendes forretningsmæssige bedrift har været at opbygge dette nye medie og derefter sælge det til AOL (America On Line).

Hun talte lidt springende om forskellige temaer. Her iblandt:

•                A nod to the importance of HR: Huffington said she really learned about the “incredible value” of HR with the Huffington Post, especially “how much you (HR professionals) affect everyone’s life in the workplace.”

•                On the balance between online vs. offline life: Not many people who have made a huge splash in the Internet world would ever say this, but Huffington said that “the qualities and values we look for online are the same we look for offline.” She listed four of these qualities she believes are important — trust, authenticity, empathy, and giving back.

•                On why naps (and nap rooms) are important in the workplace: “I urge you in HR to institute a nap room in your work environment,” Huffington said, because a simple 20 minute nap can do wonders to rejuvenate an employee. And in a nod to a potential HR issue, she added, “we haven’t seen many disappear in pairs (into the nap room), but we’re watching for it.”

•                On a balanced life: Huffington seemed particularly energetic when she discussed the importance of balance in life and the need to unplug and recharge. Getting away from our hyper-connected society is incredibly important, she said, and that’s surprising coming from someone who’s work these past few years as largely been predicated in getting people to be MORE connected online.

•                On the challenges and economic struggles we’re currently facing: “We’re living through a time of very deep challenges,” Huffington said. “Clearly, those of us working are the lucky ones.” She noted that the United States is listed at No. 10, behind France, in upward mobility, and she felt that this clearly is felt by so many college graduates in the U.S. who get out of school only to find there are not enough

Huffington er i dag ved at blive en markant rollemodel for kvinder I USA. Hun talte på SHRM samme dag som en ny kvindelig præsidentkandidat meldte sig til valgkampen næste år.

Sundhed
En SHRM-undersøgelse vedr. frynsegoder viste at der er store fordele ved at fokusere på sundhed og velvære. Overraskende få virksomheder har kastet sig over dette emne:

Given the number of employers looking for ways to cut health care costs without reducing benefits, Schmit says that few have turned to wellness programs, which Schmit said is surprising. According to the survey, the percentage of companies offering these programs has hovered around 59 percent between 2007 and 2011.

“We don’t see wellness programs growing,” Schmit said. “There’s a huge opportunity here. In a meta-analysis of 56 studies that look at the impact of wellness programs, it was found that for one dollar spent an employer can reap six dollars of benefit. It’s surprising that more organizations aren’t taking advantage of them.”

Generationer

Der er meget tale om generationsforskelle, og hertil kommer en større fokusering på de ældre. Når den hurtigst voksende aldersgruppe er de 100-årige, så er der brug for udviklingsaktiviteter for alle over 60.

Ved en præsentation af Linda Robertson, sagde hun bl.a.

“Don’t just give your employees retirement education, says Linda Robertson, CEBS. Give them broader financial education.

 “We’ve got to move away from traditional retirement education,” said Robertson. “That’s not going to improve their situation. … Bring general financial education into your retirement education.”

The messaging isn’t just a question of age. “Women are under much more financial stress than men,” she said.”

Der foregår selvfølgelig meget andet bl.a. på de ca. 200 sessions. Dem vil jeg samle op på senere.