Michele Burns
Michele Burns is the state director for the Arkansas Society for Human Resource Management and is the director of classification and compensation with the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. She holds multiple certifications in the human resources area including SHRM-SCP, SPHR, CCP, CBP and GRP. Michele specializes in the area of compensation and benefits and is currently working on a doctorate in human resource and workforce development education at the UA.
In addition to her role with SHRM, Michele Burns is director of classification and compensation for the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.
What skills are employers looking for and having a hard time finding?
Employers still desire skills that are timeless like communication and interpersonal skills. These are soft skills that are needed to some degree in almost every job but are often harder to find. These include the ability to work on a team, demonstrate good work ethic, integrity, courtesy, responsibility, flexibility, professionalism and serve with a positive attitude.
What we often think of when discussing hard-to-find skills are the hard skills. These are more technical in nature and include skills such as those needed to perform statistical analysis, strategic and performance management, business intelligence, and computer-related skills.
Has the Arkansas economy reached the point where employers are now more concerned about recruiting and retaining good workers?
The economy is creating an environment that is providing more opportunities for employees who would like to explore them. However, employees do not necessarily leave organizations for more money. During the recession, employees who wanted to leave an organization due to their manager or even for more money simply had very few opportunities. That has changed.
Millennials are entering leadership positions in business. What challenges does this generational shift pose to employers?
The main challenge for employers will be providing the leadership training that will be needed to get these leaders functioning at a high level as quickly as possible. And businesses need to prepare for future career growth for these leaders as they will demand it.
How has technology changed the way HR professionals do their jobs?
HR is moving into predictive analytics thanks to technology. Recruiters can analyze previous data to predict how long it will take to fill a particular position. It will also help the recruiter select the best marketing strategies for specific jobs and industries. Technology has reduced the time it takes to perform many reporting tasks which have in turn, allowed HR professionals the time to devote to more strategic duties.
We’ve read that businesses are increasingly using “contingent” employees — freelance, temporary, part-time, contractors. Is this a trend you’ve observed in Arkansas?
Yes. I find that the use of contingent workers is often influenced significantly by industry and economic cycles. For instance, I have not seen contingent workers very much in the financial services sector because of a more steady service cycle and regulation. However, the manufacturing, food processing and health care industries have cycles of supply and demand that can vary a great deal. Contingent workers allow organizations to navigate through periods of demands that are short or unpredicted. During periods where the economy is weak, it is simply good business practice to staff appropriately but not to over staff, so you do not have to lay individuals off due to lack of work.
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