Start in HR Above Entry Level?
Wednesday November 30, 2011
This is a common reader question that's tough to answer. It's tough because people entering into HR mid-career take so many different paths. I've written about transitioning to a career ... Read More
Do Dress Codes Live Where You Live?
Wednesday November 30, 2011
I recognize that some professions, and perhaps their clients, believe that formal dress projects professionalism and credibility. I am, however, a fan of more comfortable, casual dress codes for work. ... Read More
Missed You?
Tuesday November 29, 2011
If you celebrate Thanksgiving, Black Friday, or Cyber Monday, I hope your time was grand. Mine was, although I don't brave the stores any more on the Friday after Thanksgiving. ... Read More
Practice Professional Courage
Tuesday November 29, 2011
Peter Block, author, organization development consultant, and speaker made significant points for me in his book, The Empowered Manager: Positive Political Skills at Work (compare prices). He asked about how ... Read More
Testing Your Job Applicants
Monday November 28, 2011
We never heard back from TammyHR in this forum thread from awhile back, but it posed such an interesting question about testing your job applicants that I am resurrecting it.
TammyHR ... Read More
Want High Performance Employees?
Saturday November 26, 2011
If your goal is superior, high performance employees who are focused on contribution and continuous improvement (and I sincerely hope it is), you need to manage people within a performance ... Read More
Bring Your Passion Back to Work
Friday November 25, 2011
Do you currently think about going to work without a great deal of enthusiasm? In fact, do you dread going to work in the morning? Not fun during the holiday ... Read More
Pinpoint the Employees You Want - Then Keep Them
Tuesday November 22, 2011
You know my mantra: hire the smartest people you can find; don't make rules that stifle their empowerment, agility, and creativity; make sure they know what you expect of them.
Provide ... Read More
Become a Better Business Presenter - Almost Instantly
Monday November 21, 2011
Want to become a better business presenter? While not a comprehensive guide to making effective business presentations, my article does offer you my most important tips for speaking to ... Read More
Deadbeat Employees: Made or Born?
Sunday November 20, 2011
Here's the deal about deadbeat employees. Deadbeat employees, for the most part, are made, not born. For most of them, it's not nature but nurture in our workplaces.
The majority of ... Read More
Top 10 Don'ts When You Fire an Employee
Saturday November 19, 2011
I don't know many people who want to fire a fellow employee. Coworkers can get angry when it seems that a coworker is not contributing.
In fact, in the realm of ... Read More
Mentor by Design
Friday November 18, 2011
Are you interested in the power of a formal mentoring process for new staff members? At a client company, a formal mentoring program ensures that every new employee, ... Read More
Magnify Employee Thanks and Recognition
Thursday November 17, 2011
Consider PIPs Positively
Thursday November 17, 2011
On the HR site, one particular topic never ends. Almost nothing is as controversial as the performance improvement plan (PIP).
I am convinced that this is because most employers use ... Read More
Low-Cost Training Ideas?
Wednesday November 16, 2011
Weekly or bi-weekly training presented in-house is a positive management or employee development experience. You capitalize on the knowledge that your group has about your workplace while exploring new ideas.
A ... Read More
Pay Ranges Slowly Rising
Tuesday November 15, 2011
Are you interested in pay range adjustments for 2011 and 2012? CompData Surveys BenchmarkPro 2011 survey results found 79.5% of companies have formal pay structures with pay ranges. The average ... Read More
How to Negotiate Salary
Tuesday November 15, 2011
In the toughest salary negotiation that I remember, my client organization was pursuing a candidate who was needed, but pricey, for a mid-sized company. The company was restructuring its sales ... Read More
Sample Interview Questions for Employers
Monday November 14, 2011
Many employers spend a lot of interview time asking potential employees questions such as, "what would you do if ..." Now, I do believe some decent knowledge about the candidate's ... Read More
Management Styles: Tell, Sell, Consult, Join, Delegate
Monday November 14, 2011
Working with a group of managers weekly for much of the past year, we regrouped this fall, first as a team and then around the desired management development content. In ... Read More
Performance Evaluation Time
Saturday November 12, 2011
Performance evaluation is relevant at this time of the year. Interested in why organizations do employee performance evaluation? Employee performance evaluation is both an evaluative process and a communication tool.
Done ... Read More
Employee Empowerment Challenges
Friday November 11, 2011
Do you have thoughts about the challenges inherent in employee empowerment? Employee empowerment is a strategy and value that I support.
I've sought ideas for effective implementation my entire consulting career. ... Read More
Interview Thank You Letters
Thursday November 10, 2011
Deal With Coworker's Harassing Behavior
Thursday November 10, 2011
Reader Question:
"I'm sorry to write to your email, but I am very desperate for advice. One of my
co-workers dictates to me what to do. She's been timing my breaks, counts ... Read More
Write Company Stories
Wednesday November 9, 2011
November is National Life Writing Month and Family Stories Month so I've been thinking about how writing and stories affect work culture.
It's not such a big leap to move from ... Read More
Is Your Message Memorable?
Wednesday November 9, 2011
In this age where communication overload is a daily challenge, are you looking for a simple effective method to make your communication heard above the roar? Isabelle Albanese tells you ... Read More
Enable a Mentor's Contribution to Your Success
Tuesday November 8, 2011
Working with a client group, we identified the characteristics of the employees who had mentored them during their developmental years.
They added what they wished mentors had provided. I added my ... Read More
Documentation Dilemma: CYA or...?
Monday November 7, 2011
Reader Question: Facing a potential legal issue, I was asked by another senior staff
person not to send emails on the topic. The intent was to minimize any ... Read More
Attendance Is Not Always the Answer
Sunday November 6, 2011
Attendance at work is a long standing issue. The debate rages between whether employees should come to work when they are sick to get the work done, or whether ... Read More
Pursue Happiness at Work
Saturday November 5, 2011
This week is Pursuit of Happiness Week, so I'm featuring some articles about how to manage those aspects of your work life that contribute to your happiness at work. Getting ... Read More
It's All About the Managers - Duh
Saturday November 5, 2011
The keys to financial success and a profitable business are not the strategies or the systems of the firm.
The character and skill of individual managers, who practice what they ... Read More
Employment Gaps Are Scary and Matter
Friday November 4, 2011
Are you the victim of a layoff or downsizing? Periodically, I write about layoffs and downsizing because I expect layoffs will continue for the next couple of years.
With sales down, ... Read More
Getting a Promotion at Work
Friday November 4, 2011
Can this employee obtain a promotion from his current employer or must he move to a different company for successful career advancement?
Reader Question: A young man who is 27 years ... Read More
Your October Favorites
Thursday November 3, 2011
Welcome to November. Do you believe it? My father used to tell me that time traveled faster as you grew older and I believe him now. This year has passed ... Read More
Are You a Learning Organization?
Wednesday November 2, 2011
Are you interested in becoming a learning organization? I haven't heard much about learning organizations recently, but I've been exploring so many other areas relating to leadership and management, I'm ... Read More