HR Service Matters

By: Mike Smith

Since inception, the focus of my blog has been HR services.  And, in thinking about the important roles for the HR teams, employee communication seems to be of foremost concern in these uncertain times.  Intertwined with employee communications is the need for thoughtful marketing as you approach employee messaging.

My last blog highlighted the top trends in marketing and those trends that HR can incorporate for better HR service.  But how can we make those trends come alive for our organization?  Looking once again to marketing we can uncover ways to reach our employees with a positive message.

Today I looked at some reviews and references to a new book (just released 1/26/10) by Seth Godin, Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?  Seth Godin revolutionized marketing with bestselling books that have changed the way people think about marketing and change.  There is an interesting interview with Seth where you can hear Seth tell first hand about his premise in the book.

http://www.gooseeducationalmedia.com/Talks/SethGodinLinchpinInterview/tabid/199/Default.aspx

What caught me from the reviews of Linchpin was Seth Godin’s concept that to make a tangible difference in the lives of our customers today, we must provide exceptional value.  I believe that employees need encouragement to take the risks needed to consistently provide exceptional value.  Seth said in an interview, “…if you do work that is remarkable, people will remark on it.”  So for HR teams, I believe we should provide a forum in our HR Service delivery to promote (e.g. remark on) employees who are demonstrating remarkable work.  The person who does work that matters should be celebrated in our organizations.  Not the same old celebration, but a focus on the indispensable aspects of their work that keeps customers coming back again and again.