Conference 7.286::digital

Unfortunately, during times of low morale, layoffs, daily re-orgs, etc., a 
SENIOR HUMAN RESOURCES CONSULTANT is probably one job function that is deemed
critical...

I just hope the people running this company realize how inept we really are at 
implementing the programs, delivering the messages, and bringing consistency 
of action across the company. The exceptions allowed and poor execution of
top-down programs is taking its toll not only on those directly affected, but 
on those of us that are continuing to work as hard as we can to make Digital
successful.

Regards,

Jim

re: .0

>    Any thoughts/opinions on this?

Yes.
    1) I agree with your assessment
    2) Nevertheless, it doesn't surprise me, after having witnessed the
       boners we have over the past few years
    3) You are especially correct regarding the display of insensitivity
       that is demonstrated by this

May the new-hire Senior H.R. Consultant be "blessed" with sticky problems,
poor management, miserable work-mates and salary freezes all the days of
his/her life. Other than that, please be sure to welcome him/her aboard!

-Jack

    re: .2
    
>May the new-hire Senior H.R. Consultant be "blessed" with sticky problems,
>poor management, miserable work-mates and salary freezes all the days of
>his/her life. Other than that, please be sure to welcome him/her aboard!
    
    That's uncalled for!  The HR consultant has no control over the stupid
    things this company has done in the past.  It's nice to see just how
    much of our core values our employees have retained during this
    difficult time :-(
    
    Bob
    

    
    
    re: .3
    
    I would consider a sense of humor a core value at Digital.
    
    Ken

Would someone care to describe what a "Senior Human Resources Consultant" is?

If I use the words "Senior" and "Consultant" in an engineering context, I'm
talking about a rare and talented person. It's words like "Human" and
"Resources" that confuse the issue for me. Oh, I know what human resources
are alright but I also know what a sanitation engineer is, too.

    With all the folks in this company with masters degrees in psychology
    there was no internal resource with the proper skills?!
    
    Amazing...
    
    

>Would someone care to describe what a "Senior Human Resources Consultant" is?

    I think the words seem to adequately describe the job function, it is
    a person who is enriched  to handle critical area of the employee
    and employer relationships, but on a larger scale than that is called
    for by normal human resources officers, they also will have skills
    sets to enhance and complement the available resources in a complimentary
    fashion in the goal of a better human resources opportunities that
    will in the end be of highly beneficial nature to us, DEC, and its
    stock holders.

    the above is basically merely my intuition feelings on this based on
    what I read from the title of the position, I don't claim this
    to be the official definition, but I am sure it will be very close
    to the real one, so hope this helps.
    
    /Nasser
    I spelled check

    You all miss the point here. A Senior Human resources consultant is 
    probably a euphemism for hatchet man. He is probably being brought on
    board to accelerate the slash and burn management we are seeing today.
    We seem to be getting real good at feeding on our seed grain. Can't do
    that without "senior consultants leading the way..now can we???? 8^|
    

    To answer the question about what a Senior Human Resources Consultant
    might be involved in-I will have to just state what this person's
    experience is since the memo did not directly speak to what his exact
    role in DEC would be....
    
    7 years experience as an H.R. "Generalist"
    Consulting background including:
    -Professional developemnt
    -Organizational Effectiveness
    -Labor Relations
    -Total Quality Management
    -Conflict Management
    -Development of Collaborative Problem Solving Approaches to
     Organizational issues around Interdependence, Integration, and
     Concensus Building (I swear I didn't make that up!)
    -Employee Relations
    -Resource Allocation (or should that read "De-allocation?!)
    -Cross-functional Barriers
    -Organizational Differences
    
    B.S. in Education from Tulsa U.
    M.A. in Negotiations/Conflict Management from Cal State U.-Dominguez
    Hills
    Taught Organizational Management at CSU-DH
    
    The memo closed by saying that he played 5 years in the N.F.L. for
    the San Diego Chargers and the Atlanta Falcons...... (whatever....!)
    
    I should mention that my "heightened sensitivity" to this might be
    because another consultant in H.R. who SERP'd out has been paid 
    as an outside consultant ever since he "left" and because I had
    just heard about a Sales person who quit DEC about a year ago
    and was just hired back in the last month.  The cumulative effect
    of all of these instances just really burned me up.
    
    -Elizabeth
    
    p.s.  a few notes back someone was joking around a bit sarcastically
    about this situation and frankly I think that we must maintain
    a sense of humor - or risk being very angry and depressed.  

    re: .9 and .?
    
    I think if the author had left off the part about "other than that,
    welcome to Digital", I would have interpreted it as humor.  I guess it
    wasn't dry enough for me to catch.
    
    Bob

    
    
    Well, if the guy has played in the NFL does that mean he is qualified
    to bodily heave-hoo those loyal DECcies who are TFSO'ed and don't 
    want to leave.  Or, are we starting the first ever DEC football team!
    
    Any suggestions for a name, mascot ....(yes, Bob, this is a rathole of 
    sorts but consider the topic....[that's a joke, too!])

    I want to see how long it takes for the "New VP of Human Resourses
    Blay blah-blah Blah" memo is in VTX!
    

I've been a new hire and I know that new hires have all kinds of wild pitches
thrown at them and I really don't wish this person any hard times but....

>    Consulting background including:
>    -Professional developemnt
"Has been promoted - at least once"
>    -Organizational Effectiveness
"Knows how to shoot the s*** with peers"
>    -Labor Relations
"Hasn't been mugged in the parking lot"
>    -Total Quality Management
Pass.
>    -Conflict Management
"Knows how to duck" -or- "Knows how to shoot straight"
>    -Development of Collaborative Problem Solving Approaches to
>     Organizational issues around Interdependence, Integration, and
>     Concensus Building (I swear I didn't make that up!)
"Has a B.S. in B.S."
>    -Employee Relations
See Labor Relations.
>    -Resource Allocation (or should that read "De-allocation?!)
Pass.
>    -Cross-functional Barriers
"Has no respect for the rules"
>    -Organizational Differences
Pass.

>    The memo closed by saying that he played 5 years in the N.F.L. for
>    the San Diego Chargers and the Atlanta Falcons...... (whatever....!)

Is the hiring manager a football fan?
    
>The cumulative effect of all of these instances just really burned me up.

Understandable. They've been laying off good people around here, too.    
Of course, none of 'em are in personel.

    re: .13
    
    I needed a good laugh...thanks!  
    
    Also re: being humor-impaired; Bob-I don't think any of us truly 
    wish anyone harm, and sometimes it *is* hard to know how to take
    people's comments in here as humorous or not when you either don't
    know the person or can't look'em in the eye.
    
    I really do wonder if the "powers that be" do know how low morale
    is these days........even the folks who work hard, are meeting their
    numbers, have satisfied customers etc. are all looking over their
    shoulders.  This surely is a very debilitating time for all of us.
    
    -Elizabeth 

Our new hire is probably somebody's brother-in-law or acquaintance of some sort.
I can't believe this garbage is going on when we have people who have dedicated
their lives to this company.

If the rationale was just to have someone with no ties to the employees, I would 
rather have seen a relo of an east coast TFSO.   Surely there had to be someone,
somewhere in DEC who could have done this job rather than issuing a new badge
number.  

I don't think it's wise of you people to give this guy a hard time.  He was
in the NFL for five years.  If he's in personnel, he knows where you live.

P.S.  Sir, I think you're a great asset to the company.

	Has anybody (like the basenote author) in the facility asked their
	manager why this person was hired or is there just complaining in
	Notes going on?

			Alfred

    re: .17
    
    I did speak with my manager and a few folks in L.A. before writing
    the note-everyone who has seen this memo (it had wide distribution
    in the Southern Cal area) has had pretty much the same reaction:
    "why couldn't we have sourced this kind of talent internally?".
    The hiring manager is out of Tempe and is not very well known over
    here.  
    
    To be honest-I wrote the topic in the first place to vent some
    frustration about this and do a check to see if others had the
    same feeling as I about this.  I wanted a few days to "cool my jets"
    and then compose a memo to the hiring manager and whomever else
    seems appropriate.  I would very much like to know what the reasoning
    behind the external hire decision was.  Of course....having been with
    DEC for 10 years and having had some very cursory experience with
    Personnel-I think I can predict what the answer will be.  :)
    
    -Elizabeth
    	

While I agree that the timing and sensitivity here suck, I would not
be surprised if an external hire was needed because all the internal
people who qualify for the position are already severely overloaded.
Let's face it, personnel is probably handling more business these
days than it has in the last 10 years put together! They probably
need the help! Sadly, they need it for downsizing, not building.

Maybe we should all get a little HR training, might be a lot of
career opportunities for the future ;^)

    FWIW
    
    The Direct Marketing Orgainzation (DMO) recently hired two people from
    the outside (both Wang, I believe) to manage some of the catalogs we
    produce.
    
    At a recent quarterly meeting, Ken (before he announced his retirement)
    was visiting in his usual "Let me tell you a few things, then you can
    ask me questions" style.  Well, one of the questions was:  With all the
    layoffs, TSFOs, SERPs, etc., why are we hiring people from outside? 
    The question went on to explain the two new people and where they had
    come from.
    
    Well, the answer was the typical "We always try to find the best people
    for the jobs--wherever they might be."
    
    No real point to the story other than the fact that the situation
    described in the base note is also happening in other areas.  Can't say
    that I understand it or agree with it.  But it's happening nonetheless.
    
    Chet
    

    I welcome new blood!  To institute change, something new is needed.
    DEC's done a lot of new things before, but they always fall flat. A few
    new faces in the picture are sure to add/increase/affect changes more
    than the family blood can.  I'm sure there are qualified people in this
    company taht are capable of doing a multitude of things, BUT- are they
    willing to change AND stick to it?  Before long the rut reappears and 
    the cycle repeats itself.
    
    I'll do anything if it means keeping me working, however I don't feel
    as if I'd do anything to keep my job at DEC.  Meaning, I really REALLY
    R E A L L Y like the field of work I'm in and it is (to me) an very
    exciting career, but if my job is not needed for DEC and they shut it
    down, what will be, will be.
    
    So, now I'm on the street and now I will do anything to keep working to
    keep providing for my family and I feel that I'm capable of doing a
    multitude of things.  These things I will do until a new position
    within my career field opens up.  Although, I am open enough to accept
    that one of the new things I try may be a new career for me.  I just
    look at the fact that the work I do isn't necessarily one career, the
    work I do is used in many, many, any fields so in (MO) it encompasses
    many careers in one.
    
    I say: bring on more new blood! there is too much laxity (if that's a
    word) and too many people slacking off.  People get offended by the
    term dead wood; if the shoe fits...
    
    Reg.

    whaddya expect from an organization still pushing 'valuing the dynamics
    of difference' and other time-wasting "classes".  I always thought that
    education meant learning something new..
    
    karl

	re .2:

>    I think the words seem to adequately describe the job function, it is
>    a person who is enriched  to handle critical area of the employee
>    and employer relationships

	Is this "enriched" person anything like enriched uranium, Nasser?
	If so, it could be an explosive situation...

	Seriously, I would hope that anyone who takes up the responsibility
	of being a manager would be "enriched" in communication, understanding
	and other attributes that work to create good relationships with
	other employees.

	Rather than hiring consultants from outside to add on a grain of
	humanity here and there, why not encourage all managers to act
	like human beings (as far as in them lies)?

	/Tom

    re .23
    
    Tom, 
    
    >... why not encourage all managers to act like human beings (as far
    >as in them lies)?
    
    and what kind of encouragement do you suggest?  (other than the
    proscribed kick in the seat of the pants?)
    
    Dick
    
    

    
    Re: why hire new when we have others.
    
    Since this person played in the NFL, maybe that's the key.  Maybe
    Senior Human Resources whatever is a euphamism for a bouncer in 
    this case.  Hey, who knows?
    
    Steve
    

    ref .24

    >>... why not encourage all managers to act like human beings (as far
    >>as in them lies)?

    >and what kind of encouragement do you suggest?  (other than the
    >proscribed kick in the seat of the pants?)

    I sorry Dick, But I have to slightly disagree with you on this point,
    I really think we should not resort to the kicking acts you mentioned
    in its variety, but we should instead treat our management
    organizational hierarchically layers with the kind and softness in actions 
    that will project a refreshed , compassionate and commiserate point of
    view of new relationships between all of us, I doubt that Kicking a 
    manager in the seat of the pants will produce the results that you hope 
    for, this is based on my intuition, I have never actually tried it to 
    find out off course.

    /Nasser
    

    I have been contracting for 4 years as an Admin assistant. I would love
    to get hired but the way the company is, it is wishful thinking. But
    when there is a critical position that cant be filled internally,
    external is the only alternative.

    Those qualifications must be tough to meet, since we can't find one in
    100,000 to fill the position.  :-)

    Jim Morton

    That person could have had great connections ;->

    I KNOW this isn't funny to a lot of people; but as someone who has
    had the dubious "pleasure" of watching the Atlanta Falcons for the
    last 22 years.......:-) :-) :-) :-) :-)
    
    Karen
    
    

	... (or went to) the Chargers???  I've racked my brain, and I can't!

    re.30
    
    Karen, this is off the subject, but you can always root for my team,
    the Redskins.
    
    Bruce

    Dear Yuppie Cole:
    
    I'm thinkin', I'm thinkin' :-)  The way I look at it, if it's someone
    who went when Glanville came to Atlanta, then the guy definitely has
    brawn....
    
    Karen
    

We saw a lot of hiring like this in the 80's. External hiring was done for 
managment positions rather than qualified internal candidates who had come
up through the ranks. If there was every any competition, the reqs were 
reworded such that a particular external candidate was the only possible choice.


This was done so that senior managers could staff their groups with managers
LOYAL TO THEM PERSONALLY rather than loyal to the company as a whole.


Looks like nothing has changed or been learned during this difficult year.

			R