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Like every other department, human resources managers are being asked to measure the effectiveness of their activities and report their impact on the organization's bottom line.

Most HR professionals are familiar with measurements like cost per hire and HR expense as percentage of company revenue. But do those kinds of measurements really reflect HR's contribution? How do you really measure HR - particularly as HR moves from a strictly transactional function to a consultative business partner?

Our guest today on The Imperative Podcast is Dr. George Benson. Dr. Benson is an Associate Professor of Management at the University of Texas at Arlington. He is also an affiliated researcher with the Center for Effective Organizations at USC. Dr. Benson has a Masters in Public Policy from Georgetown University and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from USC. Dr. Benson's research and writing has focused on a variety of HR issues.

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In this episode of The Imperative Podcast, Mike interviews Dr. Lon Roberts on the subject of his February 19th presentation to the Fort Worth Human Resources Management Association. The title of his presentation is "Mastering the Art of Multitasting." As Lon points out, multitasking is on the rise in our never-ending quest to "do more with less." While acknowledging that multitasking is here to stay, Lon makes it clear that there is a sane and "insane" way of going about it.

Lon is a Principal Partner with the Texas-based training and consulting firm, Roberts & Roberts Associates. He is the author of four books and numerous articles, including several dealing with multitasking. From his research he also developed a training program on this topic that has been delivered to the U.S. Army and private sector companies.

Lon recently wrote an article for Defense AT&L magazine. The article is titled "Too Busy To Think: Cost, Consequences, and Causes of Multitasking Mania," and you can download a copy of the article below.

Download a copy of "Too Busy To Think"

You can register for the February 19th presentation online at www.fwhrma.org.

For more information about Roberts & Roberts Associates, visit their website at www.R2assoc.com. Or contact Lon at (972) 596-2956.

We hope you enjoy the podcast!

Three ways to listen to the podcast:

1. You can listen using our java-enabled player at the top of this post.

2. Or you can listen to the podcast in your computer's mp3 program by clicking the "Play mp3" button below (or right-click on the button and select "save target as..." to save the mp3 to your computer).

3. Or you can download the podcast and subscribe to future podcasts via iTunes.

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In this episode of The Imperative Podcast, Mike interviews Dr. Lee Colan, a researcher and business consultant, and author of nine books including 7 Moments That Define Excellent Leaders and Engaging the Hearts and Minds of All Your Employees: How to Ignite Passionate Performance for Better Business Results.

His best selling book is entitled Sticking to It: The Art of Adherence, which will be the topic of his presentation at the February 4th Mid-Cities HR Association luncheon meeting.

Yesterday, I saw an outstanding presentation on social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter) by online marketing expert Shama Hyder of Click To Client. I'm convinced that social media is going to be a big player in both recruiting and employee communications in the near future and HR pros need to get up to speed on this. Following is an article on Shama's blog related to this issue. (Note my cautionary comment following the article, though.)

How to Hire Star Talent Using Social Media Sites

Also, over at one of my favorite blogs, Fistful of Talent, Jessica Lee ponders the balance between using social media to recruit and then limiting employees' use of the same during working hours. (Note my crotchity old HR guy comment there, as well.)

So You Recruited Me from Facebook, But I'm Not Allowed to Play with Facebook at Work?

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In this episode of The Imperative Podcast, Mike interviews Brad Smith, Vice President of Business Development with DBM, Inc., a global transition firm specializing in individual and organization transition. Brad says that the most dangerous conversation a manager can have with an employee is the one that takes place during separation.

Brad will be a speaker at the January 15th Fort Worth Human Resource Management Association luncheon. For more information about the luncheon, visit www.fwhrma.org.

In this Imperative Podcast, Mike and Brad discuss the process for terminating employees. Brad describes how to notify employees about the loss of their jobs in a safe and respectful manner.

Kathy Rapp, a contributor to one of my favorite HR blogs, Fistful of Talent, questions whether the Dallas Star's indefinite suspension of Sean Avery was appropriate, using the incident as a jumping off point in a broader discussion of performance management. She writes:

Punishments SHOULD fit the crimes - in and outside of corporate America.  Did Sean Avery deserve to be suspended indefinitely and then cut from the team for talking trash about ex-girlfriends....or did he need to face off with his buddies on the ice and let the chips fall where they may?

I don't know if Avery's punishment fit the crime. I suspect however that, as with most performance management issues in more traditional workplaces, Sean Avery's final offense wasn't the whole story.

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Mike's guest on this episode of The Imperative Podcast is Bart Castle. He is a principal with the Sapio Group, a human resources consulting firm with a special emphasis on employee productivity and employee performance.

Bart has a unique perspective on the importance of educating employees about their benefits options as well as informing employees on the significance of maintaining a financially responsible lifestyle. He says that an employee's financial wellbeing has a direct impact on employers' bottom line, and in this podcast, he suggests specific things employers should be doing regarding this issue.

Investment banks are dropping like flies.  The government has taken over the two largest mortgage loan and loan guarantee companies.  Private-mortgage companies are collapsing.  Overall, the financial weather is pretty dang lousy. 

So what lesson can HR professionals take away from this situation?