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December 2009
BEST COMPANIES -
BEST PRACTICES EXECUTIVE FORUM:
SURVEY RESULTS AND PRESS RELEASE
SURVEY RESULTS:
Rita B. Allen Associates was pleased to once
again be a co-sponsor of our 7th Annual Executive Breakfast Forum "Best
Companies - Best Practices: Keeping the Competitive Edge" on October 16, 2009.
The event was a great success with over 200 senior human resource and line
executives in attendance. Please read the PRESS
RELEASE below for further details of this year's session which featured
Bright Horizons and Vistaprint as our guest speakers.
Following the event, the dialogue continued
around best people practices for positive impact on business performance
through a survey conducted by Rita B. Allen Associates with attendees to
obtain feedback regarding their current challenges and priorities. Respondents
included human resources executives as well as specialists in talent
management, compensation, and organizational & leadership development
ranging from small and mid-size companies to Fortune 1000 organizations. The
key themes that emerged were as follows:
Major Human Resources Challenges in
2009
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Strategic Alignment
-
Talent Management - attracting top talent
and developing leaders for the future
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Motivation - keeping morale and productivity
high
-
Rightsizing while maintaining key skill
levels and effectively managing reorganizations
-
Creating a coaching culture
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Hiring "top talent" for growing business
while preserving positive small company culture
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Implications of salary freezes and cost
reductions
Priorities and Challenges for 2010
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Business growth and innovation; Focus on
customer and operational excellence
-
Employee engagement and retention; Growing
leadership bench strength and training initiatives
-
Shifting business models and sales force
transformation
-
Better utilization of key talent skills and
abilities; Executive leadership commitment and follow through
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Compensation, rewards and performance
management programs/systems
-
Continuing to do "more with less" and
competing priorities
-
Managing resistance to change
Strategies targeted to address priorities
and challenges for 2010
-
Executive and leadership development; with
programs focused on leadership competencies
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Performance management systems and
compensation surveys
-
Strategic alignment and project
launches
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Coaching accountability; Action learning;
Networking and building alliances
-
Career development and training initiatives
supported by leadership
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Annual engagement survey followed by
immediate feedback and action steps
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Enhanced business development initiatives;
Mergers and/or acquisitions
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Change management skills training;
One-on-one coaching
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Focus on retention programs, i.e. Six month
"high potential" development program
Top Ways to Keep Employees Engaged in
2010
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Strong benefit and reward programs with a
focus on performance
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Excellent development programs and training
opportunities; Building leadership capabilities
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Increased communications and transparency;
Gaining employee involvement
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Robust action plans related to recent
engagement survey results
-
Mentor programs and employee recognition
initiatives
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Maintain "fabulous" culture while growing
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Win business to create new opportunities and
challenges
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Ongoing focus on enhancement and
improvement; Listen and act on employee concerns
In addition, many respondents shared their concern for a
limited budget ranging from 0 - 20% to accomplish these impending strategies
for success. Please feel free to contact Rita Allen to further discuss
any of these findings or to share your current challenges.
Best Regards,
Rita B. Allen
PRESS RELEASE:
Best Companies – Best Practices: Keeping the
Competitive Edge
October 2009 - Written By: Chris Keller, Gatti/Xavier
Associates
In partnership with Rita B. Allen Associates and Gatti
& Associates, Bentley University was the host for the 7th Annual Executive
Breakfast Forum “Best Companies – Best Practices: Keeping the
Competitive Edge” on October 16, 2009. The event was well attended by
senior Human Resources and line executives.
Each year the forum, designed for corporate officers, human
resource executives and business unit executives, explores how “people
practices” can have a critical impact on business performance. The two
organizations featured at this forum – Bright Horizons Family Solutions,
the world’s leading provider of employer-sponsored child care, back-up
care, early education and work-life solutions; and Vistaprint, the company that
provides high-impact personalized products and services for small businesses
and the home -- recognize that their "people-practices" are among the elements
that enable them to create and retain great leaders. Bentley University faculty
member Dr. H. Michael Boyd moderated the panel discussion with Dave Lissy,
Chief Executive Officer, and Danroy Henry, Chief Human Resources Officer,
Bright Horizons Family Solutions, and Wendy Cebula, President/North America,
and Austin Cooke, Vice President of Human Resources, Vistaprint.
Gloria Larsen, President of Bentley University, opened the
event with a warm welcome and shared examples of Bentley’s partnership
with the business community: bringing employers into the classroom, providing
students for internships with these employers and hosting career fairs. Dr.
Boyd introduced key topics such as the value of Human Resources, how its
contributions are acknowledged as Best Practices, and recognized at a high
level by senior management as part of a successful business model. Considering
that both businesses are in the service industry, these subjects are of
particular importance. The panel responded with information relevant to their
organizations followed by a substantive Q&A period from the audience.
Bright Horizons Family Solutions was founded in 1986 in
Cambridge, MA. Today, the organization has 19,000 employees with 725 facilities
in four countries. Gaining a competitive edge in a service business, especially
in child care industry, has its challenges and CEO Dave Lissy credits HR with
making Bright Horizons one of FORTUNE magazine’s “100 Best Companies
to Work For” 10 years in a row. Their customers are parents and employers
and there is a direct link to customer engagement and satisfaction and getting
turnover down to 20%, 25% employee referrals, and internal promotions that
drive the strong financial results Bright Horizons enjoys. Dan Henry, the CHRO
of Bright Horizons for the past 5.5 years, talked more about the people
strategy, central to the business, and the HEART principles (Honesty,
Excellence, Accountability, Respect, and Teamwork) which are built into the
culture of the organization. This culture translates into value for employees
and customers alike with visible and authentic leadership, increased engagement
(benefits, learning opportunities, meaningful work) and sustaining processes
(rewards and recognition, more opportunities for feedback, and internal
promotions).
Wendy Cebula, President, North America, started the
discussion about Vistaprint with their motto: “making an impression at the
best possible price.” The organization has 1700 employees in North America
and Europe (60% of their revenues are in North America). Vistaprint was ranked
16th on Fortune Magazine’s “100 Fastest Growing Companies” list
in 2009. Its client base is comprised of small businesses but expanding to the
individual customer. In a 100+-year-old industry, Vistaprint has had to change
and ramp up with new technologies. They attribute their high growth to an
intelligent workforce who excels in a delivery culture. Austin Cooke, Vice
President, Human Resources, discussed the challenge to HR to develop employees
from entry-level to management. A year-long meaningful program and the 10
Manager Guiding Principles were created to help develop leaders. Making this
program authentic was key to its success. The company picked the best people to
go through the pilot program which consisted of classes taught by Vistaprint
business leaders. They brought in real-time issues to work as assignments;
there was phenomenal feedback from the program.
The common theme shared by the four executives on our panel
was around the strategic imperative for strong and competitive people practices
as one of the major components of a successful business. The panelists’
honest and reflective insights on all of these timely topics were appreciated
by the audience. The Executive Forum was well-attended and once again a very
successful event. Other participants from Bentley University were Len Morrison
from Corporate Relations and Katie Dilly from Development and Alumni Relations.
Rita B. Allen Associates
| 460 Totten Pond Road, Suite 190
| Waltham, MA 02451
781-890-6803
|
rita@ritaballenassociates.com
|
www.ritaballenassociates.com
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