New Year's comes but once a year, and it's traditionally a time of renewed energy and promises of better performances to come. Personal commitments as we transition into 2008
are front of mind for many, but so, too, should professional commitments, especially in terms of preparing your organization for a stellar calendar year.
Time and time again we hear that staffing challenges are among senior executives' biggest concerns, as high turnover rates lead to prohibitive costs (not to mention decreased
productivity), and unmotivated or disengaged employees foster chronic mediocrity. As a particularly turbulent year in business comes to a close, talent management among
communications professionals has become ever more essential, and trends show that organizations are making moves to evolve their teams' skill sets to adapt to changing industry
needs.
A Character Audit
A recent report released by the Arthur W. Page Society "examines the drivers and implications of a rapidly changing context for 21st-century business leaders," and reports on
"the results of a survey of chief executive offices on the evolving role of the chief communications officer in light of these dramatic changes," according to Roger Bolton, Page
Society president.
The drivers highlighted in the report, entitled "The Authentic Enterprise," further underscore employees' role in enhancing brands and reputations.
"The strongest opinions--good or bad--about a company are shaped by the words and deeds of its employees," the report states. "As a result, every employee--active or retired--
is involved with public relations. It is the responsibility of [communications] to support each employee's capability and desire to be an honest, knowledgeable ambassador to
customers, friends, shareowners and public officials."
Of course, this is easier said than done. Statistics indicate high turnover rates among agency professionals (see Charting the Industry, page 2), and changes in the business
environment complicate traditional two-way conversations.
"Employees are harder to reach," the "Authentic Enterprise" report states. "The sheer size of companies, their often expansive geographic coverage, and employees' shorter
average tenure requires CEOs to work in more sophisticated ways to communicate their company's values and their vision."
What then should executives do in 2008 to both motivate current employees to stay (happily), and to adapt their teams in an increasingly complicated business context?
*Don't fill positions based on outdated job descriptions. When filling advertising communications jobs, don't fall back on anachronistic descriptions of roles and
responsibilities. Not only will you end up hiring a person that might not be qualified to handle your current and future needs, but you risk bringing an employee on board who
ultimately feels like he/she applied for a different position than he/she ended up filling.
"The Authentic Enterprise" reports on details about the evolving role of certain executive titles, including CMOs and HR managers. For the latter role, it suggests that
yesterday's responsibility was that of a "change agent" who was "transaction-based" and focused on "talent development, employee relations, industrial relations and compliance.
Based on the needs of tomorrow, that is no longer enough; now HR execs must be "talent strategists, counselors and leadership developers" responsible for change management,
organizational structure and corporate governance.
Likewise, the report says, "the CMO role has since evolved beyond traditional advertising, marketing and branding. Today's CMO has assumed a more transformative role, which
includes driving business innovation, seeking revenue generating opportunities, influencing product development, and shaping the sales coverage model."
While both of these job titles don't apply to every PR organization or department, they indicate an overall shift in necessary skills, and those responsible for hiring must
know what they need now - not what they needed five years ago.
*Don't limit your searches to people with communications backgrounds. Just as the above practice indicates, roles and responsibilities are merging, and organizations
increasingly need unexpected skills to solve problems.
To account for this, communications professionals must cast a wide net when recruiting talent, and they should consider applicants with business, journalism, sales, political
science or psychology backgrounds. While these individuals may not have learned how to write a press release in college, they often have an understanding of human behavior - a key
element when it comes to building relationships with any stakeholder group.
*If you love them, don't set them free. It's a spin on the old adage, and it's essential when doing business today: If you have an employee who works hard and performs well,
do everything in your power to keep him or her happy and engaged. Losing them is not only a hit to your talent pool, but it can be cost-prohibitive.
A report recently released by StevensGouldPincus detailed staff turnover statistics in PR agencies (see page 2) and offered CEOs' personal recommendations for keeping turnover
to a minimum. Among the recommendations of Fred Bateman, CEO of The Bateman Group:
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Offer a flexible work environment that allows people to telecommute from home and/or work part-time schedules to accommodate individuals with children or lengthy
commutes;
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Give people the tools they need to take advantage of this inherent flexibility, including laptops and PDAs;
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Offer a stimulating and creative physical work environment so people look forward to coming into the office to collaborate; and,
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Never take on a boring client just for the revenue.
Michele McCormick of MMCPR offers these pointers:
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Involve all current staff in the hiring process to ensure you hire the right people;
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Offer competitive benefits. Even if your company is small, nontraditional benefits (such as office happy hours or flexible schedules) can be a financially sound way of
appealing to employees;
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Foster professional development. At McCormick's firm, everyone gets at least one trip to some sort of professional development seminar a year; and,
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Focus on recognition. McCormick nominates a "person of the week" based on outstanding efforts or accomplishments.
Finally, one anonymous CEO offered perhaps the best tip for keeping everyone happy as the New Year rolls around:
"Lots of love."
We'll drink to that. PRN
CONTACTS:
Michele McCormick, [email protected]; Fred Bateman, [email protected]
Think Outside The Resume
During the December 4 Nonprofit PR Awards luncheon, PR News conducted an informal survey, asking attendees the following question: "If you could hire one new person in 2008,
but this person could not have a PR background, what type of experience would you look for?" A majority of people cited one of two predictable backgrounds - business or journalism
- but a few outside-the-box answers surfaced as well. When building your best communications team in 2008, consider exploring the following areas of expertise:
- Political Science: "This degree provides a strong foundation for understanding world affairs, human behavior and writing skills - all of which are necessary for PR
practitioners," wrote one respondent.
- Psychology: "Understanding behavior would be helpful in serving clients," writes another.
- Graphic Design
- Information Technology
- Linguistics
- Sales
- Software Development
- Web Analytics
- Finance