Bersin by Deloitte Introduces Communities, a Powerful New Social Network that Connects WhatWorks® Members with Peers

OAKLAND, Calif., May 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Bersin by Deloitte, a leading research and advisory firm empowering Human Resource (HR) organizations to drive bottom-line impact, today launched Communities, a powerful new specialist-based network that connects WhatWorks® members with professional peers who have relevant experience and knowledge to solve specific HR, talent and learning challenges.

"Communities makes it easy for WhatWorks members to connect and tap the real-world knowledge needed to address many of the challenges that are so common as the economy recovers, such as attracting top-tier talent, increasing engagement, reducing turnover and increasing productivity," said Chris Howard, head of product development, Bersin by Deloitte, Deloitte Consulting LLP. "What makes Communities special and different from other social networks is that they are supported by Bersin by Deloitte's research and give participants access to thousands of industry peers who are also WhatWorks members."

WhatWorks members who join Communities are asked to provide an online profile that is visible to other Communities members. They may then join and participate in the Communities that correspond to their areas of professional focus. Conversations that members post will be distributed to other Community members via a Communities Daily Digest. Community members who choose to follow a conversation will receive alerts when other members post to the conversation. In this way, participants may receive timely feedback on issues of current interest, and stay in touch with what their peers are posting on the topic. Such networking also enables participants to build their own personal "brand" within a network of professionals with similar interests.

Jana Cook, talent specialist, ATB Financial, said that she looks forward to drawing on the capabilities of fellow WhatWorks members participating in Communities.

"When I'm faced with trying to create a new program or have a large stumbling block I'll certainly post to Communities," said Cook. "The vast array of people and experience on Communities is great."

Bersin by Deloitte Communities correspond to each of the five practice areas that comprise the Bersin WhatWorks membership. They include:

• Human Resources: Focuses on strategic HR issues including employee engagement, HR and talent analytics, organization and governance, strategy and benchmarking, tools and technology, and rewards and recognition.
• Leadership Development: Deals with executive development, high-potential development, leadership competencies, leadership development evaluation, leadership development solutions, leadership organization and governance, and leadership strategy. 
• Learning and Development: Covers content development, informal learning, learning culture, learning programs, learning technology, organization and governance, and performance consulting. 
• Talent Acquisition: Focuses on employment branding, hiring and onboarding, pre-hire assessment, screening and interviewing, sourcing and recruiting, talent acquisition strategy, and talent acquisition technology. 
• Talent Management: Covers career, competency, performance, and succession management; talent management systems, talent strategy and workforce planning. 

Eric Coleman, competency program manager, U.S. Department of Energy, said he is looking forward to learning from others who share his professional interests, and who may have the experience to address the specific challenges he faces.

"Communities provide a forum where I may gain insight into best practices -- especially for those things that are keeping me up at night," he said.

For more details, visit http://www.bersin.com/communities

Those interested in learning more about Bersin by Deloitte or its WhatWorks® membership may email [email protected] or call +1 510 251 4400.

About Bersin by Deloitte

Bersin by Deloitte delivers research-based people strategies designed to help leaders and their organizations in their efforts to deliver exceptional business performance. Our WhatWorks® membership gives Fortune 1000 and Global 2000 HR professionals the information and tools they need to design and implement leading practice solutions, benchmark against others, develop their staff, and select and implement systems. A piece of Bersin by Deloitte research is downloaded on average approximately every minute during the business day. More than 5,000 organizations worldwide use our research and consulting to guide their HR, talent and learning strategies. For more information, please visit http://www.deloitte.com/bersin or http://www.bersin.com.

As used in this document, "Deloitte" means Deloitte Consulting LLP, a subsidiary of Deloitte LLP. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting.

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