A fresh look at a few old things isn’t always a bad idea… thought #2 ahead

Personnel Management is another area that is changing at internet speed, especially with the addition of the millennial generation into the workforce.  I recently read that by 2020 we’ll have 5 generations in the workplace – which will make for some really interesting dynamics, not to mention significant personnel management challenges.

I’ve already mentioned this in the Client Service area, but Realistic and insightful agency managers, producers, even department managers are also embracing the need to know their staff more holistically than ever before.  Why?   Because there are so many significant differences due to the generations we’re employing and selling to.  Behavioral profiling is at an all-time high due to the complexities in the human race in general, not to mention the impact of our microwave society, social networking and the sheer abundance of information we’re inundated with every moment of every day.

It’s not enough to have a generic CSR job description and put an ad in the newspaper – like my Dad did for the last 60 years………  Not only does it make sense to know the combination of personal and professional attributes it takes to be a success in a position, job candidates are demanding to know what it takes in your organization to be an overnight success.   Remember, the millennials entering the workplace now are the ones who got a medal simply for participating most of their lives – they expect to be recognized for their accomplishments whether they’re notable or not.

To effectively manage this generation, and frankly all generations, it’s critical to know the must haves of your positions in the agency and make sure the people you have filling them are a fit, not a miss.  Until you know exactly what it takes to be a success in a particular position, don’t even think about looking to fill it.

There are very definite personality types, risk factors, work behaviors and even outside influences that absolutely matter when evaluating whether you’ve got the “Right People on the Bus”, as Jim Collins puts it in his book “Good to Great”.  The most successful human resource managers are digging much deeper than the type on the resume and ending up with a much better investment in the people they are hiring and managing.

Workflows and a fresh approach are coming up next so stay tuned.