Innovative HR-Related Programs

As part of the 2010 Indiana State Human Resources Conference, we asked HR professionals across the state to tell us about the innovative HR-related programs they’ve introduced at their organizations. Below are the examples that we collected. Throughout the coming year, we’ll feature each of these innovative ideas in more depth on our blog. We hope these “mini case studies” will inspire you and your organization to be innovative!

	Aero Engine Controls—Business Basics for Engineers Highly technical employees need to be able to think from a business mindset in marketing, strategy and business development, and basic finance. With Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management, AEC developed three one-day sessions that transform the way the engineers view their work in light of customer satisfaction, business development, and the bottom line (with minimal cost and time away from work). The sessions use engineering language and scenarios to deliver the concepts, greatly enhancing the learning.
	Buchanan Group—Manager’s Resource Manual The Buchanan Group realized that its managers did not have legally compliant standards, nor the tools, to support, develop, and evaluate employees. In response, it developed and implemented a manager’s resource manual. The manual has helped managers better understand and appreciate the HR function, and it has given them the knowledge and confidence to handle day-to-day HR situations.
	Generations—Step it Up Four out of the six counties Generations serves rank between 73 and 90 out of 92 Indiana counties for having the worst health. Generations decided to help its employees improve their personal health and also serve as an example to their clients. The organization implemented a self-monitored wellness program, which offers participants an opportunity to set their own goals for physical activity while receiving encouragement and support from peers. Since starting in March 2009, employees have logged more than 2,379 miles and 1,220 hours in exercise. They report significant changes in their overall well-being.
	Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra—Professional Development Program To ensure the success of the ISO and to demonstrate a commitment to talented, hard-working employees, the ISO implemented a professional development program that establishes an incentive for successful completion and/or delivery of training programs. The program requires a conversation between employees and managers, which has greatly impacted the coaching and leadership skills of department heads, as well as 50 percent voluntary staff participation in needs assessment and additional training. With the support of senior leadership, this has become less of an HR project and more of an organizational initiative.
	Midwest ISO—The Business Challenge Participants of MISO’s Leadership Challenge® Workshop were struggling to apply what they learned during the workshop in a business environment. MISO also wanted to strengthen cross-departmental relationships and business knowledge. To address these concerns, MISO created the Business Challenge. The Business Challenge requires employees to identify a real business issue, find solutions, and present their findings to executives. The success of the program is in the student’s hands and the results have been impressive, with new awareness of key issues, innovative solutions to business problems, and high executive participation.
	Midwest ISO—Coaching Certification (Peer Coaches) MISO wanted to provide a structured way for employees to empower peers and provide a non-threatening way to discuss issues, so it established a coaching certification program. Employees are nominated to be a peer coach and receive classroom training, hands-on coaching, and a final assessment. The program has been so successful that coaches are now being requested by employees, as are coaching extensions beyond the one or two pre-planned sessions. This success has occurred with minimal promotion of the program within the company.
	Monroe Bank—Comprehensive Company Intranet With a newly reduced department, limited administrative support, and no budget to expand ADP products or to purchase an HRIS, Monroe Bank’s HR staff needed an online solution to automate their processes. The answer was to fully use the company’s intranet, Share Point, to its maximum capacity. Online personnel forms, processes, lists, Q&A documents, meeting requests, and an automated annual review process have transformed the HR function, resulting in faster HR response time, more accurate documentation, and cleaner tracking of personnel issues. The bank did not incur additional software expense; the only cost was the time HR took to develop the online resources, and it has proved to be well worth it.
	Purdue Employees Federal Credit Union—Volunteer Time Off (VTO) Part of PEFCU’s strategic plan is to be more community minded and be an employer of choice, so it developed a volunteer time off (VTO) program. Employees receive four hours of VTO each year to help any local nonprofit. Not only does this help PEFCU help the community, it allows employees to experience the value of volunteering. Some departments volunteer together, which has increased teamwork and relationship building internally. Quarterly staff surveys reveal that overall employee satisfaction has increased in part due to VTO.
	RATIO Architects—Project Life Cycle RATIO needed to fully understand the life cycle of a project and how each person in the firm and on the external team plays a role. Human Resources, IT, Marketing, and Quality Assurance collaborated on how each branch is interrelated and together created documents to guide team members on “Teaming with RATIO,” “Working with RATIO,” and “Working at RATIO.” All provide effective direction for internal staff, external teams, and new hires, helping everyone work more effectively and efficiently.
	Sallie Mae—RPO Implementation Sallie Mae needed to improve flexibility in order to scale up or down its recruiting capabilities based on seasonal needs of temporary employees. It conducted a large-scale review of the top RPO companies, assessed their strengths/weaknesses against Sallie Mae’s needs, and selected the best partner. This implementation has increased Sallie Mae’s ability to effectively recruit and fill class-based, bilingual, and seasonal needs. The company has already experienced a reduction in hiring time and anticipates a reduction in turnover.
	Virtual Marketing Strategies—Philanthropic Time Off and Donation Match VMS supports the causes that are important to its employees, clients, and community. To show this support, it offers 16 hours of philanthropic time to its employees, as well as organized opportunities for staff teams to experience philanthropy together. In addition, it matches $50 when an employee gives $100 to the philanthropic cause of his or her choice. Employees highly value this benefit, and it has been an effective recruiting tool.
	Wabash Valley Power Association—Wabash Valley University WVPA needed to improve the understanding of the roles and relationships within the association in order to improve the services it delivers, so it developed Wabash Valley University. The program was designed to align learning and skill development with the company’s goals and core competencies. It will provide key information about the association and its role in the utility industry. Called “Plugged In to WVPA,” it will engage employees through video clips, onsite tours, business simulations, discussions, and learning games. The program launches in October 2010 and WVPA anticipates a full class, as several people have already shown interest.