John.Hudson
John Hudson is a Chicago-based Midwest HR Business Partner with Slalom, LLC. With over 20 years of experience in the human resources industry, John provides consultation and expertise in the areas of performance management, employee development, employee relations, compensation, and recruiting. John has worked with top brands such as Harpo Studios, Discovery Channel, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, PepsiCo, and CNA Insurance. He is also a speaker and a writer covering a wide range of topics including HR, pancakes, and running. John has a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Indiana University and the SPHR and SHRM-SCP certifications.
Check out his blog at johnphudson.wordpress.com and follow him on Twitter @johnphudson
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Articles by John Hudson
While everyone is talking about employee engagement and company culture, I would like to address the all-important use of sports references in the workplace. It’s what I know and what I love to do. Whether we like it or not, there are many parallels between the work place and sports. Both have teams, coaches, managers, strategy, rules, and role players, just to name a few. So if we want to get rid of the references, we got a lot of work to do.
May is Mental Health Awareness month. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about one in four adults — suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.
It’s January and all the posts about HR in 2014 are out. They discuss how we will change in 2014, what will be hot, what will fail and where we will be if we do not implement, adapt or conform to these new ideas. Some are the same ideas we have been discussing for years and others are truly revolutionary trends.
For the past six years, my Thanksgiving Day routine has gone something like this: get coffee at Starbucks, grab breakfast at McDonalds for the kids, fill the tank at the Shell gas station, buy a pack of Trident and hit the road to spend a perfect day with family. These businesses had real live people working there. I am curious as to why we are so mad when retailers decide to start their “Black Friday” sales on Thanksgiving evening. With so many other industries open on this day, why are we mad at retail?
Every 12.6 seconds, a blog about generational differences is written. Ok, I made that up, but you get my point. Much is written about what is wrong with the expectations of generations, but there needs to be more action around what we can do to make it better. As HR and business professionals, we need to take a more active role in preparing future generations for expectations in the workplace.
Recently, I was without a computer for a better part of two days. I had anticipated only being off-line for 30 minutes, as our IT department applied a few “enhancements” to my machine. Those minutes turned into days and my anxiety level rose. I experienced some depression-like feelings and I even tweeted about it. A friend texted me and ask if I was ok, and if I would please step back from the ledge.
There have been countless books, articles and blogs written about “leadership.” A Google search brings 457,000,000 results. Well, I’m going to make it 457,000,001. I’ve had the good fortune to have worked for some fantastic leaders and each one had unique characteristics that made them great. They were humble, self-aware and fair. These may seem obvious and simple, but these traits are routinely overlooked when hiring for such an important role.
Corporate wellness is not just the physical and mental wellness for employees. Corporate Wellness can also refer to the health and well-being of corporate systems like email. For 2013, resolve to get your inbox in shape and rethink how you use email as a communication tool.
Should job seekers clean up their social media profiles when actively searching for a job?
Perhaps it would be wise to delete the “I hate my boss” posts, the mug shot of your wild weekend in Vegas, or the rants about your disdain for baby seals. But the weekend pictures where you are having a beer or a glass of wine and a great time? Those funny cat memes? Where’s the harm?
Social networking sites have an intended purpose, but most are created for people to share their experiences and to show a personal side.
GenY wants to run the world and there is nothing wrong with that. Baby Boomers and GenXers need to be willing to step up and mentor this group. For 2013, I boldly predict the generations will come together and get this right.
You do not have to clean up your social media profile to get a job.
Look, I understand taking off the “I hate my boss” posts, the mug shot of your wild weekend in Vegas or the rants about your disdain for baby seals.
But the weekend pictures where you are having a beer or a glass of wine and a great time? Those funny cat memes? Where is the harm?