DriveThru HR Show 125

This is a podcast hosted by Bryan Wempen. Bryan published one or two of these HR podcasts a week. In this particular show, Bryan and a friend discuss a recent HR conference that they attended. The conference was called the The People Report Best Practices Conference. Bryan mentions that the purpose of the conference was for fast food restaurant executives to discuss the barriers that are keeping their companies from expanding. Specifically mentioned about attending the conference was the President of Taco Bell, Greg Creed, and executives of Raising Cain, The Cheesecake Factory, Red Robin, White Castle, McDonald's, Burger King.
Bryan and his friend mentioned the ability for Creed and other restaurant heads to recognize the need for their companies to expand and keep people happy with their product. Bryan specifically talked about the hardship the last few years have been on the restaurant business, because if the lack of funding available to these organizations in order to expand. Franchisees are finding it extremely hard to find affordable financing in order to build a location.
After talking about the financial part of the conference, Bryan mentioned the human resource part of the conference:
Social media is playing a large part in connecting with people in the industry, as well as those within a company. Executives are recognizing that social media is an easy way for them to personally connect with their employees as well as customers. Large companies are really pushing forward in the social media marketing, using the human resource department in order to do this. These companies are instituting service projects and other aspects of getting people to do something other than just "work."
Bryan said towards the end of the podcast that "even if he hadn't learned anything, I am a better person because of this conference." He said that had never seen such high ranking officials at a conference get emotional in talking about their company and the people who they represent. These officials know that those under them, the ones that are in their restaurants, are the face of the company. These executives realize that the better person you are, the better business person you are.