Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Author of Becoming a Sustainable Organization Writing a New Book

 My first book, Becoming a Sustainable organization: A Project and Portfolio Management Approach, published by CRC Press and released in 2016 continues to be relevant today. As we adjust to what we term the "new normal", we see that the topics of environmental and social impact are ever present. My Great IT Pro webinar for the PMI community entitled Perspective on Post COVID-19 Leadership: Planetary and Business Health addresses the intersectionality of planetary, societal, and business health. The relevance of this work is reflected in the continued interest in this research on Research Gate, its numerous citations, and the inclusion of the book in global library collections.

For those who are not familiar with my work, here are a few links that you might find useful.

Research Gate

CRC Author Page

Becoming a Sustainable Organization


For those of you who are fans, you will be pleased to know that I am writing a new book, Driving Transformative and Equitable Change to Build Inclusive Organizations. The following is a brief description of the book.

 Despite focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion, the imbalance of power remains and manifests itself across organizations. In order to move the needle, we need new approach that focuses both internally and externally. Redesigning organizational systems and leveraging tools such as a framework to build an inclusive organization and a model to engage and support senior and middle management, begins the process of capacity building and systemic change. Layering in artificial intelligence and technology to support data based decision, we can move forward in creating just and equitable organizations. Rebalancing power, breaking down systemic barriers and authentically welcoming diverse voices is a fundamental requirement for successful 21st Century organizations.

Thank you to the many friends and colleagues are collaborating on this project. Look for more details in 2021.

Thursday, October 1, 2020

HRComputes is a Registered NJ Sustainable Business

 


HRComputes is honored to be a founding member of the New Jersey Sustainable Business Registry. 

We guide leadership teams in their sustainability journey. Our focus is on embedding the Sustainable Development Goals into your operation. We target corporate social responsibility in the areas of  building inclusive organization, driving a culture of belonging, community engagement, and strategic volunteerism. Through our human capital digital transformation expertise, we deliver solutions with impact.

 For over 6 years, we have been focused on reducing our carbon footprint, minimizing bottled water usage, recycling, and protecting our planet. In 2019, our Carbon Footprint was reduced to 6.4 tonnes CO2e, which is a carbon intensity of 1.6/ employee compared to 3.5 for office based employees. Our employees are involved in community, professional, and board service focusing on governance, leadership, skills development, and mentoring. Volunteer hours for the firm were 320+ valued at $80,000.  

 In August of 2014, the New Jersey Small Business Development Centers (NJSBDC) launched the New Jersey Sustainable Business Registry.  We are pleased to be a member and continue to promote a more sustainable New Jersey.




Tuesday, September 22, 2020

HRComputes and Phenom Announce Partnership to Drive Successful Talent Experience Management Adoption

 


MOORESTOWN, N.J., Sept. 22, 2020 -- HRComputes, a leading human capital management digital transformation consultancy, announced a partnership with Phenom, an HR technology company and global leader in Talent Experience Management (TXM). Through this alignment, customers can efficiently deploy the Phenom AI-driven platform across their business.


HRComputes places customers on the fast track to Phenom TXM mastery by shortening the learning curve in change management, technology adoption and data analysis. This empowers organizations to recruit best-fit candidates and develop existing employees faster. 


“We are thrilled to join forces with Phenom, whose innovative technology enables stronger talent management and acquisition solutions,” said Kristina Kohl, managing principal at HRComputes. “With over 20 years of experience in HR Tech—combined with our expertise in the Phenom platform—we can help customers truly realize the return on their investment.”


When not reinforced with the right AI technology, talent acquisition and management processes can be time-consuming. The Phenom TXM platform—a single platform that eliminates the need for multiple HR tools—reduces time-to-hire and cost-per-hire, while improving talent quality and productivity for candidates, recruiters, employees and management with the Career Site, Chatbot, CRM, CMS, SMS and Email Campaigns, University Recruiting, Internal Mobility, Career Pathing, Diversity & Inclusion, Gigs, Referrals and Analytics.


“HRComputes’ intimate knowledge of HR and their clients consistently translates to long-lasting value,” said Saumil Gandhi, vice president of strategic alliances at Phenom. “We recognized that the Phenom platform would further enhance their services, while allowing our users to capitalize on our software faster. We’re excited to see our collaboration with HRComputes elevate the experience for current and future customers.”


---


About HRComputes

HRComputes is a leading human capital management-consulting firm providing exceptional experience in the selection, implementation, synchronization, and optimization of human capital systems for enterprise level organizations. With over 25 years of experience, we provide expertise in strategy, technology, project management, change management, talent acquisition and development, and human capital functionality. Our clients include Fortune 500 companies, mid-size public companies, and not for profits  from the pharmaceutical, banking, manufacturing, telecommunication, entertainment, education, healthcare, and professional services industries. Our holistic view of the talent experience from candidate to retiree uniquely qualifies us to guide your team through strategy, execution, adoption, and success.


Our expertise is with enterprise level organizations with 2,500 or more employees. We have delivered solutions globally including NCSA, AP, and EU. We are an Ultimate Kronos Group Solution Delivery Partner and are based in the Mid-Atlantic region. For more information, please visit https://www.hrcomputes.com/. Connect with HRComputes on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook .




About Phenom

Phenom is a global HR technology company with a purpose to help a billion people find the right job. With an expertise in building AI-powered, scalable solutions, Phenom Talent Experience Management (TXM) personalizes and automates the talent journey for candidates, recruiters, employees and management with the Career Site, Chatbot, CRM, CMS, SMS and Email Campaigns, University Recruiting, Internal Mobility, Career Pathing, Diversity & Inclusion, Gigs, Referrals and Analytics. As a result, employers improve their talent acquisition and talent management efforts by helping candidates and employees find the right job, recruiters identify and engage the right talent, and management optimize HR strategy, process and spend. Phenom was ranked among the fastest-growing technology companies in the 2019 Deloitte Technology Fast 500.


Headquartered in Philadelphia, Phenom has offices in Canada, India, Israel, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom with over 500 employees. More than 300 global employers rely on the Phenom TXM platform to bring recruiting velocity and create an end-to-end talent experience.

For more information, please visit www.phenom.com. Connect with Phenom on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.










Friday, September 18, 2020

HRComputes and BEcoming Sustainable Fall 2020 News

 




 
Fall 2020 Newsletter
 

Dear <<First Name>>,

We hope you and your families are well and are readjusting to back to school! In this edition, we focus on building workforce agility, driving impact with your diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and the impact of the UK Group rebranding on clients. Checkout what Morris and Kris have been up to as well.

We welcome comments and feedback from all of you.


Best wishes!


Kris and Morris

Building Workforce Agility
 

As we operate in our volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world, one of the top issues for leadership is creating an agile workforce in order to react quickly to changing marketplace requirements and to build organizational resilience. Given the massive change that we have all experienced this past year, we need new tools in order to better respond to these challenges. At HRComputes, we are helping Chief People Officers rethink how they engage, manage, and support their essential and remote workers. We are supporting clients by facilitating conversation around pandemic challenges and sharing best practices, and leveraging our people and technology expertise to meet compliance requirements, keep employees safe, and to check on their wellbeing.
 
One of the newest tools in the HRComputes Toolkit, is our partnership with Phenom. Their Talent Experience Management (TXM) platform connects interactions throughout the talent lifecycle creating a personalized experience for candidates and employees. Candidates find the right jobs, recruiters improve productivity and impact, employees identify internal opportunities, and management receives valuable information.
 
As the world reopens, our clients need to hire quickly and cost effectively to resume their growth trajectory and meet their revenue targets. In order to achieve these goals, people leaders need to leverage new tools and resources that allow them to adapt to virtual recruiting and other new recruiting strategies. Working in conjunction with our partner, Phenom, we can help deliver solutions as you develop a revised recruitment playbook to meet increased hiring velocity and virtual recruiting.
 
Please let us know if we can provide guidance and support during these unprecedented times. If you would like to discuss our services to support  your recruitment strategy through technology and human capital expertise, please reach out to Kristina Kohl, Managing Principal, at Kris@hrcomputes.com or 856-982-7163. Morris Yankell, Chief Technologist, Morris@hrcomputes.com or 856-982-7162.

Moving Beyond the Diversity Conversation to Drive Systemic Change
 
We have all read or heard the corporate statements in support of Black Lives Matter. We have participated and/or seen the protests. As a nation, we have been here before. How can we deliver a different outcome this time?

Working in the field of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, I am all too familiar with organizations taking a "check the box" approach to DEI. Many companies provide annual sexual harassment and diversity training. Check! Moving on.

Driving organizational systemic change requires a much deeper dive and takes significant time and resources. I recommend the following approach:

1.    Assess your current culture, policies, processes, and outcomes.
2.    Leverage your human capital management systems to dive deep into your data to really understand how your organization hires, retains, and promotes diverse talent.
3.    Make a Board and C-suite commitment to change and provide tools, resources, and time to achieve these goals. 
4.    Engage experts to facilitate developing and implementing a DEI project plan.

A recent WSJ article highlights the need to conduct a comprehensive audit of your operations, recruitment, investments, and suppliers. This assessment begins the process of shining a spotlight on how your organization is impacting BIPOC through its daily activities.

The talent pipeline is another area for significant improvement. Using our human capital system expertise, we help organizations better understand their recruitment strategy and how that impacts the diversity of the talent pool. Drilling into your HCM data provides details on talent at each level of your organization by hierarchy, function, and senior management. 

Leadership development and competencies are another area to peel back the layers. How are candidates selected for leadership development? Is it meritocracy? What does meritocracy mean if certain people are given the big projects and high profile clients and others are not? Are you practicing allyship and sponsorship or are you still using a mentorship model?

We are happy to have a discussion about your DEI strategy. If we can be of help, please reach out to Kristina Kohl at Kris@HRComputes.com.


 
Where in the World…is Morris?

Morris has been working to strengthen a Return on Investment model for improving candidate relationship management and employer brand.   As HR professionals, we intuitively understand the costs of recruiting, interviewing, scheduling, background testing, etc. but we do not often quantify these costs to justify change.  When we add in existing employee overtime, employee burnout, manager and senior manager interview time and more, these numbers can be eye opening.  Multiplying these numbers by the number of candidates and the number of new hires compounds the financial cost and the case for change.  We can help you project the savings and develop the plan to use existing technology and systems to make improvement fast.  We can work with you to articulate the numbers in a way that will resonate with your Financial partners.  And we can recommend, select and implement new tools with you to make the change now and for tomorrow.  Reach out to schedule time to save money and make an impact.

Where in the World…is Kris?

Kristina has joined the Wharton Club of New Jersey as a Board Member and officer. She is serving as the EVP for the club in charge of marketing, social media, and technology. If you are located in New Jersey, you may wish to consider joining The Wharton Club of New Jersey. We have many interesting events and speakers.

Join Kristina as she presents Perspective for Post COVID-19 Leadership for The Great IT Pro at 11:00am ET on 10/8/20. Highlights will include:
o    Discuss how the health of our planet affects the health of our businesses and lives. 
o    Describe the Sustainable Development Goals as a lens for adapting business strategy to benefit the planet, people and profits
o    Discuss the 10 Step Roadmap to driving environmental, social, and governance change within your organization
o    Share case studies offering opportunities and solutions

What is Happening in HCM Technology?

We are pleased to share that our partners, Ultimate Software and Kronos Incorporated have announced plans to rebrand the company as UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group), effective October 1, 2020. Their union has created an HCM technology powerhouse that Ieverages their strong reputations, award winning cultures, and outstanding leadership. The UKG vision is to continue their commitment to employee, candidate, and employer experience through their award winning and best in class solutions. We firmly believe that UKG is well positioned to leverage its combined strength to offer market leading solutions and support for enterprise clients.
 
Propelled by its new tagline, “Our purpose is people,” and building on 70 years of combined experience from two leaders in HR and workforce management solutions, the new UKG name builds on the strength and innovation of Ultimate Software and Kronos as well as signals a singular, shared focus on inspiring workforces and businesses around the world.
 
At HRComputes, we remain committed to guiding clients through their digital transformation selection and implementation processes in order for them to maximize their ROI on their human capital technology investment.  Our Solution Delivery services ensure that your transformation or optimization is a success.
 
For full details of the rebranding strategy, here is the press release.

Follow on Linkedin    Follow on Facebook    Twitter 

HRComputes

www.hrcomputes.com

Kristina Kohl, MBA, PMP 
Managing Principal

kris@hrcomputes.com

Morris Yankell 
Chief Technologist

morris@hrcomputes.com






Copyright © 2020, HRCOMPUTES, All rights reserved.


 
unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences 






This email was sent to <<Email Address>>
why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences
HRComputes · 15 E. Maple Ave · Moorestown, NJ 08057 · USA

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp

Thursday, August 27, 2020

Post COVID-19 Perspective: The Nexus of Planetary and Business Health

 

Kristina Kohl, Managing Principal, recently gave a webinar for the Wharton Club of New Jersey discussing new approaches to transformational leadership required to manage in the face of pandemics, superstorms, resource scarcity, and social unrest. Post COVID business strategy needs a more holistic approach focusing on delivering on economic prosperity while considering environmental and social impacts. Sustainability isn’t just for large organizations; it is for all of us. Kris shares her 10 Step Roadmap for improving your ESG strategy as well as her experiences.

Key takeaways include:

  1. COVID-19 is a Symptom of Climate Change
  2. Climate Change is a Risk to the Health of Our Planet, People and Economy
  3. Business Leaders Need to Part of the Solution
  4. Incorporate ESG Strategy into Business Strategy to Drive Impact
  5. Think About the Legacy You Wish to Leave to Future Generations

We are sharing the You Tube video for those who are interested in seeing the full presentation.



Monday, July 20, 2020

Moving Beyond the Diversity Conversation to Drive Systemic Change


We have all read or heard the corporate statements in support of Black Lives Matter. We have participated and/or seen the protests. As a nation, we have been here before. How can we deliver a different outcome this time?

Working in the field of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, I am all too familiar with organizations taking a check the box approach to DEI. Many companies provide annual sexual harassment and diversity training. Check! Moving on.

Driving organizational systemic change requires a much deeper dive and takes significant time and resources. I recommend the following approach:


  1. Assess you current culture, policies, processes, and outcomes.
  2. Leverage your human capital management systems to dive deep into to your data to really understand how your organization hires, retains, and promotes diverse talent.
  3. Make a Board and C-suite commitment to change and provide tools, resources, and time to achieve these goals. 
  4. Engage experts to facilitate developing and implementing a DEI project plan.
A recent WSJ highlights the need to conduct a comprehensive audit of your operations, recruitment, investments, and suppliers. This assessment begins the process of shining a spotlight on how your organization is impacting BIPOC through its daily activities.

The talent pipeline is another area for significant improvement. Using our human capital system expertise, we help organizations better understand their recruitment strategy and how that impacts the diversity of the talent pool. Drilling into your HCM data provides details on talent at each level of your organization by level, function, and senior management. 

Leadership development and competencies are another area to peel back the layers. How are candidates selected for leadership development? Is it meritocracy? What does meritocracy mean if certain people are given the big projects and high profile clients and others are not? Are you practicing allyship and sponsorship or are you still using a mentorship model?

While Chief Diversity Officer roles have been on the rise, turnover in these positions remains high as many positions are more figurehead than change agent. If you want to drive meaningful change, it requires significant commitment to changing the staus quo including engaging  a DEI consultant to help support and guide your internal team.

In my next article, I will share some of our techniques to design for diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

We have been able to have impact and success working with clients remotely. If we can be of help, please reach out to Kristina Kohl at Kris@HRComputes.com

Until then, stay safe and well. 




Wednesday, July 15, 2020

HRComputes Sustainability Report




Sustainability Policy
We believe in being a responsible corporate citizen and as such we consider the environmental, social, governance and economic impacts of our decisions. We believe that everyone has a role to play in protecting natural and social capital and that all of us need to be concerned with ensuring that the earth’s resources are available to sustain future generations with a similar quality of life. We believe in business and social ethics and acting in accordance with all laws. We believe in the human rights of our employees and contractors and seek to provide a workplace free of discrimination and to provide wages and benefits in accordance with applicable laws.
Environment
1.     Measure carbon footprint data annually.
2.     Track resource usage water, electricity, natural gas, mileage
3.     Utilize renewable energy resources.
4.     Employees are encouraged to conserve resources through reusing, recycling, energy conservation.  
5.     Disposable water bottles are not used in our office. We offer guests glasses of filtered water.
6.     Employees are encouraged to minimize carbon emissions from travel through the use of flexible work arrangements where permitted by clients.
7.     We seek to identify suppliers that have sustainable standards.
8.     Total Carbon Footprint 6.4 tonnes CO2e
9.     Carbon Intensity: 1.6/ employee compared to 3.5 for office based employees

Voluntarism
1.     Our employees are involved in community, professional, and board service focusing on governance, leadership, skills development, and mentoring.
2.     Firm volunteer hours are 320+ valued at $80,000. 
People
1.     We value our people and our wages, benefits, and work standards comply with applicable laws.
2.     We seek to provide an environment that respects employee diversity.
3.     We do not use child labor, forced or bonded labor, and we provide a workplace free of harsh or inhumane treatment.
4.     We encourage community and professional voluntarism.
5.     Feedback from employees to promote sustainable solutions is encouraged.

Business Ethics
1.     We employ fair business practices and all corruption, bribery, and embezzlement are prohibited.
2.     Information has been distributed to employees on our policies and those of our clients including codes of conduct, confidentiality agreements, and corporate citizenship policies.
     
Highlights 2019 Sustainability Report
We continue to meet our goals of reporting on our environmental and social impact. In addition, we continue to promote sustainable practices through education and speaking opportunities. In addition, we work with students to encourage sustainability ideals in our future generations. We also to provide volunteer opportunities and allow our employees time to pursue volunteer interests.
1.     Kristina Kohl is on the faculty at the Bard MBA in Sustainability Program teaching “Employees and Organizations” focusing on embedding environmental, social, and governance standards into organizational culture.

2.     Kristina Koh spoke at number of events and webinars for groups such at Great IT Pro, Wharton Alumni Social Impact Club, Wharton Club of NJ, Ultimate Software Women Leaders Forum, and PMI.


3.     Served on the Wharton People Analytics Start-up Competition Judges Panel.

4.     Morris was featured guest on RT TV talk shows informing the audience about  corporate social responsibility, sustainability and the impact of human capital management for driving employee engagement.

5.     Served as mentor for local middle school students as part of a competition for their capstone sustainability project.


6.     Served on local community and professional boards. Provided mentoring and job counseling assistance.

7.     Reduced Landfill Waste:
a.     Paper Recycling
b.     HP Smart Ink and Cartridge Recycle
c.     Reusable Water Bottles
d.     Electronics Recycling

8.     Identified Additional Key Suppliers and Highlighted Sustainability Information

9.     Maintained NJ Registered Sustainable Business Status

2020 Goals
1.     Continue to report on ESG performance
2.     Continue to promote sustainability initiatives through education, activities, and speaking
3.     Continue to promote voluntarism among employees
4.     Consider additional hybrid vehicle
5.     Consider purchasing carbon offsets for client travel
6.     Assist clients address COVID19 challenges through education, webinars, partnerships and services.



Key Suppliers
a.     Sprint
                                               i.     http://goodworks.sprint.com/
b.     Staples
                                               i.     https://www.staples.com/sbd/cre/marketing/about_us/corporate-responsibility.html
c.     Horizon Blue Cross
                                               i.     https://www.horizonblue.com/brokers/news/broker-news/horizon-bcbsnj-invested-over-7-4-million-healthier-communities-2017
d.     Hilton
                                               i.     https://cr.hilton.com/
e.     Wells Fargo
                                               i.     https://www.wellsfargo.com/about/corporate-responsibility/
f.      HP
                                               i.     https://www8.hp.com/us/en/hp-information/global-citizenship/index.html
g.     Apple
                                               i.     http://www.apple.com/environment/
h.     American Airlines
                                               i.     http://news.aa.com/crr/
i.      Go Daddy
                                               i.     https://www.godaddy.com/godaddy-for-good











                                                                                          

Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Embedding Sustainability and CSR into Projects, Programs, and Portfolios

I had the opportunity to both present and attend Boston University's Project Management in Practice conference. While we had to be virtual this year, it was a well attended event with many experts presenting on both research and actual projects. My presentation entitled, Building a More Sustainable Project Outcome, was well received and generated a great deal of conversation around embedding the Sustainable Development Goals into project, program, and portfolio management. While it has been several years since I published my book, Becoming a Sustainable Organization: A Project and Portfolio Management Approach published by CRC Press, the conference reinforced the importance of the topics, tools, models, and cases outlined in the book. My focus is to help leaders embedded the sustainable development goals into their organizations' mission, vision, and culture.

I was recently reminded of the impact of my book when I came across a link showing more than 100 libraries globally offering it as a resource for their members. Included in that number are some of the most prestigious research institutions in the world.

As a refresher on the content, I am sharing its Table of Contents.


Chapter 1. What is sustainability? Why does it matter?
Chapter 2. Building the business case for sustainability
Chapter 3. Gaining stakeholder and c-suite support and sponsorship
Chapter 4. Alignment of business and sustainability strategy creates sustainable strategy
Chapter 5. Project management techniques inform sustainable strategy development
Chapter 6. Creating a culture of sustainability
Chapter 7. Portfolio management supports strategic sustainability alignment
Chapter 8. Identifying and engaging external stakeholders
Chapter 9. Leveraging organizational relationships and assets
Chapter 10. Leveraging human capital professionals
Chapter 11. Adopting a culture of change to unlock the benefits of sustainable strategy
Chapter 12. Sustainable strategy as a lever to attract, engage, and retain the workforce
Chapter 13. Tools and techniques to embed sustainability
Chapter 14. Selecting goals and metrics that matter
Chapter 15. Celebrating success

Becoming a Sustainable Organization is available for sale from any of your favorite book retailers. It can also be borrowed from the following libraries . In case you are wondering, yesBoston University Libraries have a copy of my book!

I hope you find my book inspirational and useful as we transition to a post COVID-19 world in which both environmental and social issues are increasingly part of our business and governmental policy conversations.

Tuesday, June 16, 2020

Celebrating Juneteenth in Solidarity with Our Community

In recognition of our community and business partners and the need for social justice reform and change, we are honoring Juneteenth by taking a company-wide holiday on June 19th. Juneteenth is a celebration by the African American community commemorating emancipation from slavery on June 19, 1865 in Texas.  Our hope is that this day will provide time for reflection on how we can all drive  meaningful change within our social systems.


In addition to this action, we encourage our employees, customers and partners to share their voices in support of social justice reform. We are pursuing making a difference through the following actions:

Contact Political Representatives: Make phone calls to your local, state, and federal representatives and tell them your issues and the actions that you would like them to take.
Share Your Voice: While we are in the pandemic, show your solidarity while social distancing. Consider joining a caravan car parade, post signs, wear buttons. have a conversation.
Donate:  Donate funds to not for profits and community organizations supporting communities and social justice reform.
Be Informed: Gather information from a variety of sources, read books and articles, and listen to podcast and NPR.
Vote: Register to vote and vote in all elections.  If you will be traveling, register for a mail in ballot.

We are inspired by our partner’s, Ultimate Software and Kronos Incorporated, and are following their lead in taking this action. Here is their announcement:

The historical significance of Juneteenth will be honored as a company-wide holiday by Ultimate Software and Kronos Incorporated. Standing in complete solidarity with our community we will also take this time to focus on the critical work ahead in the pursuit of racial justice.

Be safe, be active, speak up!

Monday, April 6, 2020

Business Leaders Driving Impact on Climate Change and COVID-19



As we at Becoming Sustainable social distance and work remotely, I am drawn to thoughts about the health of our planet and the interconnectivity between climate change and disease. In the early days of COVID-19, I was on a webinar with a former head of the CDC, Dr. Julie Gerberding, who highlighted the impact that climate change is having on infectious disease. The health of our planet affects the health of our people and businesses. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted as business shut down and layoffs ensued. As business leaders, it is time that we take climate change seriously as a business risk and work toward a viable solution that protects our planet, people, and profit.

Viewing some of the Nasa photos taken during China's COVID-19 shutdown gives us an opportunity to better understand the impact reduced industrial activity and consumption has on our planet. On February 28, NASA reported how decreases in industrial, transportation, and business activity since the coronavirus outbreak reduced levels of atmospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) over China.  Oil and coal consumption in China were also significantly down resulting in 25% lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. These significant drops in emissions are  a reminder that while individuals can make personal choices to reduce their own carbon footprint, it will take significant business leadership action to reduce Green House Gases (GHG) emissions. The industrial sector is a major contributor to GHG emissions and air pollution. Without a meaningful plan from business leaders, we will not begin to reach our lower emission targets and our planet's health and ours remains at risk.

In order to drive meaningful change around climate action, we need a broad based approach that considers both environmental and social levers. Environmental and social impacts are intertwined within an interconnected system and their interdependency is reflected in the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). A team of researchers and scientists at Project Drawdown found that promoting gender equality (SDG#5) was one of the most impactful tools for addressing climate change. Through better access to education and family planning services, outcomes for women and girls improved. As a result, stewardship of land and resources also improved.

If you are a business leader thinking about what you can do, the following 10 steps provide a roadmap to begin to drive Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) change:

1.     Build a culture for ESG impact by changing behaviors in employees, customers, and suppliers.
2.     Leverage industry resources and best practices to identify and address material issues for your business.
3.     Align business goals and material UN SDGs
4.     Engage employees, communities, and peers on material ESG issues to collectively address solutions in public and political forums.
5.     Build partnerships with community organizations, industry members, supply chain organizations, and government agencies to support private public partnership solutions.
6.     Highlight organizational sustainability goals and initiatives to attract and retain top millennial talent to continue to drive change.
7.     Establish ESG goals, track progress, and report on outcomes.
8.     Leverage technology and Artificial Intelligence to improve data, impact and outcomes.
9.     Align capital investments and projects with ESG goals.
10.  Participate in public policy conversations to change resource allocation toward addressing the UN SDGs.


For additional information on driving impactful ESG change, here is a link to my book Becoming a Sustainable Organization. We believe that the health of our planet and its people are the top priority. We are happy to discuss these ideas with you and to begin the conversation about driving impactful change. 

Stay safe and well.


Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Is Remote Work the New Normal?



When things return to the new normal, the state of work will not be the same. While some may have a different point of view, from my perspective remote work is here to stay. Both managers and employees are fully participating in this workforce dynamic and, if handled proactively, it adds value to businesses.

The benefits of making flexible work the norm include tapping into a broader and more diverse talent pool. For many, the work requirements of a 9-5 in person position just didn’t match their life requirements. Offering flexible work as the norm rather than the exception promotes belonging in your organization building a more diverse talent pipeline. Other good news, all of your employees are much more skilled in digital tool usage and are finding new and better ways to leverage existing tools to improve communication and project outcomes.

While there are many benefits to both employees and employers for offering remote or flexible work arrangements, it is imperative to have a policy that is well supported by tools, resources, and information for both employees and managers. At HRcomputes, we have worked with clients to create flexible work arrangements that include remote work, compressed schedules, and job sharing. Here are some of our top keys to success:

1.     Leadership Buy-in-Garner leadership buy-in and support for flexible work arrangements so that it is institutionally supported as the new norm. It is imperative that a flexible work structure is part of the organizational culture and that it is consistently implemented across the organization.
2.     Program and People Eligibility-Identify which flexible work options are going to be offered such as telecommuting, compressed schedule, and extended shifts and who within the organization will be eligible. Also, consider tax law requirements for remote workers.
3.     Tools and Resources-Clearly communicate expectations around requirements for a remote workspace; not only physical space but also technology requirements to meet service level agreements and security protocols. Leveraging existing employee engagement and communication platforms can be a great way to communicate the organization’s resource offering and the requirements need for remote work from the employee.
4.     Training-Both employees and managers will need some training on best practices for remote work. From managing people and projects to effectively utilizing digital tools, your people are going to need to learn new skills to effectively work and manage under a flexible paradigm. Providing on-going remote training is a way to establish baseline competencies as well as to provide access to gain new skills and competencies. The good news is that there are many great HCM learning platforms to support this delivery mechanism.
5.     Deliverables-Consider how work will be assigned, what it includes, who needs to be involved, and when it will be due. Set guidelines for responsiveness to invitations and emails. If your work is client based or collaborative, you may want to consider establishing hours for team availability. Working remotely requires us to be much more focused on transparency of process both around assignment of projects and deliverables.
6.     Feedback- Create a feedback mechanism such as a pulse survey that provides actionable data for managers and leaders. Also, provide a coaching protocol to allow managers to provide ongoing meaningful feedback for employees.
7.     Dashboards-Help managers meet their goals by providing meaningful data so that they can make data driven decisions rather than decisions based on their own biased perceptions. Leverage metrics, analytics, and predictive analytics to improve decision making and organizational outcomes.
8.     Networks-Promote a sense of community through your online communication platforms. Think of new ideas such as the virtual lunch and learn or virtual team gatherings. Use your voluntarism program to connect remote workers and create a sense of community around shared interests. Remote work can create a feeling of loneliness so proactively build a sense of virtual community.
9.     Technology- Managing remote devices can be challenging. Organizations that have gone to total remote workforces provide a useful model for technology support. They have tech support attend large conferences and employee gatherings and provide timeslots for employees to bring in laptops for upgrades. Clearly describe what equipment the organization will provide and what the remote worker needs to obtain. Consider providing reimbursement for internet access.
10.  Data Security-Set clear expectations around data security including data and information that should not be sent via email or provide a secure email option. Identify requirements for internet and WIFI usage especially for employees who like to work from coffee shops. Are you providing a VPN for employees? If so, are there restrictions such as employees printing documents on home office printers that might need to be addressed?

These are a few of our ideas to support a vibrant virtual workforce. We would be happy to continue to conversation including digital, AI, and machine learning tools that can help.

Stay safe and well!