The Wrap #16: Riding steerage on LinkedIn
I've been thinking about LinkedIn a lot lately. I've long been a fan of the platform as a way to bring my work experience to life and to share with others in my industry. It's also the first place I'd go when looking for a job as I can see any connections that work at a company and get a clear sense from that company's profile what they care about. Yet, I'm wondering who exactly benefits from it. It all feels like an early 20th-century cocktail party where everyone is a hollow version of what they want to be and spends their time judging everyone else. It reminds me of the dinner scene in Titanic where Rose introduces Jack to the elites.
Like our hero Jack Dawson, we're thrust into a world of status where the appearance of wealth is everything and I'm just trying to keep up. AI headshot? Check. Hot takes? Double check. I'm ready to be accepted into the highest of LinkedIn society. That is, until I run into someone like Rose's mother. That conversation goes something like this:
"How are the accomodations in Open to Work? I hear there are plenty of jobs open."
"Yes there are jobs, but each one has over a thousand applicants and feels like a step down for me."
"Well, you should look into the gig economy. I hear DoorDashing is quite lucrative."
Sigh. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Instead of touting our railroad holdings or what famous Boston Brahmin family we descend from, we showcase our connections to other elites and what tech royalty we worked at (former Google, Hubspot, etc). We're in danger of becoming the first-class Titanic passengers, too busy patting each other on the back to realize what's really happening around us.
The solution? Be less like Cal or Rose's mom Ruth and more like Molly Brown. Realize that you can use your status to welcome others and actually help them. Molly was new to elite society, but she looks out for others and stands up for what she believes in. Molly sees Jack as a person and helps him navigate the landscape. To the elites, she speaks up for what is right, urging them to row back for survivors.
We can all change the direction LinkedIn is going. Instead of having a bulletin board of virtue signaling and insufferable hustle culture, actually be helpful. Help connect people to new opportunities. Help amplify a voice that needs to be heard. Just don't post about it for likes.
On to this week's news. This week's Wrap features iCIMS listening to their customers' needs, HR associations having HR problems via The Predictive Index, a logical takedown of the annual performance review, HRchitect exploring cameras on or off in virtual meetings, highlights from my week of substitute teaching, and a deeper dive into the "unsinkable" Molly Brown. Enjoy
iCIMS Fall release brings customer asks to life
Fans of The Wrap know that I was at iCIMS until a layoff in August. Layoffs are never good, especially in this economy, but they are rarely personal. I saw a bunch of my old colleagues at HR Tech last month and not only was it great to see them again, I'll still cheer them on even if it's from the sidelines. While I was at iCIMS, I spent a lot of time working with the product team and can confidently say that they are on the side of their customers in listening to their needs. I love the collaborative approach they take with them. It's not just announcing a new feature such as genAI, but really listening to their users on HOW they would like to use it. Their fall release is just another example of that collaboration. Give the people what they are asking for and you won't get off track. Three cheers to Gazmend Kalicovic, Eric Connors and the team over there. If you are an iCIMS customer or thinking about becoming one, check out the new enhancements to the product here.
The importance of bias-free processes and documentation in HR
Great article from Jackie Dube of The Predictive Index on the ramifications of bias from the SHRM lawsuit. If you haven't heard, Lance Haun did a great write-up of the case here. My two cents: It's clear that there was bias against this particular employee whether it was race-related or not. You can't have it documented that she is a strong performer, then pull the rug out from under her and terminate her for "poor performance." Also, don't be the head of an HR association and brag about outsourcing someone's job. I get that outsourcing jobs overseas or to AI is the latest rage, but too many organizations forget about the people associated with those jobs.
While I'm on the subject, I'll go on the record and state that most performance review systems are broken. No one wins. Most run off a scale of 1-5 with 1 being poor performance and 5 being outstanding. Here's what each of those ratings mean and why the system is broken:
- Poor performer - If you get this, you are going to get fired. Get your affairs in order.
- Below average performer - You are not meeting expectations and are not in the future plans of the company. Update your resume and get out.
- Average performer - They like you, but not enough to praise you or promote you. Expect a raise of 2-3% while cost of living averages 2.4%. A raise only in name.
- Above average performer - You've gotten the highest rating they are going to give out and will likely get a promotion. Congrats!
- Strong performer - This number is never given out because the employee has no room to improve in the next rating and all the leverage for a raise or promotion today. You are more likely to see a polar bear than a 5 performance rating.
You see that the only real ratings are 2-4 and the only one that makes an employee feel good about their position in the company is a 4. If the average is 3, the organization has already lost the morale of staff. Performance should be a continual conversation between manager and employee with growth at the center. We did this at Workhuman and I know there are other vendors such as Betterworks who also champion continual feedback. Check them out.
Should you keep your camera on in a digital meeting?
I came across this article from HRchitect and the simple answer is this: you have to. If you have your camera off and you are on mute, you might as well tell everyone you don't care about the meeting and aren't paying attention. You don't have anything to add and are just going through the motions. On the flipside, you may not want to show everyone your WFH setup. If that's the case, just put on one of the fake backgrounds. No one will judge you for not wanting to show your homelife to all your coworkers. Check out more pros and cons here.
Spotlight - A week of substitute teaching
While I'm getting my HR Tech consulting off the ground (website coming soon, but reach out if you need help with strategic communications/marketing/content/analyst relations), I've had some time on my hands so I decided to spend it in the local classroom substitute teaching. This week, I had tenth-grade English, sixth-grade English, seventh-grade history, and a half day in my daughter's third-grade classroom.
I may have a small sample size, but it was amazing to see some of the same problems that I've seen in the business world appear in the classroom. For example:
- In high school, everyone has headphones. When trying to do work, the kids would tell me that they were allowed to listen to music while they worked so they could focus. As long as they were working, that was fine with me. I quickly realized that many of them needed the headphones because they were stuck in a classroom with too many distractions. It reminded me of the days I worked in an open office and would have to put headphones on to try and write anything or simply move away from other people to zone out.
- Online learning is a great tool but can't replace personal interaction. Many of my lessons consisted of telling the kids to log on to Google Classroom and go through an assignment there. I realize that this isn't the case with the normal teacher, but it felt a lot like coming into an office to sit in a corner and take Zoom meetings all day. There has to be a healthy mix of getting off the computer and actually working through something as a group.
- Overall, kids are a lot nicer to each other than I remember from my youth. I saw more respect for different learning styles, special needs, and overall less bullying than I expected.
- Everyone is over-hydrated. In my school, every kid had a gigantic water bottle. It's good to be prepared, but after I heard my fifth metal Stanley mug clang off the ground I was ready to institute a water ban.
- Kids today just want someone to care. Care about what they have to say. Care about what they are teaching. Just someone to get excited about teaching them.
To all my friends who are in between jobs, waiting for projects to come in, or getting a business off the ground, it's easy to get frustrated as you wait by the phone (or email). Take some time to yourself and see if there is anything you can do for your soul while you wait. Trust me, you will feel better about everything if you can step away from the worry and do something meaningful.
Wikipedia of the Week - The Unsinkable Molly Brown
It's not just because I am a Titanic nerd. Margaret "Molly" Brown is one of my favorite characters in history. In a time filled with marrying into higher status, Molly married JJ Brown, a self-educated, imaginative, but poor miner in Colorado. After 7 years of marriage, JJ hit big mining and they were suddenly rich. Shortly before her passage on the Titanic, they separated and Molly was on her own, although comfortably with a monthly allowance of $700 (close to $20K today). She became a philanthropist, using her funds to benefit her local community including championing women's suffrage.
While the Titanic was sinking, she helped other passengers board the lifeboats before setting off in lifeboat 6. She grabbed an oar and compelled her lifeboat to go back to the wreck and look for survivors while threatening to throw any man overboard who opposed. After rescue by the Carpathia, she organized a committee to secure basic necessities for second and third-class passengers. She is a great example of using resources to help others and I hope you take a minute to read her biography on Wikipedia here.
