|
|
Thank you for all the great comments received on this website and glad that you find it helpful. While I publish only original material, if you have a question or series of questions you’d like answers to, please don’t hesitate to reply to this and I’ll see if I can help you.
best,
HR Insider…
Thought others might like to see some of the comments posted about the articles that have been written here:
“…It’s hard to find knowledgeable people on this topic, but you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks..”
“Once again informative article ! I’m going to have fun browsing the rest of your blog !…”
“…Thank you for another fantastic article. Where else could anyone get that kind of info in such a perfect way of writing? I’ve a presentation next week, and I am on the look for such info…”
“…I’m impressed, I have to admit. Really rarely must I encounter a blog that’s both educative and entertaining, and without a doubt, you have hit the nail on the head…”
“…I will have to return again when my course load lets up – however I am getting your Rss feed so I can go through your blog offline. Thanks…”
“…I’m impressed, I need to say. Actually not often do I encounter a weblog that’s each educative and entertaining, and let me tell you, you’ve got hit the nail on the head. Your idea is outstanding; the issue is one thing that not sufficient people are talking intelligently about. I am very happy that I stumbled throughout this in my search for one thing regarding this…”
“///Hello, I am now in Tokyo. I got a surprise to attend a job interview next Wednesday for an ESL teaching post. This is going to be a first actual interview after graduation. Just wish me a fruitful attempt. And by the way, has anybody came across any website that is of the same quality as this instructional site. I do not want to spend money, please let me have more information on any such free directories. Sincerely…”
“…Sorry for my bad English. Thank you so much for your good post. Your post helped me in my college assignment. If you can provide me more details please email me…”
Have you seen the news lately? It seems that HR Managers are reacting rather than looking both ways before crossing the street to “go”. The workplace violence tragedy, the quick response to negative news that cost several people their positions, including a CEO.
Terminations are a delicate process. Have you coached? Have you checked all the facts that the rumor mill is running with? Checking the facts before you react and make the decision to terminate might keep you and the company from serious egg on the face.
Do you know everything you can about the employee? Workplace violence might be avoided by knowing as much as you can about the employee. It means you might vote to be safe, rather than sorry (calling in security in that case would not be a bad idea).
This is a call to HR to think before you act/react.
I’ll be interested to hear what you think…
 You are excited, you have received an offer of employment and will soon begin your first job. Well, while you are deciding what togs to wear on your first day, here are some quick tips for job success.
1. You know that you need to arrive on time for work. But, did you think its a good idea to “shave a few minutes” off the back end? That no one would notice? Its not a good idea to be a clock watcher, whichever way you look at it. Undoubtedly, your boss will still be in the office and wagging his/her head as you waltz out the door 5 or 10 minutes early. This will always remain on the list as a way to get noticed, but in a bad way. Want to cure it? Make certain to say goodbye to your boss/supervisor – that will keep you honest and focused on completing a full workday.
2. Don’t be lazy. Your Mother probably told you the same thing, but in a work environment, it not only means physically, but also intellectually. You have a problem to solve; don’t sit there and whine about it; think and then think some more – how can you solve this problem? Where can you research for a solution? Do you know the right people to ask to get the task done? Don’t expect to be spoon fed the answers, think about what you can do to get the task done and help your boss get through the workday.
 In the wake of several negative news items this week, these comments are on reputational loss. This phenomenon can affect both the employer and the employee. You ask, :..what does this have to do with HR?…” Well, plenty.
First off, let’s take the employee. Its important for all employees to think more like they are a business; they are in the business of providing services to their client, an employer. If you, as the employee, start thinking along that vein, it can take some of the pressure off at review time and comments made at any time which suggest improvements you could make, such as a better way to answer the phone, or a different way to handle a problem . Think about it, when you’re home or out with friends, don’t you critique the ice cream maker, the frozen vegetables, etc., thinking what they might do better to please you, the consumer? So when your supervisor or boss comes over to tell you something they think might help you improve your performance, isn’t it the same thing? Well, think then, what happens when you (the employee) don’t accept the criticism, and something goes catastrophically wrong — you’ve lost the reputation you have presumably worked so hard to develop. When that happens, it may take a long time for the boss to value you again or in a worst case, you may be sacked for your misdeeds. Again, you then would need to seek other employment – what is your reputation in the community/city? You have one, you know, so consider what it is (really, and not just bury it under the pillow) and now, what you can do to improve it – attitude, work product, continuing education etc. and get started on an improvement course. Remember, that job is not there through entitlement, you have to earn it every day.
Now, let’s move on to the employer. HR must be diligent in encouraging and listening to employee thoughts and complaints. The one thing as the HR representative you never want to have happen, is an employee walk out of the HR office disgruntled. Those employees are the ones most likely not to keep the conversation confidential and the employer can suffer from the negative comments which either are spread by chatter in the office or worse, by the employee consulting an attorney who goes to the press at the same time. That’s happened to several corporations of late. When you see the business news, does that make you think more negatively about the business? Would you then divert your consumption of what they produce to a different company?
As you see, reputational loss can be devastating, both to the employee and the employer. HR can and should help by talking to employees, addressing their questions and concerns before they become a long list of problems to unravel. As an HR representative, we have the responsibility to check on employees and managers on a daily basis to make certain the business is running smoothly from an HR standpoint. HR should not sit in their office space and pray the bell doesn’t ring with someone needing their attention or get quagmired in the departmental filing. They should be proactive and really seeking to understand the daily workings of the business so small issues don’t become large problems.
I’ll be interested to hear what others think…
There have been gloomy threads stating “…once you are unemployed for a long time, there will be employers who won’t even consider your resume submission, even though you might have the exact skills and experience for the position…”. The threads even go on to say “…there are those unemployed who prefer to collect unemployment rather than find new work…”. All I can reply to that one is: “…have you looked outside of your ivory tower lately?…” All areas of the country are more or less very expensive to live in, and if you don’t have much cash flow coming in, your finances, ability to eat and your very place to live could be in great jeopardy. Does someone really think that people prefer that type of existence?
I was completing a staffing/search request for specialized engineers, so I checked with the state of Michigan. Boy, there was fast turn around on my job requests and stories to be heard from applicants there. The downturn in the automotive industry has left whole towns and the people in them unemployed. With the closing of large plants and businesses which had been around for years, the ground underneath these employees is swaying. The applicants range from highly priced widget turners to those with lots of specialized engineering experience. They cannot seem to find employment in their geographic area. Those applicants I spoke with were very motivated to change their geographic area just so they could find employment. What does that do to the tax base in the state if all these people have to move to find work? What do you do as an applicant when you don’t have a motivated recruiter who can ask the state unemployment board to post jobs in other states? (Little known fact, the state unemployment boards don’t like to take out of state job postings, since they are not funded by the federal government, just the state, and if you, the applicant leave, they now longer have your head count or revenue stream).
What do you do?
Keep yourself busy. Employees need to make a turn in their thinking about themselves – have you ever considered yourself as a brand? What does the public really think about you? If you start to change your focus about the way you view yourself, there would be a leap in how you focus your job search and what you choose to do. As we can see, life is not always static and moving the same way as your parents (and for that matter, your grandparents) lives did. Think about the example of “…go west young man…” and the buggy whip salesman. In prior generations, there was at times, tremendous upheaval in geographic location and what someone chose to pursue for employment. If you take that a step further and think of yourself as a brand, you would see that some places/people have more of a need or “want” for your brand than others. Its as simple as that. Then, further thinking along that line – do you continue to beat a path to what you knew in the past, or do you cast a net to see who/what needs your type of skills now and go that way? You could sit and have a pity party for what is now ancient history, or your could forge into the unknown to see what it might bring to you.
Bringing this back around to the first gloomy statements, the HR people I spoke with did not all agree with the view that they would not look at those who have been out of work for a long time (6 months or greater), since they realize this economic hiccup is on par with a prior period in our history…
I will be interested to hear comments….
 Reading the news lately, brings up many topics where HR played a role – good or bad in a business’ public dealings. Case one, the HR manager was complicit in back dating stock options – a help to the firm’s CEO – right into a prison cell. For those who don’t know, backdating options is almost always classified as fraud in the United States. When you back date the options, you pick some date in the calendar (later) than which the options have listed. Intentional backdating that coincides with low(er) underlying stock prices and an accounting report that claims the contracts to have been issued on these lower priced dates as “at the money” rather than “in the money” – have resulted in the SEC’s public view that such backdating could be considered fraudulent. Options backdating has been used to enhance the value of options contracts while reaping the tax benefits of having been issued “at the money” contracts, this practice is frequently utilized to accommodate situations in which lengthy issuance procedures or corporate policies require more than one day to complete the approval process, thus showing an earlier date than that on which the contracts are actually issued. As you can see, companies may argue that this is a grey area, but recently, the SEC hasn’t viewed it that way and the recipient ends up with a prison record and so can the HR Manager who approved the issuance of the contracts. CEOs can exert a great amount of pressure to have a situation work out more favorably for them, but, HR Managers must have a strong internal ethics system as well as a firm grasp of what they are approving and not just choose the “easy” way out and blanket sign documents. It can be hard when you believe your employer holds all the cards to your career success, but ultimately, a good strong compass will save you from unpleasant circumstances (and large legal bills). Has something like this happened to you in business? Have you had to make a hard decision that was unpopular, but correct? What did you decide to do? How did it work out for you? In the above case the HR Manager lost his/her job and the CEO is headed to prison (really). The business continues on, but with new players. In the case of the HR Manager, it will be a long time finding new employment, if ever and lots of legal bills to pay off. Not a sterling future.
 The economic climate of late has gotten me to thinking about how best to get your next position. Be prepared – have an updated resume – make certain it is not just a litany of your day to day responsibilities, but a form of an advertisement. One which engages the reader (the recruiter) and impresses the hiring manager. In addition to your resume/advertisement, it has been proven time and again that if you know someone, getting the offer may be a bit easier. Hiring managers are slowly coming around to the belief that if you have talented employees, their friends must also be talented and therefore, spending time to plumb the social networking sites such as Facebook and Linkedin can net some new employees. So, for now, who do you know? What company do they work for? Can they help you in sourcing a new position? Have you been hesitant to post on Linkedin? Take some time to work up your public face there. It really can help you secure your next position. What do you think? I’d love to hear your comments…
 The HR Insider promised to follow up with you about office interviews for my client after attending last week’s job fair.
The week started off with invitations to several experienced executive assistants. The client was looking for those with good customer service skills as well since at times the assistants would be speaking directly with corporate clients regarding large capital expenditure purchases.
The first candidate came through the door, having executive assistant and sales experience. How lucky, I thought, until the candidate opened her mouth. She was happy to share that she had set up a card system to quickly note procedures used in her former employer’s business. When she was laid off, she stated that she took these cards home with her. When the company called and asked if she would share the cards with them, she refused. Do you see anything wrong with the response? Most likely those cards were created on company time and definitely included proprietary information. Therefore these cards were not really her property, but the property of the corporation. On top of that, the candidate didn’t have a poker face and you could see that she took pleasure in being vindictive. So much for the candidate’s chances of a call back interview!
The next candidate up was someone with less experience who seemed eager. She was nervous, but then again, aren’t we all at interview time? Her mistake was offering an opinion on a computer system used by the client’s company when she was trying to explain why she would be good for the position instead of asking a question – made us think she thought more of herself than was warranted. She also complained that in her last position at a non-profit (where she was paid very well) the charity was not getting as many donations as in the boom times and in order to retain her, they were going to have to reduce her salary by 15%. While it hurts to find your salary lowered, her complaints underscored the fact that she really didn’t have a concept of recent world financial events and was only concerned whith herself (makes one wonder why she was working for a charity in the first place). It also made the client think that she would bolt for a salary increase when a more lucrative position came along versus building a career with the client’s company. Oh, and to add to the mix, she brought along her flip-flop wearing husband who was also looking for a job and had him complete an application even though he had not been invited in for an interview. That made for an awkward moment when I had to explain that the firm had a “no nepotism” policy. The candidate acknowledged that she thought most firms had such policies – so, why then, did she think it was a good idea to bring along her husband to the interview? If she needed navigational help, ask him to wait in the car and not have him come into the lobby and fill out an employment application.
Candidates puzzle over or complain about why they didn’t receive a call back or an offer, but as you can see from the above real-life examples why candidates seriously stumble in the interview process. Employers make decisions based upon many factors, not the least of which is the judgment you show in your business transactions.
Next week will bring more interviews and more tales from the HR Insider about them…
 Think about how important it is for you to hear thank you for a job you worked hard to complete. Felt good, didn’t it? Well, its almost time for Administrative Professional’s day – what will you do to say thank you to the person(s) you rely on to make your work life run smoothly? With the way the employment figures have been running lately, some of you might think you don’t have to say anything; the “…employee should be glad they have a job…” . Well, one day, these markets will turn again and who do you think will have their feet pointed towards the door first? Those who believe they are taken for granted. Isn’t it true for most of us in our personal lives? We don’t like being taken for granted and will make certain in one way or another to let our partner know. Employees in your business will be doing the same if you don’t remember to take a moment to say “…thank you for all you do for me…”.
This has been a gentle reminder from the HR Insider…
I was reminded of the following quote: “There are few, if any, jobs in which ability alone is sufficient. Needed, also, are loyalty, sincerity, enthusiasm and team play.” –William B. Given, Jr.
After thinking about this quote and hearing a person speak on the definition of a good employee: “…one who does what the boss asks for…” . What a novel idea! I thought that was why everyone went to work each day.
Are you one who tries to embellish what you do? Do you avoid completion of tasks, but make a great flurry of the activity you are performing? Do you think no one notices? Hoping, dreading…
Here’s a turn around thought: why don’t you try doing what your boss asks for, completing those tasks in a reasonable amount of time. Then ask what else it is you can do to help him/her; making their work life easier. Don’t drag out each task so that you are not asked to do anything further for the day.
A well thought of employee stands a greater chance of keeping their position even if they don’t possess all the skills needed for the position! Why? Because we would rather work with those we like, than those that are merely competent, but sort of disagreeable.
When you have a review, make certain that you can point proudly to tasks/assignments completed, extra work done, etc. so that you really are an employee your company wants to retain.
I find it sad when my consultant clients have to add: “I’m just looking for someone normal”; “I’m just looking for someone who is self-aware..”
Do you think too many employees are just hunkered down in their cubicles? Or can you look out over the top of your team mate’s heads and say “this is someone whose work I would be proud to endorse”.
This is a short report from the HR Insider…
|
|
Recent Comments