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Dwane Lay

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Head of HR Process Design, Dovetail Software

125 points

A coffee junkie and recovering IT geek, I focus my time on process improvement in HR. This may mean Lean projects, process redesign, leveraging technology or just pointing out the nonsense to which we too often become numb. I'm ...

A coffee junkie and recovering IT geek, I focus my time on process improvement in HR. This may mean Lean projects, process redesign, leveraging technology or just pointing out the nonsense to which we too often become numb. I'm also deeply involved in social media, and can be found noodling about on LeanHRBlog.com.

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WEB: http://www.LeanHRBlog.com/

May 15, 2012

Dwane Lay and 8 other people answered this question

What are the biggest concerns about social media that need to be addressed?

I'd say it depends on the company and their own level of maturity on the issue.
For established companies that are starting to see it rise through the ranks, they are going to worry about the time spent on it, protecting sensitive information, protecting their ... more

May 14, 2012

Dwane Lay is speaking at this roundtable

Beyond Recruiting: Social Media and Talent Management

Human Resources

Jan. 19, 2012

Dwane Lay asked a question

Does anyone have daily employee engagement metrics?

Human Resources

Aug. 18, 2011

Dwane Lay and 6 other people answered this question

What advice would you give an employee about dealing with a boss they loathe?

As much as we may like the work we do, for most of us it means dealing with other people, at the very least in the organizational sense. And while packing up and leaving isn't always an option, especially in this economy, there are things ... more

General Management

Human Resources

Aug. 11, 2011

Dwane Lay and 4 other people answered this question

What's the most successful incentive-based contest you've ever done with your employees?

The best I've ever set up always had a common theme. They were built around team results and team incentives. Either everyone wins or no one does. Simple things like productivity goals rewarded with lunch or a group outing were welcomed by the team. They ... more

General Management

Human Resources

Employee Contests

Employee Engagement

Aug. 11, 2011

Dwane Lay and 2 other people answered this question

What are your favorite Twitter chats and why?

I don't care much for Twitter chats, especially the popular ones. It's a bit contrarian, I guess, but when too many people get involved, it's easy to lose the thread of conversation. Which is why I was there in the first place.
I prefer backchannel discussion ... more

Aug. 4, 2011

Dwane Lay and 2 other people answered this question

What key metrics relate HR's activities to the bottom line?

I couldn't disagree more with the first two answers, and I think they are indicative of the problems HR has in gaining traction in some organizations.
OF COURSE you can measure the impact of HR. It's just hard. It's especially hard for "traditional" HR types who ... more

General Management

Human Resources

Executive Leadership

July 12, 2011

Dwane Lay and 7 other people answered this question

Are job boards becoming displaced by social recruiting?

I see job boards as how recruiters advertise their openings for job seekers to find, and social media as a way for job seekers to advertise their skills so they can be found. They are, I think, two sides of the same coin, and both ... more

Human Resources

July 12, 2011

Dwane Lay and 9 other people answered this question

Google+: Please share your first impressions of Google's social media site.

So far it is interesting, but I'm not blown away. The lack of integration from Tweetdeck or Hootsuite is a short term problem (I think), but it means I have more work to do if I have things to share.
Just like any other social platform, ... more

Information Technology

June 29, 2011

Dwane Lay and 25 other people answered this question

Do you think HR should focus on "training" or "development" ?

So many things to address here..
First, to your question, Steve. I look at this as part of the larger mix of "talent management." Training gets you the skills you need to be successful today, development gets you to where you need to be for tomorrow. ... more

General Management

Human Resources

Employee Development

June 29, 2011

Dwane Lay is now following Charlie Judy

June 29, 2011

Dwane Lay and 2 other people answered this question

What does the future of HR look like? Does it have one?

I'll answer this based on my hopes, not any particular precognizance.
I see the future of our profession moving further away from transactional work and more toward talent management (which includes everything from talent acquisition through transitioning out of the company).
Too much time is spent with ... more

Human Resources

Company Culture

Organizational Change

June 23, 2011

Dwane Lay and 3 other people answered this question

Does diversity still matter in today’s world of work? What’s the future of diversity look like?

Yes, it matters. But more and more, I'm convinced that diversity needs to move away from race, gender, sexual orientation and the like, and start including personality, work styles, experience and goals.
If you are hiring the best person for the job, in the truest ... more

Human Resources

Employee Engagement

June 8, 2011

Dwane Lay and 1 other person answered this question

Would you tell candidates what (not) to wear for an interview?

It depends on my role in the process. Hiring manager, no. Bring me who you are. Recruiter? Probably. I want to set you up for success. Outside recruiter? Hells yeah. My business depends on you being successful, so I'll do everything I can to prep ... more

Human Resources

June 2, 2011

Dwane Lay and 7 other people answered this question

What should a social media policy cover?

As little as possible, I think. It should be just enough to keep the company out of harm's way, but no more restrictive than, say, your telephone policy.
Our company policy covers some of the basic things (don't talk about proprietary info, don't comment on ... more

Human Resources

June 1, 2011

Dwane Lay asked a question

Anyone have experience organizing HR by workstreams?

General Management

Human Resources

Human Resources Best Practices

June 1, 2011

Dwane Lay recommends this answer by Anke Borngraeber-Berthelsen

How can you tell if you're micromanaging your employees?

By not having enough time doing your own work. By not presenting the performance expected of one. By experiencing that the staff is demotivated and deliberately slows productivity or makes mistakes. By noticing that every single work produced by staff is double checked by oneself. ... more

General Management

Human Resources

June 1, 2011

Dwane Lay answered this question

What would a 'talent management process' entail?

There are so many pieces to this puzzle, you could write a book on it. I'm sure someone already has. Maybe two. :)
But I would tell you that the best summation of talent management I've heard is "get, keep, grow."
Get the best people on your ... more

Human Resources

Interline Brands Inc.

June 1, 2011

Dwane Lay recommends this answer by Charlie Judy

Have you ever regretted firing someone?

If it was for legitimate business reasons (performance, layoff, reductions-in-force, etc), then any sense of regret as been fleeting. more

Human Resources

Talent Management

June 1, 2011

Dwane Lay and 7 other people answered this question

What's the most important quality of an effective HR professional?

I'm going to double down on the integrity answer. HR gets to see all kinds of stuff that no one else needs to know. If you can't keep your cards close to your vest, you've no place in the profession. more

Human Resources

Talent Management

May 31, 2011

Dwane Lay recommends this answer by John Jorgensen

Is HR the employee's 'friend or foe'?

HR is simply put, part of the management of the business. In that, it represents the culture, value and mission of the organization. In the best and most effective organizations, it is both a champion of the business and the employee in that in truly ... more

Human Resources

May 20, 2011

Dwane Lay and 2 other people answered this question

If you had your own personal Board of Directors, who would you put on it and why?

I would look for people that had accomplished what I want to do, overcome the obstacles I see in front of me, and experienced the things I've put behind me. People who can sympathize, empathize, energize and accountability...ize. (OK, that didn't quite work, but that's ... more

Human Resources

Information Technology

May 13, 2011

Dwane Lay and 5 other people answered this question

What is the average cost of a bad hire?

It is tough to get a fix on this, but here's an approach that I've always felt comfortable using. It's based on some simple logical assumptions...
1) In order for any company to stay in business, they must have revenue greater than their expenses.
2) Those expenses ... more

Human Resources

May 13, 2011

Dwane Lay and 1 other person answered this question

Must an org hve a world-class performance mgmt technology in order to hve world-class PM practices?

People, process, technology. In that order, and in that order of importance. Having the technology would be nice. Having a process is really important. But having the right people in place is the most critical piece of the puzzle. more

Human Resources

Employee Development

Employee Engagement

Following 4 Topics

Human Resources

Information Technology

Following 1 Person

Followed by 21 People

Knowledgeable in 30 Topics

Human Resources

#78 of 1481

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Talent Management

#36 of 470

Employee Engagement

#30 of 175

General Management

#340 of 1194

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Employee Development

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Performance Management

#20 of 34

Executive Leadership

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Company Culture

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Information Technology

#1606 of 2263

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