The Chatfield Group is helping TMA strengthen its partnership with Northern Illinois University College of Engineering & Engineering Technology (CEET) in order to support professional technical skills development and to gain access to talented new hires for TMA members. TMA, Illinois’ Premier Tooling & Manufacturing Association, hosted a table at the CEET Spring Job Fair with the support of TMA volunteers Chuck Klingler, Janler VP, and Patsy Svare, President of the Chatfield Group.

Patsy and Chuck spoke with more than 50 students who stopped by with resumes in hand. They talked up TMA as a 1,000-member association with great jobs for engineers. Said Chuck, “Just about anything being manufactured today has some connection to Chicago-area manufacturing companies. The best of those companies are members of TMA.”

The NIU CEET students are on their way to bachelors or masters degrees in the following majors:

• Electrical Engineering
• Industrial & Systems Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Technology

All of them are interested in employment as summer interns or as full-time employees; some expressed interest in jobs that continue through the school year. The students were encouraged to post their resumes on the TMA Job Board (accessible via TMAnet.com). In addition, the entire stack of resumes is available to TMA members electronically.

Businesses must make a commitment to engaging the future workforce. By hiring a new grad or a summer intern, you help a new professional gain practical manufacturing experience that grounds their education in workplace realities. For students who are undecided about going into manufacturing, a positive first work experience can make all the difference.

Just as importantly, your company will gain by investing in the training of our future professionals. Your current employees can serve as an experienced mentor and demonstrate their expertise to an eager new employee. Your current employees can learn some of the latest ideas being taught in engineering school. And, your current employees can adopt a sense of excitement about the future from interacting with a new professional.

Tags: Recruiting — Workforce Planning — Interviewing — Training — Employee Engagement

Dear Workforce:

When conducting a 360 review, is it fair to withhold which employee gets what say on the review? The manager and I have jointly identified the top eight employees who interact most with individuals. Based on their levels of interaction or reporting lines (supervisor, subordinates), we assign a weighted average to each person. Although the feedback from the reviews is positive, questions have arisen as to the fairness of this arrangement. Our office is close-knit, and we want to avoid opening up “negotiations” on this. What do you suggest we do?

— Not Negotiable, Software/Services, California

Dear Not Negotiable:

Although it is common for companies to set up raters assigned by management, it sounds like your employees are feeling skittish about the process and may not be as ready for 360-degree feedback as you think. I suggest you listen closely to their concerns.

It seems that you may have stepped into a hornet’s nest by over-engineering your 360-feedback process, putting too much stock in contrived “weighted numbers” but not enough emphasis on the candor and quality of the feedback—or the buy-in of the employees and the confidentiality of the process. And while you haven’t said so, it appears you might be planning to use the “weighted numbers” as the basis of the employee’s performance review—a practice that raises legitimate concerns about fairness.

It also appears that, instead of hiring an outside expert who can guide you in the design and administration of your 360-feedback process, you are trying to go it alone and administer the process internally. This approach tends to dilute the quality of the feedback because people are skittish about being candid. If your office was close-knit before, your 360-feedback approach has the potential to damage that closeness by putting people on guard. I hear those hornets buzzing.

I strongly recommend that you contact a 360-feedback expert for help in designing the feedback survey and administering the process in a way that helps you salvage the group’s morale.

In general, when you are considering introducing 360-feedback to your organization, you should keep in mind the following best practices: ...Read More...

Tags: Dear Workforce — 360-Feedback — Performance Reviews

Dear Workforce:

What are the elements of a good internship model? We are trying to create one from scratch. Any insights on how to design our selection process and accompanying training programs would be especially helpful.

—Starting From Scratch, HR consultant, services, Sydney, Australia

Dear Starting From Scratch:

Internships are a popular way to attract new talent to your organization, with some estimates showing about one-fourth of all new hires from campuses are sourced through employers' own internship programs. In a tight talent market, a strong internship program can be a significant way to attract new hires.

It also provides many benefits to the interns selected. Students know that a successful internship can be the ticket to a great job. And the relationships built during an internship can be the basis of a professional network that helps launch a successful career.

Once you've decided to use interns in your organization, it is important to take the time to carefully plan for an effective program. Here are the key elements you should consider:
...Read More...

Tags: Dear Workforce — Training — Recruiting — New Hire Onboarding

Dear Workforce:

I have been asked by management to develop a five-year recruitment plan that supports the company’s business plan. What should the proposal cover?

-- Starting from Scratch, services, Singapore

Dear Starting from Scratch:

Consider yourself fortunate. Your management team understands the importance of human resources in driving business strategy. Producing a great strategic staffing plan for human resources further supports your department’s credibility.

Human resources uses the same process to create its strategic plan as do other key departments--from marketing or finance to technology and operations. The human resources plan outlines the company’s people strategy, ensuring that you have the right people with the right competencies in the right jobs at the right time.

Start your plan with a big-picture overview. Then drill down into the tactical-action steps needed to achieve company objectives. Customize and personalize your plan, but remember to include the following main sections:
...Read More...

Tags: Dear Workforce — Recruiting — Workforce Planning