Canadian HR Reporter

SEPTEMBER 8, 2014 CANADIAN HR REPORTER & STRATEGIC CAPABILITY NETWORK Seeking fulfi llment In a fast-paced world, HR can help employees fi nd happiness, inner peace BY MARCEL VANDER WIER A short time after Marisa Harris worked to bring about a successful turnaround of a CIT Group division, she was diagnosed with pancre- atic cancer and told she had only fi ve months to live. While crushed, Harris decided she would not be defeated and would apply the same business success principles to her life — which eventually lead to a full recovery. Harris' positive personality and results became the muse for Bill Schiemann's book Fulfillment! Critical Choices: Work, Home, Life. Through Harris, the author realized that the same three fac- tors required for business suc- cess — alignment, capability and engagement — also apply to indi- vidual success. Syncing individual and corporate visions can lead to fulfi llment, said the human re- sources thought leader and CEO of Toronto's Metrus Group, an organizational research and advi- sory fi rm specializing in strategic performance measurement, or- ganizational alignment and talent optimization. "For years, I've been looking at strategy on down to the employee, thinking from on top of the orga- nization into the life of employ- ees," said Schiemann, speaking at a recent Strategic Capability Network (SCN) event in Toron- to. "So what if we start looking at the life of employees and really understood their whole life and look at how that intersects the organization?" "We define fulfillment as achieving one's dreams and cre- ating a lifestyle that brings excep- tional happiness and inner peace." Organizations play a role in career and life fulfi llment — an enduring quality that includes daily happiness and a long-term, sustainable sense of achieving all you can be, he said. HR professionals play a role in guiding employees towards achievement, and viewing hu- man capital through this lens can also provide insight into how to attract, develop and retain valu- able talent. Optimizing talent Ensuring talent optimization can be viewed as a byproduct of building a workforce of aligned, capable and engaged people, said Schiemann. "We are doing things in busi- ness every day that can be applied to our personal lives, and vice- versa," he said. "We see fulfill- ment as being our highest level of engagement." "When we're getting people who are truly being fulfi lled in what they're doing, they become advocates for your organization, so strongly committed to what they're doing." Employers can use an "ACE" (alignment, capabilities, engage- ment) scorecard to audit their or- ganizations to determine the most fulfi lled workers, as well as reason- ing for that, said Schiemann. A likely conclusion will indicate an engagement gap, with many workers only partially engaged, he said. " ose are people we could infl uence positively." Managers need to understand how to engage in their employees' lives. And how that is conducted depends on the individual em- ployee and her life circumstances. Every leader deals with a mixed bag of talent, including workers dealing with eldercare or school. It is a weak manager who refuses to accommodate employees and makes blanket decisions that af- fect all, he said. "Ninety-nine per cent of people we interview really want fulfi ll- ment," said Schiemann, of his re- search. "Eighty per cent do not feel they're there." HR can't do it all, however. To be fulfi lled, employees need to have clear goals and the passion to work hard for their dreams. "Ninety-fi ve per cent of people we interviewed talk about set- backs in their life," he said. "Your employees are going through incredible amounts of change. Building resilience skills, being willing to take risks, is another key part." Towards fulfi llment Fulfi llment is highest when indi- vidual and company visions, val- ues and goals align, and workers are empowered to bring their pas- sion and creativity to work, said Schiemann. Life balance is also a constant challenge, and activities need to be measured and allotted appropriately. "For most people, 40 to 60 hours a week represents about 50 per cent and, for some, two-thirds of their available time after eating, sleeping and hygiene factors," he said. " ere's really a science here. Having a vision, having the right values and sticking to your values seem to be very important." Human resources has the abil- ity to equip management and workers to face change, said Schiemann. "I often think about HR as an orchestra conductor," he said. "HR is in a unique and interesting role here with the ability to bridge this whole area of people's concerns about fulfi llment and the kind of experience and culture with the organization's goals. ey end up being great catalysts to allow this to happen." Instruments available include vision, life goals, life maps and a balanced scorecard for employ- ees, as well as nurturing one's body, taking risks, building a net- work and sticking to values. Practically, HR leaders can take a variety of measures to ensure fulfi llment is top-of-mind, said Schiemann. ey include: • designing work that engages • hiring people who align with corporate values • acculturating, rather than on- boarding • recognizing, rewarding employ- ees according to their preferences • nurturing employee growth • fostering ownership thinking • designing an inclusive culture • educating leaders on the impact of fulfi llment in the workplace. Today's challenges It's no secret HR practitioners are working in rapidly changing workplaces, said Bill Schiemann. As contingent work continues to push the limits of traditional employment, HR leaders are seeking appropriate avenues to maintain effectiveness. "We've been doing a lot of things traditionally in organizations that really are based on assumptions that are no longer true," he said. "It's important to go back to the fundamentals." In the current landscape, organizations that are not adding value simply won't survive, said Schiemann. Individual departments such as HR should also be mindful as to how they add value, too. Generational differences and their effect on recruitment and retention are also a challenge, he said. "One of the biggest disservices we do is think of millennials as a group who are homogenous," said Schiemann. HR professionals should be considering the gamut of work possibilities — including remote work — in an effort to design jobs that engage. "Go back to the drawing board," he said. "Think about your jobs in new ways." Credit: PKpix (Shutterstock)

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