Archive

August 2017

 

Over the past couple of weeks, I have realized that I work with a lot smart and talented people. I look back and my career and I have been fortunate enough to work with some of the best and brightest minds in their respective industries. I have and have had some fantastic bosses and peers that not only push me and bring out the best in me, they are also great people and friends. 

August 31, 2017

On August 30, @shrmnextchat chatted with special guest Dawn Burke (@DawnHBurke) on The Secret Recipe for Great Hiring.

In case you missed this informative chat, you can read the tweets here:

 

August 30, 2017

 

 

I recently learned a great strategy that I can’t wait to share with you.

Employee: Hey Bob. I know you are busy. I just have a few quick questions. A few of us came up with this really great idea for the party.

HR: No.

Employee: Um, well, okay. So, Jim needs me to help him with this thing…

HR: No.

Employee: All right, then, just one more question…

August 30, 2017

 

 

Ah yes. We’re going to attempt to put the “human” in HR today.

**clutches icy-cold lawyer heart**

August 29, 2017

 

It’s a common mission: Hiring managers and recruiters both want to find the best candidate for the job. Like any other relationship, talent acquisition teamwork requires trust and communication to be effective and successful. Finding the best candidate is hard work, and when a hiring manager rejects your “purple squirrel,” it can be disheartening.

August 28, 2017

There’s been a lot of focus lately on candidate experience, but more and more organizations are beginning to look at ways to improve the experience of their greatest asset – their people. Tying back into employee satisfaction, motivation and retention; organizations are developing strategies to improve their employee experience.

August 28, 2017

 

For Texas employers, particularly in and around Houston, the priority is helping employees and remaining as operational as possible.  Just a reminder of the wage and hour rules that apply to remaining as operational as possible:

August 28, 2017
 
 
Don’t wait for disaster to strike before figuring out how to communicate with employees during a crisis.
 
After terrorist bombs ripped through a metro station and airport in Brussels in March, leaders at Cisco Systems were able to account for the company’s 150-plus employees in the area within 24 hours. Thankfully, all were safe.  
 
August 28, 2017

 

 

The National Hurricane Center warned Texas residents and businesses that it expects Hurricane Harvey to become a major hurricane before it reaches the middle Texas coastline sometime late Friday evening.

August 25, 2017

 

SHRM Connect is an online community where SHRM members can ask questions and get answers on a variety of HR topics. It’s a great place to network with other HR professionals and share solutions.  

The conversation topics range from “HR Department of One” to Employment Law, are always insightful, and deal with some of the most pressing issues that HR professionals face in the workplace today.

August 25, 2017
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I’ve been in HR for twelve years. To say it’s a love/hate job is an understatement. Some days are rewarding, other days not quite. I’ve thought about leaving HR but stop when I remember the good stuff: the variety, the phenomenal HR people I’ve met in the last twelve years and the positive impact.

Let’s explore these aspects of HR…too often we forget about them when we’re having a bad day.

No Day Is the Same

August 25, 2017

 

Nearly a quarter of US workers did some or all of their work from home in 2016 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics [1], but corporate attitudes about remote work may be cooling. Citing a need to increase control over the workday and promote team collaboration, big companies such as IBM, Yahoo and the Wall Street Journal have recently reined in remote work programs.

August 24, 2017

On August 23, @shrmnextchat chatted with special guest Edward D. Hess @HessEdward on Humility Is the New Smart.

In case you missed this informative chat, you can read the tweets here:

 

August 23, 2017

 

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Over that past few years, I’ve been hearing the idea floated more frequently that employees should be accountable for their own engagement.

August 23, 2017
Live Blog Ask an Advisor Chat: FMLA
August 22, 2017

 

As an HR professional, you already know the importance of using the right keywords in a resume. Keywords can make or break job seekers’ attempts to gain an interview, as their resumes are fed into a company’s applicant tracking system or other resume scanning tools. The right keywords will get you noticed, while the absence of targeted keywords will often keep your resume from surfacing when you apply for a new job.

August 21, 2017

 

SHRM Connect is an online community where SHRM members can ask questions and get answers on a variety of HR topics. It’s a great place to network with other HR professionals and share solutions.  

The conversation topics range from “HR Department of One” to Employment Law, are always insightful, and deal with some of the most pressing issues that HR professionals face in the workplace today.

August 18, 2017
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What a difference a decade makes. In 2007, the most pressing issues for HR were succession planning and leadership development. HR analytics was in its infancy, and we were still feeling our way through the metrics. Annual reviews were the norm, as opposed to the constant feedback employees expect today. And social media was viewed by management as a threat to productivity, not the essential business tool it is today.

August 17, 2017

 

 

Some workplace conversations are just hard to have.

Like telling two of three applicants for a promotion that they won’t be getting one. Or speaking frankly about how unproductive your company’s meetings are.

August 17, 2017

 

 

I have a simple test to see if CEOs practice what they preach. Does their Head of HR report directly to them or to someone else? If they report to the COO -- or even worse-- their CFO, it is a red flag.

August 17, 2017
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I think we all recognize the “cone of silence” from Get Smart. Information is kept highly confidential among a select few. On the screen, hilarity ensues and somehow the good guys manage to save the day. In the workplace, however, this kind of tight-lipped operation often leads to very negative consequences.

August 16, 2017

 

 

Is your organization finding the talent it needs to fill skills gaps?  Are you finding that it’s becoming increasingly necessary to develop the skills of your current workers?

August 14, 2017

 

 

Q:  I have been job hunting for about three months with little luck. I‘ve had a couple of interviews but afterwards,  I never heard anything back.  The most frustrating part is that I don’t know why.  I wish there was a way to find out what I’m doing wrong.

August 14, 2017
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SHRM Connect is an online community where SHRM members can ask questions and get answers on a variety of HR topics. It’s a great place to network with other HR professionals and share solutions.  

The conversation topics range from “HR Department of One” to Employment Law, are always insightful, and deal with some of the most pressing issues that HR professionals face in the workplace today.

August 11, 2017

 

 

Tools are amazing things.  Having the right tool for the job can make all of the difference, but using the wrong tool can be a huge headache.  Hammers are one example.  Using a hammer with a nail is great, but using a hammer to drive a screw is not so good.  Likewise, saws can be helpful, but in the hands of someone who is untrained or inexperienced, a saw can lead to damage or worse.

August 11, 2017

 

 

 

Every generation of worker is struggling with various financial stressors.  It’s the top cause of lost productivity.  As an HR leader, you want to help find ways to help alleviate the pressure.

Employers are starting to realize that providing their people with a fair and regular paycheck and 401(k) just isn’t good enough to ensure their financial health. And it is their problem.

August 10, 2017

On August 9, @shrmnextchat chatted with special guest SHRM Online technology editor Aliah Wright (@1shrmscribe) about Dealing with Tech Distractions in the Workplace.

In case you missed this informative chat, you can see the tweets here:

 

August 9, 2017

 

August kicks off with many of us putting our kids on the bus to return to school before we head to work again, saying goodbye to a key part of the summer workforce: interns. 

Chances are at this very moment, as summer internships wind down, your HR team is reviewing feedback and trying to evaluate a good or bad year’s crop of talent. 

Here are three quick tips to help you reinvent the internship.

August 9, 2017
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Almost every HR professional deals with an attorney.  With strong relationships, sometimes you will refer to the lawyer as your lawyer. Not so fast. Here are 6 recommendations to keep in mind when you deal with “the” lawyer:

August 8, 2017

 


 

There are so many distractions in the workplace. Meetings, cubicle chatter, co-workers stopping by to ask a quick question ... the list goes on. Even the smell of a co-worker’s lunch or perfume can throw us off our game. However, these days, the biggest distraction of all is technology.

August 7, 2017

 

 

As if Google Jobs wasn’t a big enough announcement to disrupt the recruiting industry, now there’s a new recruiting tool in town – Google Hire. Announced last week, Hire is a service provided by Google that enables organizations to seamlessly manage their recruiting process.

August 7, 2017

 

 

The interaction between candidates and recruiters during a job interview plays a key role in whether or not an applicant is hired. Everything from a candidate's appearance to how well he or she communicates creates either favorable or unfavorable impressions for recruiters tasked with determining the candidate's fit for the organization and the role before moving him or her along in the process.

August 5, 2017
 
         
 
Have you ever had one of those days when you’re never not busy? Everyone has a need or want that must be met asap? The day is getting shorter, but your to-do list is getting longer? Ha, who am I kidding, we’re HR Pros, that’s every day.
 
I’ve had one of those days this entire week.
 
August 4, 2017

 

SHRM Connect is an online community where SHRM members can ask questions and get answers on a variety of HR topics. It’s a great place to network with other HR professionals and share solutions.  The conversation topics range from “HR Department of One” to employment law, are always insightful and deal with some of the most pressing issues that HR professionals are dealing with today in their workplaces.

August 4, 2017

SHRM partner Prosperity Now created a Workplace Finanancial Wellness Services primer specifically for employer to help them create workplace-based financial wellness programs. The blog post below gives more information on the primer and offers six services that can help employees deal with the problems associated with financial insecurity.  


 

August 3, 2017

 

 

If there is one ingredient in the recipe for a successful transition to civilian life that I could recommend, it would be to find and work with a mentor.

The simple definition of a mentor is “an experienced, trusted advisor”.  Such a small definition, to what amounts to be a life changing and important tool in succeeding in your transition into the civilian world and the next chapter of your career.

August 3, 2017
 
 
 
 
ARE YOU ACTIVELY PLANNING FOR THE HR DIGITAL REVOLUTION?
 
August 2, 2017

On August 2, @shrmnextchat chatted with special guests SHRM Foundation @SHRMFoundation, Globoforce Social Media Manager Mike Wood @MikeWoodTweets, Greg Stevens of The WorkHuman Institute (@workhuman) and Associate Professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business Christine Porath (@PorathC).

August 2, 2017

 

                         

 

August 2, 2017

 

 

I’m fortunate to work for really great owners that genuinely care about our team members.  But at the same time, they’re business people.  They don’t do it just to make themselves feel good, or to be charitable.  Business needs to operate profitably, otherwise we’re all in trouble.  Bottom line, if we pay you to do a job, you’re important.  But is that enough?

August 1, 2017

 
 

As efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act continue to plod along in Congress, House and Senate tax writers have been working with the Trump administration to find a way forward on tax reform.

August 1, 2017
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