When Big Bend SHRM’s Communication Chair, Rebecca Devivo suggested the name HR Gumbo for the Chapter blog, I immediately became caught up in the imagery of a large black cauldron over a hot fire…. As someone who comes from a family of cooks, the concept of a recipe that involved Human Resources, subject matter experts, fresh ingredients and pinches of commentary told me this had potential….

I love to cook!  Sometimes, it is a rushed necessity, but cooking is more often a creative outlet that feeds both body and spirit.  For special occasions, I plan the meal beginning with a visit to the local grocery store. More often, I open the pantry and refrigerator and look at what I can create from the ingredients I have on hand.

As we look at our places of work, how many of us have the ingredients for HR Gumbo? I know we all have at least one “Subject Matter Expert”. Each of us brings our unique experiences and knowledge to jobs.  “Heat” is a constant that comes with the job.     “Fresh ideas” are readily available from many sources: networking with peers; professional development opportunities such as the HR Tallahassee Conference, the HR Florida State Conference & Expo or even the SHRM National Conference, and HR magazines, journals, and on-line resources.  Unfortunately, there are times when we get so caught up just trying to get through the week that we forget the resources available to assist us.   The feedback received from customers, employees, and management offers HR daily “Commentary” and opportunities to respond. 

So what could be missing?  How often have you read or heard someone in the past few months comment that we’re losing the “Human” in Human Resources?  That is the one ingredient that sets our gumbo apart from all the others. The “Human” ingredient is concern for others.  It is the passion for making a difference in people’s lives. It is our calling to make the world a better place. It is why we work in Human Resources.

As Human Resource professionals, we walk a fine line representing both our businesses and our employees; but in these difficult times the human face of our endeavors becomes even more important.  Yes, there may be layoffs, but we can deliver bad news with care and compassion and explain how to file for Unemployment Compensation and COBRA. Yes, there will always be performance issues, but we can discipline and still respect the employee.  Yes, budgets may be too tight for salary increases, but we can teach management to reward employees in other ways.  It is our job to build morale. It is our job to encourage employee creativity and growth. We might not be able to alleviate the circumstances creating job fears among employees, but we can almost always reduce the apprehension and other negative effects.

Look at your office.  Assemble your ingredients and make a big pot of HR Gumbo this summer! With all the right ingredients, the end result will feed both the body and spirit of your organization. 

Have you ever received a gimmick or trash trinket aimed at motivating you to perform some random behavior and thought, “Yeah…that’s a pretty clever idea”? The expert level of ingenuity is only reinforced when you find yourself telling your break-room lunch partner about the knickknack and repeating the accompanied slogan…marketing at its peak.

This happened to me recently with a topic that is as serious as an undertaker – health and safety. It is not only a very sober issue, but tends to be dry and directive, “Do this! Don’t do that!” The consequences of not following a safety program can be tragic. Perhaps this is why the trinket struck me as clever. June is National Safety Month and I have been reminded of our Zero Accidents safety goal with a Zero candy bar in my work mailbox! I had never tasted a Zero bar before and now, in addition to being introduced to the scrumptious world of white fudge over caramel and nut nougat, I’ve been programmed that if I am safe I will receive sugar deliciousness in return. Extrinsic motivation works wonders, as do Behavior-Based Safety Programs.

A concept rings true here that one person’s trash trinket is another person’s thorn in the side. I no sooner read the magic words “white fudge” when it was robustly brought to my attention that this gimmick cost the company money. In a big company, it might cost a pretty penny and we all know current budgets are waif-like slim. But, this motivational reminder is an investment…a marketing ploy that is part of a bigger, proven program aimed at shaping behavior. Safety education and motivation must be continuous. In the words of Zig Ziglar, “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” Even when significantly cutting back costs, a company still has the right to do fun things when these things have an important purpose and make business sense.

Another thorn pricking some skin is the idea of using a food that is void of nutritional value as a reward. Yes, obesity and diabetes are rampant in our world and Weight Watchers at Work is the newest daytime sorority, but that debate will be saved for another post. I don’t know if we should insist on skinny-focused motivation or if vending machines should be outlawed, but I do know that even in these tight-walleted tumultuous times, we should continue with our motivational programs where they make sense and have a chance at making an impact.

To help counteract the sugar rush of the Zero, here is my favorite ‘skinny’ Gumbo recipe:

Skinny Chicken & Shrimp Gumbo

• 2 whole chicken breasts (can use rotisserie chicken if in a time crunch)
• 1/2 pound shrimp, boiled, peeled and deveined (I cut the tails off so they are easier to eat.  Can also use small, cooked frozen shrimp)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 stalk of celery, diced
• 1 bag of frozen gumbo vegetables (okra, corn, tomatoes, onions, found in frozen foods)
• 1 pint of mushrooms, diced (canned works too)
• 3 cloves minced garlic, diced
• ½ small onion, diced
• 48 oz cups chicken stock
• 1 sm 6 oz can tomato paste
• 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp hot sauce such as Crystal or Louisiana (If you have Tabasco add ½ tbsp)
• 2 splashes Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
• Salt and pepper
• 2tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in a tsp of cold water (optional, for thickening)

Season raw chicken breasts with generous amounts of salt and black pepper.  In a large stock pot, heat olive oil on medium high (do not allow oil to smoke). Sauté chicken on med/high until no longer pink; remove chicken from pot, set aside and allow to cool, then dice.  In same pot with remaining oil, turn heat down to medium and add the diced onion, mushrooms and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add shrimp, chicken stock, bay leaves, frozen vegetables, Old Bay seasoning, and Worcestershire. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.   Add diced chicken, tomatoes and tomato paste.  Place on medium high and cook until hungry (or at least 15 minutes)…the longer the better. Add salt/pepper to taste.  If needed, dissolve cornstarch in water and add to pot to thicken.  You can eat as is or over rice.  Makes about 7 servings.

A funny thing happened a few weekends ago.  I was working away, putting the finishing touches on a social media presentation I will be giving at an upcoming conference.  And while I was busy, I also decided to try out a new recipe for Parmesan & Prosciutto Muffins.  The house smelled terrific.

So, I did what any Twitter geek would do.  I tweeted about it.

Within minutes I had a couple of requests for the recipe.  A few more wanted to come over and join the fun (jokingly of course).  And one person asked about the type of prosciutto.  Pretty amazing.  140 characters about muffins and all those responses.

It made me stop and consider the purpose and power of Twitter.  Imagine doing the same thing with a human resources related message.  Like “I have a job opening.”  Or “Does anyone have a copy of a step plan they can share?”  And, getting multiple responses.  Within minutes.  What a valuable resource.

We’ve all heard the stories about people tweeting during the State of the Union address.  And, you might have seen Jon Stewart’s rant about Twitter on The Daily Show.  Or even laughed at Roland Hedley, a news reporter in the comic Doonesbury, who is now Twittering.  While some of those things actually do happen, they’re really exceptions in the grand scheme of things.

As HR Pro’s, it’s important to know that there is a HR community on Twitter.  It consists of hundreds of people from around the world who provide information, news, trends, data and most of all, support.  I hope my muffin example has peaked your interest in Twitter.  Join us…won’t you?  You can follow me at @sharlyn_lauby.  And, here’s a great article to get you started.

Oh, you want the muffin recipe that started it all?  Here it is.  See you on Twitter!

Parmesan & Prosciutto Muffins

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tb baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsps sugar

10 tbs butter, softened

1 tb Dijon mustard

2 large eggs

1 ½ cups plain yogurt

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

½ cup minced prosciutto

1 tb dried basil

Directions:  ADJUST oven rack to lower-middle position.  HEAT oven to 375 degrees.  PREPARE cheese and prosciutto.  Set aside.  MIX flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and basil in a medium bowl.  Set aside.  BEAT sugar and butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.  WHISK mustard and eggs together, then beat into butter until pea-sized lumps form.  Alternating by thirds, BEAT in the dry ingredients and the yogurt until a smooth, very thick batter forms.  FOLD in cheese and prosciutto.

SPRAY a 12-cup muffin tin with vegetable coating.  DIVIDE batter evenly among the cups.  The muffin cups will be full.  BAKE until the muffins are golden brown (approx. 20-25 minutes).  COOL slightly in muffin pans set on wire rack.  Remove muffins and SERVE.

Recipe compliments of Pam Anderson, author of “The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight & Eating Great”