totallyaboutelves - a seasonal take on why good HR practice makes total business sense

totallyaboutelves You gotta admire Santa. He’s been in business for a long time now, his popularity goes from strength to strength, he keeps up with generation after generation and never goes out of fashion. He has a global customer base and recognised brand, dedicated followers all over the world and he doesn’t even need to advertise. His secret? Well, I think it’s……..totallyaboutelves. OK, so I can’t pretend that I’ve helped him with any of this, or that I know these facts to be true, but I suspect if we took Santa as a case study, there’d be great HR ingredients all over it. I have it on good authority that Santa has an IIE award displayed in his workshop. He’s an Investor in Elves, and he doesn’t just treat it as a badge on the wall, he takes it seriously. This is how I think he does it… •It all starts with the planning. He’s got a model that works, but he doesn’t just go with the same plan each year, he reviews his business strategy and plans his workforce around it. He uses good stats to understand the context he’s working in, he looks ahead to changes he can foresee, and he decides what he needs. He considers his workforce mix and he’s not afraid to change it from one year to the next. He recognises the benefits of a stable, loyal, committed workforce, but also the flexibility he gains from sourcing a temporary seasonal workforce too. He plans the numbers, he plans the roles. •Santa recruits well. He knows he has a good brand and there are elves queuing up to work for him, but he takes care in assessing his candidates. It’s not just about skills, it’s about values and ethos. He combines competency-based questions with psychometrics and runs a good assessment centre. He’s looking for talent, he’s looking for attitude. •He makes sure every elf knows how they fit in. Santa has a great induction programme, again focussing on values and the importance of customer care and brand reputation. But he also covers the practical stuff too, ensuring every elf knows his policies and procedures, knows the role they play, has a clear job description, and health and safety is a high priority. •Santa designs a good hierarchy. He strikes that balance between individual contribution and autonomy, versus a strong team ethos and good management and leadership. He invests in personal development, team development and management and leadership development. •Santa takes time and effort to understand himself. He usues personality assessment to learn about his strengths, leadership style, areas for development, and he understands what makes others tick too. He probably has his own business coach, and uses 360 feedback because he genuinely wants to know how he’s doing. •Performance management is strong – Santa has a great appraisal process in place, and he ensures that team leaders are well trained in good elf management and coaching. If there’s a problem, it’s addressed early, with supportive measures in place. If an elf really isn’t pulling his or her weight, it’s handled robustly. Santa also has a great reward system in place, and talented elves are recognised and know that they are valued and can progress their careers without the need to leave and work elfwhere. •Santa is great at change management. Think how well he’s adapted and developed through the ages. When he had to make the transition from traditional wooden toys through to electronic games, Santa knew that this involved much more than bringing in new equipment. He assessed the change in working practices, the training requirements, but most importantly, the changes in skills, behaviour and adaptability required amongst his elves. It was tough for many of them, but he supported them through it, involved them in it and didn’t underestimate it. •Engagement is key. Every elf knows what part they play, and they can all describe the difference they make to their customers. Santa puts elf-engagement at the top of his agenda. He asks, he listens, he involves and he rewards. He engages with his customers too – he gets out there, to department stores and garden centres, and he asks, asks, asks. So, in summary, it’s totallyaboutelves. For you, it’s totallyaboutpeople. I’d love to have Santa as one of my clients, but in reality, he probably doesn’t need me. But do you feel that you could benefit from some of these approaches? Contact me for a free initial no-obligation consultation. www.totallyaboutpeople.co.uk