In a statement regrading the purchase, many quotes were pulled from members within the Salesforce and Rypple team.

“Salesforce.com and Rypple share a vision for extending the social enterprise to transform the way we work”, Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce.com continues, “The next generation of HCM is not just about a cloud delivery model, it’s about a fundamentally better way to recruit, manage and empower employees in a social world.”

“We chose Rypple to be the core of Facebook’s employee performance management platform because it’s designed from the ground up to be social”, Tim Campos, CIO Facebook, “We are delighted to see it become part of salesforce.com‘s social enterprise strategy.”

Daniel Debow, co-CEO and co-founder, Rypple, said this of the sale, “Rypple was designed from the start to be fun, social, and mobile — an app that can delight managers and employees in entirely new ways”, he continues, “As the leading social enterprise company with more than 100,000 customers worldwide, salesforce.com will allow us to not only strengthen our offering
for the hundreds of high-performing organizations that use Rypple today, but also scale it to reach many more.”

The state goes on to explain how most HCM software is years behind the platforms people are using in current times. The same results for HCM remain consistent,
however, the way people work is changing. Social media is one of the biggest changes, which is the main focus of Rypple. The details of the plan Salesforce will implement remains to be seen, with most signs pointing
to a game-changer.

Elliot Clark, CEO of SharedXpertise and creator of the HR Today Forum, said this of the show, “For anyone interested in the latest HR technology, the HR Demo Show will be a truly enlightening experience” he continues, “And for those interested in replacing, updating or enhancing their organization’s legacy systems, the Show will offer the ideal ‘window shopping’ and buying experience thanks to the live technology demonstrations and the opportunity to interact directly with HR technology trail blazers. Frankly, there’s no better place to see and experience the latest talent acquisition technologies than this year’s HR Demo Show.”

Some of the more specific areas to be highlighted at the show are:

- Improving emotional connections between employers and candidates, by humanizing the the potential candidates.

- Show how talent communities provide a healthy well of highly touted recruits.

- To enhance applicant tracking processes, by creating a more cohesive pipeline which is filled with qualified candidates. Then allowing HR managers to better nurture these candidates.

- Properly showing companies how to utilize social networks to their advantages. Providing a clearer picture of how effective social media outlets are, and managing the candidates found within more carefully.

HR Managers at the very least should keep an eye on what’s going to be displayed at the HR Demo Show. Not everyone will be able to attend, however, the technologies being displayed will be available to research at various locations on the internet.

Workforce Lifecycle Management – This allows Workday to handle entire cycle of an employee. This provides HR managers a cohesive solution and increases efficiency for workforce management.

Organization Management – Depending on the size of a business, organizational management is a huge part of success. Workday provides analytics and tools to create sustaining organizational dimensions.

Compensation Management – Employees are mostly paid by performances, and programs are needed to assess performance. Workday allows managers to create and manage programs to maintain requirements for compensation.

Absence Management – Workers have to miss work on occasion, and it benefits both employer and employee if they can accurately gauge the time they have available to take off due to illness, family emergencies, and vacations.

Benefits Administration – This Workday tools allows managers to define and manage benefit packages available to employees.

Cloud Connect – This cloud integration is to help HR managers find plans which work best for their workforce. Benefit providers are provided as options, and managers have the ability to evaluate, and select the best plans for their company.

Workday is a well renowned HR management system, and has accrued many awards during its existence.If you’d like to learn more about HCMs in general, or Workday, you can sign up for their courses.

Dr. Edward Kellough, Professor of HR at the University of Georgia, said this during the conference, “Poor management and poor utilisation of knowledge resources are the underlying reason for the persistent gap between human capital development and performance in the GCC. Organisational reforms are imperative over and above education and training. Develop the individual; develop the organisation too.”

Many of the points made by experts during the conference is how organization is the primary concern while looking to improve. Another point which can easily be translated to HR firms in other regions of the world as well.

Another aspect of HR which received attention was teamwork. Zeyad Mohamed El Kahlout, an advisor to the Dubai Government Excellence Programme said this of teamwork, “Teamwork is crucial. People in the Middle East are great individual workers, but poor at working together. This must change. The sum of teamwork is more than the sum of individuals. One plus one, can equal three. It’s up to good leaders to impose the teamwork ethic, and drive success.”

Though the conference focused primarily on the problems of HR in the middle east, so many of the talking points related to problems we have with HR in the west. Organization, teamwork, knowledge resources. I you were to poll HR directors in the US, I would say many of them would come back with these exact concerns.

It will be interesting to see how the International Human Resources Conference and Exhibition grows in the coming years. With the backing of the prime minister, I’d say the resources are there to make it something truly special.

If you’re looking to hire an HR manager, or believe you current hire is coming up short, there are many factors to observe.

Patience is one of the most important qualities for any type of manager, but doubly so for HR managers. When dealing with people, particularly employees, all sorts of problems arise. Many problems involve disgruntled employees, or problems which require complex solutions. Therefore, it is vital that a HR manager have the patience necessary to tackle these situations in an orderly fashion.

Without patience, problems can escalate which can even add fuel to the fire. This can cause employees to become even more problematic than before. All of the extra baggage could have been avoided with some patience.

Knowing how to provide constructive criticism and praise is a vital asset to an HR manager. Employees sometimes make right decisions, while doing the opposite in other situations. HR managers are generally the ones to observe and provide feedback to these decisions being made.

Having the balance of knowing when to criticize and praise is a vital quality. Added to that is having the poise to provide criticism in a way which benefits both the employee and the company. Simply telling an employee he/she is doing wrong and sending them on their way benefits no one.

I had a friend who’s company employed an awful HR manager. This person was callous, short tempered, and had been known to put down employees publicly. Pretty much every no-no in the book was utilized by this manager. It leads one to wonder how she made it through an interview, though some people are good at masking their faults.

The lesson to be learned is try your best to screen potential HR managers carefully. Once hired, invest time to observe the manager on the job. It might take up resources to do so, but it’s vital to a company’s success.

This story about a professor who was looking for a way to have students turn homework in on time, is a parallel for how self-management could work in the office. The professor was becoming troubled with students turning in their work on time. He was trying to come up with ideas on how to get them to meet deadlines. This is when he brainstormed the idea of having them create their own deadlines and submitting their work based on their own due dates.

The idea ended up being a triumph. However, could a company truly function without management setting the parameters for success? The answer is, yes, but with many factors being needed before implementation.

The article linked above makes a comparison to athletes. In order to become better at a sport, it’s all up to the person involved to improve and do what is necessary to win. While there are coaches who teach them, and inspire them, ultimately it comes down to a person or team setting goals and achieving them.

Obviously, there are hitches in self-management which keeps many companies from adopting the practice. The lack of trust is the biggest road block, and it isn’t an easy feat to overcome the obstacle.

So how can a company adopt self-management and groom employees to manager their own careers?

First, management needs to develop a new mindset. The old days of simply pointing down, and telling employees to do ‘this, this, and this’ if you want a raise or to keep your job are over. Instead, managers need to provide inspiration, and establish a working place which employees enjoy being in. After all, self-management can’t work if an employee is disgruntled and doesn’t enjoy coming into work.

As an HR manager, implementing a self-management style falls mostly on your shoulders. If you called all of your employees in and told them that starting today they would be in charge of their career development and manage their performance, their mindset would completely change.

Another boon of self-management is how much easier it is to retain employees. So much money is lost if a worker quits, or is fired. Resources must then be placed to find someone new, and get them up to speed. Which all could have been avoided if the company allowed the employee to empower his or herself.

I took a work studies class in college, and there’s one lesson I’ll never forget. We were asked what is the one element which keeps a good company from becoming great? The answer is – love. To achieve that next level, employees must love what they do and who they work for. What better way to achieve this love than allowing them to harness their advancement and improvement?

As an HR manager, there are various things to keep in mind when looking at jack-of-all-trades potential hires and more focused employees. The most important guideline to keep in mind is the job position should always determine the employee, not the other way around.

In this economy, you’ll have at least a handful of interviews for available positions. Some people will come in and provide a long list of various job experiences, with a wide range of skills. Others will provide only a narrowly focused resume.

One position which is greatly benefited by a more diverse work history is managerial hires. When hiring for a manager, you’re going to be putting someone in a position which covers a wide area. They might be overseeing various departments, and having a wider knowledge base will help their performance. Also, managers are hit with complex problems and need a skill set which prepares them to handle more diverse problems.

While it sounds like hiring an employee with a diverse history is always a benefit, there are many problems to watch out for as well. Many times a person can be prepared for so many jobs, they can step outside of what their responsibilities are. This has a two-fold effect. The employees who are having to be criticized or told what to do from an outside source can feel disgruntled. It also takes time away from the employee’s own designated task to handle something outside their area.

Another common problem with those who have many job experiences is the fact they’ve had to leave many employers to gain said experience. Loyalty can be called into question, and rightfully so. When hiring, you’re generally looking for someone who’s dedicated and wants to become a part of the company. Not someone who’s simply looking to pad their resume further, and then leave.

On the flip side of the equation, potential employees with a more narrowed focus, present their own list of benefits and detriments.

Technical positions, or positions which require a vast amount of knowledge in a single area are the wheelhouse for the focused employee. If you’re looking for an IT expert, who are you going to trust more: A potential hire who has 10+ years experience in IT, or someone who only has 2 years experience but has other skill sets?

Another benefit of the sharply focused employee is they tend to be more dedicated. If they receive a job in the field they’re hired for, then it stands to reason they’ll want to stay there.

The risks you run with more focused skill sets is when a position requires any kind of employee management. Along with managerial based positions, sometimes a position requires secondary skill sets which help bolster performances.

As with so many situations, there are many factors and circumstances which should factor into your decision making. The point is to keep an open mind, and realize have a diverse set of experience or a more focused one isn’t a right/wrong scenario.

If there’s one lesson we could learn from the economic downturn of the past couple of years, it’s that critical thinking is an essential skill. If employees are being developed and hired with critical thinking in mind, many problems within a company can be remedied at faster paces than before.

When hiring, there are many tests which can be put in place to test critical thinking. One of those tests is the Pearson’s Watson-Glaser II Critical Thinking Assessment. Its popularity is growing, as many HR managers cite that it doesn’t take long and has been a good indicator of critical thinking skills.

Scott Nelson, a manager for MDA Consulting, a leadership based firm had this to say about the test, “As we are assessing hundreds of candidates every month, we think about using [the Watson Glaser II] as a way to get a keen understanding of an individual’s critical thinking skills. We think the Watson Glaser II is a gold standard. It’s very research based. And it’s very short and easy to use.”

An often overlooked aspect of critical thinking is hiring managers looking for it in every employee they hire, from entry levels to managers. The level of the potential hire should have no basis on whether or not critical thinking is tested, as you never know where a solution for a problem might arise.

Andrea Schilling, Global Director of Human Resources at Varde, a privately held international investment firm, said this about implementing critical thinking skills, “We have everybody who comes to Varde, globally, take the Watson Glaser II, and we do that because we really think critical thinking skills are important at any level.”

Schilling cites critical thinking as being a factor for low turnover as well. The belief is candidates with high critical thinking skills have a better understanding of a position before they take it, resulting in them being employed longer.

With tests which don’t take too long to implement, there’s no reason critical thinking should be left off the criteria when hiring. HR reps certainly have the tools to find employees with the creativity and know-how to succeed in today’s business climate.

According to Towers Watson’s survey, HR professionals listed ‘talent/performance management systems’ as the most critical issue of HR. 42% of the respondents listed talent management as the most important aspect of HR. Interestingly, ‘cost’ fell off the list of top HR issues. This has led to a drastic increase in HR technology budgets.

Tom Keebler, Global Practice Leader with Towers Watson’s had this to say about talent management, “Talent management technologies have unquestionably become one of the best ways for companies and HR departments to drive better employee performance and enterprise success following the recession.”

“In spite of the initial costs, organizations are increasingly deploying new or enhanced systems, recognizing that efficient and effective HR processes enable the flexibility and agility employers need in an uncertain but growth-oriented business environment.”

During the recession, investments in HR technology didn’t drastically decrease like other aspects of business. Now, in 2010, the outlook is looking better with 83% increasing or maintaining their tech budgets.

Keebler speaks about HR investment, “HR’s reliance on technology to achieve greater efficiency and cost savings during the recession allowed it to maintain and even grow HR technology budgets in a challenging business environment.”

“As companies recover and budgets expand once again, leaders appear ready to make a forward-looking commitment to talent management systems that will reap substantial long-term rewards for the HR department, line managers and the broader organization.”

If any lesson was learned during the recession, it was the value of the workforce being employed. As rosters shrank, it became vital to assess the importance of employees. This trend looks to be continuing beyond the recession, which means greater investment in talent management technology.

Here’s a list of important factors to consider when weighing the worth of a HR rep/team:

- Rapidly evolving business requires a HR official to be certified in many key areas

- The marketplace for potential hires is expanding its reach like never before. Having a professional who can tap into these markets provides a big boon for business.

- Along with new hires, providing support for current employees is at new levels as well. Happiness in the workplace can many times begin and end with HR support.

According to Seth Kahan, the author from the link above believes we’re seeing HR VPs rise to positions of power for the first time in history. He mentions Xerox CEO, Anne Mulcahy as an example. She was selected by US News as one of America’s best leaders, for her complete turnaround of the company. Of course, she received her start as VP of HR.

The shift of importance in the HR field should be leaving everyone reading this with a smile. It certainly means more pressure, but it also provides opportunities for HR reps to get step ahead within a company. Keeping up with certification and keeping current with strategies, should provide even more opportunities to make a power play within a company’s infrastructure.

The problem with grads is lack of experience, and work ethic. The lack of actual work experience really goes without saying. These potential employees were under a school environment for 2-4 years, therefore adapting to the work place might take awhile. Homework and tests really don’t prepare you for many real world nuances. As for work ethic being a question mark; I’m not saying you’re going to get a lazy worker from hiring a new graduate. Again, not having an employee mindset can provide a mental block for some grads. Giving them time to acclimate is a must.

A recent study has shown that only 24 percent of college grads have a job lined up directly after college. This is actually an increase from last year when that number was only 20 percent. Unfortunately, the average starting salary dropped 1.7 percent as well.

The safe route most companies take when hiring graduates is to simply hire them for an entry level position. Here you probably shouldn’t go against the grain, as entry level positions are simply made for college grads. What you don’t want to run into is hiring the wrong person for the wrong position, based solely on the idea of ‘grads should be put at entry level’. Trust in your interview, and if a grad answers his/her’s qualifying questions to a heightened degree of certainty, then perhaps they can be better utilized for an even greater role.

Taking into account the shape of the market and what your company’s status is, the graduate market is a fertile place to find talent. Saving money, while potentially finding an employee who will bring fresh ideas and an eager naivety, could be what your company needs. Just be cautious and trust your instincts.