Marisa Eckberg's guest appearances

Marisa Eckberg

Nerd Journey Podcast

Blake Johnson

John White

Andrew Miller

Brad Christian

Jon Hildebrand

Ramzi Marjaba

Don Jones

Chris Wahl

Steven Murawski

Ashley Connell

Josh Duffney

Scott Lowe

Tom Hollingsworth

Brad Tompkins

Joseph Griffiths

OwlTail

Welcome to episode 50 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we have part 2 of our discussion with Marisa Eckberg. We discuss how the Human Resources department affects company culture, evaluating company culture from the outside, and when to go to HR with issues. Original Recording Date: 07-17-2019 Topics – Part 2 with Marisa Eckberg – Human Resources and Company Culture 03:01 – Human Resources and Company Culture  * Senior leadership has different perceptions of HR.  This limits the overall impact.  * Keeping them out of legal trouble * Champions of culture who offer management strategies, help encourage productivity, etc. * Help make this "a cool place to work" * Kill off the annual performance review * Need HR to be the police* There is a transition in HR in relation to titles  * Chief People Officer * Human Capital Management * People Operations * Chief People Strategist * Note: Over the years this industry has changed from Personnel to Human Resources to People-centric08:12 – Detecting How a Company Values Culture  * Check the company’s social media pages as well as Glassdoor.  Are employees posting about what is happening at the company?  * Marisa does "sleuth work" on new clients in this way. * Search for people who currently work for the company or some who have worked there in the past in similar roles.* Culture is organic.  HR is a facilitator of culture.  * Maybe they facilitate a costume contest for Halloween or approach management with the idea to do it. * Marisa gives the example of Zappos.  * The company allows employees to do things they want to do to keep the environment fun. * Zappos looks for cultural fit in interviews and turns people away who are not a fit.* Book recommendation – Built on Value by Ann Rhoades* Do companies "culture wash" their speak to attract talent?  * Company culture is definitely a buzz phrase, but it comes down to employee engagement (connection between the employee and the work they are doing for the company, feeling of contributing to something bigger). * Cool amenities are nice but do not promote employee engagement.  * What do employees doing the work need to stay engaged?* Before you start looking for companies and applying for jobs, find out what you value.  Likely you want a company with similar values to get a good fit.  * See Episode 17 on the idea of value match.* Who can help an employee change company culture?  * If you have a good relationship with your manager, start there.  Ask if you should talk to HR. * You can certainly still talk to HR, but bring ideas (positive suggestions) and not complaints.  * Come with suggestions to solve problems / improve the culture.

Welcome to episode 50 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [<a href="https://twitter.com/NerdJourney/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@NerdJourney</a>]! We’re <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/vJourneyman/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John White</a> (<a href="https://twitter.com/vJourneyman" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@vJourneyman</a>) and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickkortenetworknerd/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nick Korte</a> (<a href="https://twitter.com/NetworkNerd_/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@NetworkNerd_</a>), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we have part 2 of our discussion with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/marisaeckberg/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Marisa Eckberg</a>. We discuss how the Human Resources department affects company culture, evaluating company culture from the outside, and when to go to HR with issues. Original Recording Date: 07-17-2019 Topics – Part 2 with Marisa Eckberg – Human Resources and Company Culture 03:01 – Human Resources and Company Culture * Senior leadership has different perceptions of HR. This limits the overall impact. * Keeping them out of legal trouble * Champions of culture who offer management strategies, help encourage productivity, etc. * Help make this "a cool place to work" * Kill off the annual performance review * Need HR to be the police * There is a transition in HR in relation to titles * Chief People Officer * Human Capital Management * People Operations * Chief People Strategist * Note: Over the years this industry has changed from Personnel to Human Resources to People-centric 08:12 – Detecting How a Company Values Culture * Check the company’s social media pages as well as Glassdoor. Are employees posting about what is happening at the company? * Marisa does "sleuth work" on new clients in this way. * Search for people who currently work for the company or some who have worked there in the past in similar roles. * Culture is organic. HR is a facilitator of culture. * Maybe they facilitate a costume contest for Halloween or approach management with the idea to do it. * Marisa gives the example of <a href="https://www.zappos.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Zappos</a>. * The company allows employees to do things they want to do to keep the environment fun. * Zappos looks for cultural fit in interviews and turns people away who are not a fit. * Book recommendation – <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Built-Values-Creating-Outperforms-Competition/dp/0470901926" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Built on Value by Ann Rhoades</a> * Do companies "culture wash" their speak to attract talent? * Company culture is definitely a buzz phrase, but it comes down to employee engagement (connection between the employee and the work they are doing for the company, feeling of contributing to something bigger). * Cool amenities are nice but do not promote employee engagement. * What do employees doing the work need to stay engaged? * Before you start looking for companies and applying for jobs, find out what you value. Likely you want a company with similar values to get a good fit. * See <a href="https://nerd-journey.com/nerd-journey-017-reasons-not-to-pursue-a-career-opportunity-part-2-2-during-interviews-and-after-the-offer/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 17</a> on the idea of value match. * Who can help an employee change company culture? * If you have a good relationship with your manager, start there. Ask if you should talk to HR. * You can certainly still talk to HR, but bring ideas (positive suggestions) and not complaints. * Come with suggestions to solve problems / improve the culture.

HR and Company Culture – Marisa Eckberg Pt 2

Welcome to episode 49 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss Paid Time Off with the first part of our interview with Marisa Eckberg. Original Recording Date: 07-17-2019 Topics – Part 1 with Marisa Eckberg – Paid Time Off and Company Culture  * We wanted to talk about PTO with an HR professional to shine a light on one way to avoid burnout in IT. We did previously talk to Keiran Shelden about IT burnout in Episode 46 and Episode 47  6:10 –  What Do Human Resources People Do?  * Our guest this week is Marisa Eckberg, an HR Consultant with over 40 clients of various sizes and in various industries. * She helps companies with strategy and compliance, helps with audits, builds compensation structures, conducts salary surveys, and works on performance management.  It depends on the company as to which of these they need or want. * Companies don’t always realize the responsibilities that come with hiring and onboarding employees.  * Outsourcing HR allows businesses to focus on the business and not on having Human Resources expertise (similar to outsourcing accounting, web design, or other things).10:03 – Frameworks for Evaluating Paid Time Off (PTO) Policies  * There are no federal laws requiring PTO be given to employees.  It is a benefit.  * There are states and cities requiring paid sick time for employees, however.* Ask potential employers about their benefit plans holistically before accepting an offer (not just PTO). * PTO in an offer is negotiable.  Remember that!  * At the time of this recording, unemployment was very low.  High quality candidates will likely already have jobs. * One way employees try to retain and attract talent is offering unlimited PTO (seems to be a trend). * Unlimited PTO saves the employer from needing to pay out any unused hours when an employee leaves the company.  * Some states do not have to pay out unused PTO (if there is a cap) when an employee leaves.  Marisa provides specific examples.* Keep an eye on your PTO balance, and please take it! * Studies show employees take about the same number of days off when at companies with unlimited PTO vs. those who have specific allotments per year.  * The average is 12-14 days plus 8 holidays.* Does organizational size matter for those offering unlimited PTO?  * The company’s industry and workforce makeup are more important to consider here instead of company size.  Listen to Marisa’s examples of where this may / may not fit. * Marisa mentioned for companies giving a specific PTO allotments, tenure is usually the separator between lower and higher PTO allotments rather than employee classification (salary vs. hourly).  * Management and above may get more PTO by default.20:21 – Benefits as an Expression of Company Culture  * Companies must create their own brand when recruiting.

Welcome to episode 49 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [<a href="https://twitter.com/NerdJourney/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@NerdJourney</a>]! We’re <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/vJourneyman/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John White</a> (<a href="https://twitter.com/vJourneyman" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@vJourneyman</a>) and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickkortenetworknerd/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nick Korte</a> (<a href="https://twitter.com/NetworkNerd_/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@NetworkNerd_</a>), two VMware Solution Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we discuss Paid Time Off with the first part of our interview with Marisa Eckberg. Original Recording Date: 07-17-2019 Topics – Part 1 with Marisa Eckberg – Paid Time Off and Company Culture * We wanted to talk about PTO with an HR professional to shine a light on one way to avoid burnout in IT. We did previously talk to Keiran Shelden about IT burnout in <a href="https://nerd-journey.com/nerd-journey-046-career-advancement-keiran-shelden-pt-1/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 46</a> and <a href="https://nerd-journey.com/nerd-journey-047-you-your-health-and-the-datacenter-with-keiran-shelden-pt-2/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 47</a> 6:10 – What Do Human Resources People Do? * Our guest this week is <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/marisaeckberg/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Marisa Eckberg</a>, an HR Consultant with over 40 clients of various sizes and in various industries. * She helps companies with strategy and compliance, helps with audits, builds compensation structures, conducts salary surveys, and works on performance management. It depends on the company as to which of these they need or want. * Companies don’t always realize the responsibilities that come with hiring and onboarding employees. * Outsourcing HR allows businesses to focus on the business and not on having Human Resources expertise (similar to outsourcing accounting, web design, or other things). 10:03 – Frameworks for Evaluating Paid Time Off (PTO) Policies * There are no federal laws requiring PTO be given to employees. It is a benefit. * There are states and cities requiring paid sick time for employees, however. * Ask potential employers about their benefit plans holistically before accepting an offer (not just PTO). * PTO in an offer is negotiable. Remember that! * At the time of this recording, unemployment was very low. High quality candidates will likely already have jobs. * One way employees try to retain and attract talent is offering unlimited PTO (seems to be a trend). * Unlimited PTO saves the employer from needing to pay out any unused hours when an employee leaves the company. * Some states do not have to pay out unused PTO (if there is a cap) when an employee leaves. Marisa provides specific examples. * Keep an eye on your PTO balance, and please take it! * Studies show employees take about the same number of days off when at companies with unlimited PTO vs. those who have specific allotments per year. * The average is 12-14 days plus 8 holidays. * Does organizational size matter for those offering unlimited PTO? * The company’s industry and workforce makeup are more important to consider here instead of company size. Listen to Marisa’s examples of where this may / may not fit. * Marisa mentioned for companies giving a specific PTO allotments, tenure is usually the separator between lower and higher PTO allotments rather than employee classification (salary vs. hourly). * Management and above may get more PTO by default. 20:21 – Benefits as an Expression of Company Culture * Companies must create their own brand when recruiting.

Paid Time Off and Company Culture – Marisa Eckberg Pt 1