SHRM’s Ask an Advisor service is a member benefit through which SHRM's HR Knowledge Advisors share guidance, real-life personal and professional experiences, and resources to assist members with their HR-related inquiries. We receive questions from HR professionals on a wide range of topics, from COVID-19 to HR leadership.

During the unprecedented challenges brought on by the pandemic, HR became the workplace champion for businesses and employees. It was HR’s finest hour.

In the past, we heard employers say, “We can't have employees working from home. How will we know if...

Even under the difficult conditions of the pandemic, there were excellent, empathetic leaders. Unfortunately, there are lots of bosses who weren’t great—quite the opposite. They were obstinate, insulting, micromanaging, or a combination of all three.

If your boss has you thinking about quitting, you’re not alone. A recent Gallup Poll shows that the No. 1 reason people leave a job is because of their boss. But before you decide that you’ve had too much, there are ways to manage and even improve the situation.

Get a fresh perspective.

While...

The concept of trust perception combines three psychological factors: competence, benevolence, and honesty. Considering that one of the most critical skills of a Manager (especially in the virtual world) is communication, you can’t build trust without being intentional about connecting with EACH of your teammates. And not just with teammates you like or know better or meet in person. 

Suppose you don’t compensate for virtual distance with an intentional mindset to make it a point (this should be a virtual work value) to over-communicate with fairness with everyone on your team....

When it comes to human resources practices and procedures in the workplace, time has been and always will be important. In many cases, it’s everything in HR.

The notion of time runs rampant through HR and at work—but I’m not sure we talk about its true implications enough.

For me, there are days when it gets to be eight o’clock at night and I find myself thinking, “gosh, I wish there were more hours in this day for me to get things done.”  When I was young and wishing to be...