THE 7 DIMENSIONS TO BUILD AN EMPLOYEE VALUE PROPOSITION FOR GEN X & GEN Y TALENT ACCORDING TO PROFESSOR DAVE ULRICH and DR THEO VELDSMAN

Both Dr Theo Veldsman and Professor Dave Ulrich concur on Gen X and Gen Y talent.

Dr Veldsman says, “People engaging with the world of work, the players employed, or to be employed by organisations, have changed. These employees have become more demanding in terms of what they expect from their employers. The question they ask is, “What’s in it for me?”- putting themselves at the centre of their self-constructed world of work.”

These are some of the things they look for.   SOURCE: PEOPLE MANAGEMENT IN THE NEW ORDER Part 1 – Prof  Theo Veldsman

• Reputable, high profile organisations.
• Credible, “influencable” leadership.
• Work settings that are challenging, stimulating and meaningful.
• Organisations that offer them ongoing learning and development opportunities.
• Their work is built around their needs and aspirations relative to their personal career life cycle.
• Work settings that allow them to actualise their potential and apply their knowledge, fully, and in innovative ways.
• Greater work/life integration because the boundaries between life and work have dissipated because of virtual connectivity.
• Being measured by what they contribute and the results they produce and not by the hours they spend at work.

Professor Dave Ulrich puts it this way. There are two sides to the Gen X and Gen Y issue.

1. Why people work?
2. How they go about working?

“Why they work’ is about finding meaning, and “how they work” is radically different from the traditional 20^th century management model. They use technology, have different time frames, care about life before work and value relationships.

If your current and future talent is important to you and you want to ensure you access their discretionary energy, you probably need to reconsider your employee value proposition.

Here is Professor Dave Ulrich’s 7 dimensions to build an employee value proposition that will ensure commitment to your objectives.

1. Vision – Give your people a sense of direction or purpose
2. Opportunity – Enable an ability to grow develop and learn.
3. Incentives – Offer a fair wage or salary for work done.
4. Impact – Create ways for them to see the outcome of effect of their work done.
5. Community – Encourage relationships with peers, bosses and leaders who build a sense of community.
6. Communication – Ensure they know what is going on and why.
7. Entrepreneurship/flexibility – Offer them choice about terms and conditions of work.

How people go about working? I am not convinced that organisations are paying attention. One only has to look at the early morning and late afternoon traffic congestion to see that the 20^th Century “9 – 5” business model still prevails.

In 2014, BRG & GIBs will present Dave Ulrich – Live and in Person: The 13 Milestones for HR to transcend the way they deliver measurable value to their organisations. Become architects of talent, culture and leadership for 21st Century Organisations.

Professor Dave Ulrich has consulted and done research with over half of the Fortune 200. His honours exude a consistent track record of global influence and authority in human resources and business management.  His research is based on collective feedback from over 60 000 line managers and HR professionals on the competencies required to improved business performance.

An accomplished and celebrated educator Dave is sought after the world over to present his findings and educate businesses. He has published over 200 articles and book chapters and over 25 books which he has co-authored with numerous fellow thought leaders.

Follow Dave Ulrich on twitter: @dave_ulrich

“Shopper Insights” techniques for HR professionals | 50 Customer Centric questions for HR to do good HR work Outside – In.

If you agree with what Dave Ulrich advocates in his latest book Outside In, then building relationships with your customers is key to achieving previously untapped HR Value.

Although he has been advocating this for a few years now, when he asks HR professionals “How many of you have spent time with your customers?” Typically the response is none.

March 2014 |Posted: www.theprogressconference.com 

So what we know is that typically HR do not spend time with customers. We also know the HR profession have their very own set of vocabulary which can get lost in translation with non HR people. So unless your customers are HR people, you need to translate your key HR priorities into their language which is relevant to their experience. This is how you will find out how your good HR work will create value for customers.

This is what he had to say recently, “Rather than becoming an employer of choice, that employees choose– become an employer of employees, your customers choose.”

So what do your customers look for in your HR work?

“HR SPEAK

Do you think our employee wellbeing programme is effective?

CUSTOMER SPEAK

Do our people display energy and alertness?

HR SPEAK

Are our employees functionally competent? This is where you can unpack specific learning and development interventions. By example if you have recently invested in business writing skills training. You could ask,

CUSTOMER SPEAK

How do you rate the quality of written communication from people in our organisation?

Do our people demonstrate good technical knowledge of the products or services they are offering you?

HR SPEAK

Do you think our customer excellence training programme was effective?

CUSTOMER SPEAK

Do our people deliver excellence in all of their dealings with you?

HR SPEAK

Is our leadership programme effective?

CUSTOMER SPEAK

Do our employees demonstrate our companies Vision, Mission & Values? You may want to unpack these for them and rate them accordingly.

HR SPEAK

Is our cultural sensitivity programme effective?

CUSTOMER SPEAK

Do our people exhibit respect towards you and their colleagues despite race, gender or age?”

So here we go: 37 Customer Centric Questions for HR Professionals who hang out with their customers.

You can create a rating system.                         1 being least like this and 5 being most like this

1. Our people demonstrate punctuality at all times.
2. Our people always show up looking presentable.
3. What image do our employees convey about the company by the way they are dressed?
4. Our company exhibits a good balance in terms of gender diversity.
5. Our company exhibits a good balance in terms of racial diversity.
6. Your experience with our people reflects our brand value proposition.
7. Our people demonstrate kindness.
8. Our people demonstrate technical knowledge about our products and services
9. Our people can communicate effectively about our products or services.
10. Our people demonstrate knowledge about many different offerings in the market
11. Our people are responsive.
12. Our people are willing to take on challenges.
13. Our people are able to cope well in difficult situations without becoming emotional. Our people love their job.
14. Our line managers support the people who report to them.
15. Our collective leadership serves you well.
16. Our people’s decisions create value for you.
17. Our people always look healthy and well.
18. We hire the very best people in our industry.
19. We retain our best people well.
20. Our people demonstrate a high level of integrity and ethics in all of their dealings with you.
21. Our people/company show a strong sense of corporate social responsibility in what we do.
22. Our products/services meet your required quality standards.
23. Our people do not complain about their pay.
24. Our people seem appropriately rewarded for the value they create.
25. Our people are not stressed.
26. Our people do not show signs of burn out.
27. Our people are effective within their teams.
28. Our people are committed brand ambassadors for our organisation.
29. Our people take a pride in their work.
30. We respond well to change in trading conditions.
31. We show you that we value / respect and appreciate you as a customer.
32. We demonstrate good governance and compliance in our dealings with you.
33. Our people are passionate about their work.
34. Our people demonstrate innovative thinking in all of their dealings.
35. Our people are willing to go the extra mile.

And then….

What made you decide to become one of our customers? Or, as in the case of an ex customer, what made you decide to leave us?

If you could re-hire, train or develop anyone in our organisation what would you do differently?

Some more tips and ideas:

Why not spend time with customers who you have recently lost? Better still, if this is of significant importance to you, hire the services of a Shopper Insights Company to conduct a survey on your behalf. But as Martin Lindstrom and Dave Ulrich strongly advise you should still spend time and hang out with your customers.

Professor Dave Ulrich has consulted and done research with over half of the Fortune 200. His honours exude a consistent track record of global influence and authority in human resources and business management.  His research is based on collective feedback from over 60 000 line managers and HR professionals on the competencies required to improved business performance.

An accomplished and celebrated educator Dave is sought after the world over to present his findings and educate businesses. He has published over 200 articles and book chapters and over 25 books which he has co-authored with numerous fellow thought leaders.

Follow Dave Ulrich on twitter: @dave_ulrich