This Week's Herman Trend Alert The Consequences of Virtual Meetings

The Herman Trend Alert July 16, 2008 Supporting Family Centeredness In this era when human resource professionals are practically expected to be magicians, any low-cost means for helping employees reduce their stress and be more engaged and productive is very welcome. In our book, "Lean & Meaningful ", we defined "meaningfulness" at work with 12 elements; one was "Family Centeredness". Supporting family centeredness also helps to make an organization an Employer of Choice® (a registered certification mark of Employer of Choice, Inc.; for more about being recognized, visit www.employerofchoice.com). Helping HR professionals to support family centeredness is former "BusinessWeek" writer, Michelle Nichols. In 1998, Nichols unexpectedly lost her young son, Mark to brain cancer. Later, she put up two billboards along Houston's freeways in his memory, suggesting that parents hug their kids each day. The outpouring of response inspired Nichols to write her new book, "Hug your Kids Today!: 5 Lessons for Every Working Parent". This 156-page, easy-to-read paperback book not only chronicles Nichols' story, but offers advice to stressed parents as well: "Don't try to 'balance'", says the author, "rather prioritize". She urges parents to "put family first and work a close second". "Spend a few minutes hugging your kids every morning", Nichols advises, "and you will have more peace of mind, joy, and success". Her strong feelings about the value of hugs also prompted her to create "National Hug Your Kids Day". Next Monday, July 21, there are events scheduled in Georgia, Florida, California, and Nevada. In addition, eight of Major League Baseball's electronic billboards will highlight the special day. Several roadside billboards throughout the United States will promote the celebration. For more, visit http://www.hugyourkidstoday.com. (Incidentally, medical evidence proves that hugging is therapeutic for both parties, bolstering the immune system and creating endorphins that make people feel good.) Encouraging working parents to hug their kids every morning is not a major undertaking and it will result in less-stressed employees. Expect more of these low-tech, yet effective ideas to support employees in many ways. We also anticipate seeing an uptick in the number of "lunch and learn" presentations with books like this one, delivered on parenting and other high-stress inducing challenges employees face. © Copyright 1998- by The Herman Group, Inc. -- reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From "The Herman Trend Alert," by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurists. (800) 227-3566 or http://www.hermangroup.com. The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group, Inc." BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND: RETENTION SPECIALIST PROGRAM A growing number of people have expressed an interest in attending our Employee Retention Specialist Certificate Program. We'd like to schedule on that's convenient for those who want to attend, but need your feedback to do so. Please place RETENTION SPECIALIST in the subject line and Joyce will personally call you back to schedule the workshop. Or you can call Joyce directly at 336-210-3548 (PDT this and next week). BUSINESS IS PICKING UP Most employers are unprepared. The recovery will bring a new set of challenges for employers that have been in prolonged contracted mode. They will need more skilled workers or will need now to begin to upskill their current staffs. But organizations can not engage in Strategic Workforce Planning, when they don't know how. That's where The Herman Group can help. We can help you with your "People Review"----large or small---so that you will know who you will need and when you will need them. . . and we can also guide you to the best sources for the people you will need. For more information, call Joyce at 336-210-3548 or e-mail joyce@hermangroup.com. FIND OUT WHAT YOUR EMPLOYEES REALLY THINK AND FEEL Discover what’s really going on in the hearts and minds of your employees. Our InnerViews interviewing service uses SPHRs and PHRs, certified human resource professionals to probe for the information you really need to know. Exit and Stay Interviews, as well as Why-Didn't-You-Take-Our-Offer Interviews. Call Rosalie Catalano at 937-416-7066, or read more at: http://www.hermangroup.com/retentionconnection/exit_interviews.html. Herman Trend Alerts are produced by the Herman Group, strategic business futurists, Certified Management Consultants, authors, and professional speakers. New subscribers are welcome. There is no charge for this public service. 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