Find Updated Policies and Samples
Saturday March 31, 2012
Interested to see the latest policies, samples and procedures that I've added to the site? My one-page policy directory was updated for the first quarter today. You might want to ... Read More
Lead to Make Change Happen
Friday March 30, 2012
Do executive leaders need to do what they expect everyone else to do? Really, the performance development planning process is just an example of the power of executive participation in ... Read More
Hire Only A-Players
Friday March 30, 2012
Looking for more tips that will help you hire superior employees? Eric Herrenkohl, author of How to Hire A-Players, offers these eight tips to use as you prepare to ... Read More
Why You Need a Fraternization Policy
Thursday March 29, 2012
Do you think you need a fraternization policy? Also called a dating policy, a workplace romance policy, or a non-fraternization policy, I've avoided them because I believe that an employee's ... Read More
Discuss Politics at Work?
Wednesday March 28, 2012
In this election year, it's time, once more, to talk about politics in the office - or not.
As you may know, I generally discourage employees from discussing divergent political ... Read More
Don't Dump - Delegate
Wednesday March 28, 2012
Delegation can be viewed as dumping by the employee who receives more work to do. In a recent meeting with a young employee, she complained that, while she was extremely ... Read More
Stories to Tell
Tuesday March 27, 2012
No one works in management or Human Resources without having a lot of stories to tell from years of working with people.
I remember one day when an employee, who grew ... Read More
Believe in Social Media Privacy for Job Candidates?
Monday March 26, 2012
What do you think about employers asking their prospective employees to share their private passwords to their personal social media accounts such as Facebook? I have told employers for ... Read More
Thoughts on Micromanagers
Monday March 26, 2012
Readers post some amazing reflections and stories on blog post comments and in Readers Respond documents. So, occasionally, I publish readers' comments on the blog.
Today, Steve tells us about micromanaging ... Read More
When HR Is Married to the Problem...
Sunday March 25, 2012
Readers periodically write with tough questions. This problem is with the Director of Human Resources' spouse. What would you do if you were this reader?
"I am under an attack at ... Read More
Sample Cover Letter for an HR Manager's Job
Sunday March 25, 2012
Need a sample cover letter to use as a guide when you apply for the position of a Human Resources manager? This is the first sample HR cover lettter ... Read More
Employee Layoff Practices Matter
Saturday March 24, 2012
Employers should never embark upon an employee layoff as if the reduction in employees will solve the problems of the business. An employee layoff is a devastating event for both ... Read More
Best Management Interview Question Answers
Saturday March 24, 2012
Need thoughtful interview question answers to my recommended interview questions? I thought this mission would be easy.
Ha! Was I ever wrong! Life just isn't that simple. So, the approach I ... Read More
Rethink Performance Appraisals
Friday March 23, 2012
In response to a recent article, Performance Appraisals Don't Work, Michael Minns, a Human Resources consultant in Sydney, Australia sent me a note that I am sharing with his permission. ... Read More
Tales of Wonder and Business Strategies
Friday March 23, 2012
Recently, I've watched a lot of fantasy on television. Penelope was born with a pig's snout instead of a nose, conquered the curse that malformed her, and ended up with ... Read More
Create a Work Environment That Encourages Employee Engagement
Thursday March 22, 2012
Today may be my day to annoy some of my readers because my views about employee engagement are quite like my views about employee satisfaction - that it is largely ... Read More
You Can Inspire Great Employee Referrals
Thursday March 22, 2012
A Towers Watson survey found that 54% of the companies that participated had problems attracting employees with critical skills, despite the high unemployment rate.
Of the surveyed companies, 37% ... Read More
You Can Do Employee Recognition Right
Wednesday March 21, 2012
While employee recognition is one of the most important things you do, done wrong, employee recognition can go awry. I remember a CEO who stood up every year at the ... Read More
What to Do When Employees Resign
Tuesday March 20, 2012
The costs to your organization when good employees resign are hard to quantify, but trust me, they are more serious than you are adding up. Retaining good employees, with the ... Read More
Create Employee Ownership Via Involvement
Tuesday March 20, 2012
Teams and team work remain challenges and the content of many reader questions. This week, a reader asked about dividing his group of 12 reporting staff members, who are currently ... Read More
How to Make a Career Development Plan
Monday March 19, 2012
Employees want development. They don't feel that they are receiving development opportunities from their current employers. Want to keep your best employees? This needs to change.
Employees are interested in professional ... Read More
HR Degree Vs. Self-Development for an HR Job?
Monday March 19, 2012
People take all sorts of different routes into jobs in Human Resources. They work for companies and are moved into an HR job because they demonstrate an affinity for the ... Read More
Why Are Your Employees Late for Work?
Sunday March 18, 2012
Does your workplace suffer from employees who are frequently late for work? If so, you aren't alone. A recent survey about reasons why employees are late to work, conducted by ... Read More
Before You Make a Job Offer, Consider...
Sunday March 18, 2012
I'm working on more new rejection letters, (see more rejection letters), to go hand-in-hand with today's new article about the factors to consider before making a job offer.
I've written about ... Read More
Go Shamrocks and Leprechauns
Saturday March 17, 2012
St. Patrick's Day, while superficially a religious holiday, is really a day on which everyone can celebrate the wearing of the green.
In workplaces I have visited, activity committees have served ... Read More
See Applicant Red Flags
Friday March 16, 2012
With a number of requests for a sample Human Resources manager resume in my email recently, I am taking on that task. The fun part is avoiding all that I ... Read More
Annoying Employees?
Thursday March 15, 2012
Maybe it's the changing season, but I have had several emails in the past week about how to hold difficult conversations with annoying employees.
You know the employees I mean. Perhaps ... Read More
Make Mandatory HR Training Rock
Wednesday March 14, 2012
Need tips for mandatory Human Resources training? An HR Manager at a client company sent an email to all executives and managers asking them to save a three hour block ... Read More
People Leave Managers
Wednesday March 14, 2012
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
Sincerity Means Everything in a Resignation Letter
Tuesday March 13, 2012
My blog post about a resignation letter in which you share future plans prompted this exchange with a reader. Your thoughts are welcome, too. Please join the discussion.
Reader Question About ... Read More
Best Ice Breaker for Meetings
Monday March 12, 2012
Have you taken a look at my best one-word ice breaker for meetings? I received and continue to receive such positive feedback about its usefulness that I wanted to bring ... Read More
Are You Miserable at Work?
Monday March 12, 2012
It is hard for me to imagine doing work I hated every single day. Or, going to a workplace that hurt my self-esteem or made me participate in constantly ... Read More
Are You Worried About a Layoff?
Sunday March 11, 2012
5 Interview Red Flags for Employers
Sunday March 11, 2012
From lies to lack of preparation, poor attitude, and insincerity, you can pick up on signs and collect evidence during an interview that the potential employee is not for you. ... Read More
Are You an HR Dinosaur?
Saturday March 10, 2012
Every Human Resources department and job have practices, policies, and procedures that need to become as extinct as dinosaurs. These are the kinds of actions and attitudes that employees complain ... Read More
Eliminate Backwards Thinking
Saturday March 10, 2012
In the day-to-day business world, we go about a number of important things backwards.
Aside from March Madness, which is occupying a lot of time and conversation this week, I've been ... Read More
Learn More About Women and Work
Friday March 9, 2012
"The purpose of Women's History Month is to increase consciousness and knowledge of women's history: to take one month of the year to remember the contributions of notable and ordinary ... Read More
Make March Madness a Win in Your Workplace
Friday March 9, 2012
For employers, March Madness, the men's college basketball tournament, marks the arrival of several annual rituals: employee-organized office betting pools, a potential dip in employee productivity and a decline in ... Read More
Your February Faves
Thursday March 8, 2012
If I seem a bit off kilter this week, it is because I am. My husband and I were buried in a foot of snow with no power, no Internet ... Read More
Prediction: More Legal Quagmire
Thursday March 8, 2012
In employment discrimination lawsuits, the business always loses. Consequently, creating a work culture and environment for employees that encourages diversity and discourages employment discrimination in any form is critical for ... Read More
Pursue Self-Development: 1% at a Time
Wednesday March 7, 2012
Most of what you know about becoming better, faster, more productive, and highly successful is wrong. At least that's what I found out reading Tom Connellan's (pictured) The 1% ... Read More
Want to Be a High Performance Organization?
Wednesday March 7, 2012
Six Disciplines studied what high performance organizations do, in contrast with low performing organizations.
They found a number of factors that stood out as most significant. In fact, they found ... Read More
You Need an Employee Handbook
Tuesday March 6, 2012
Opinions differ about the value of an employee handbook, but every time I lean away from them, the employee handbook proves its value in our organization once again.
Employees come up ... Read More
It's Not Lack of Strategic Direction
Tuesday March 6, 2012
In a recent PR pitch, I was given statistics that indicated that the average employee in the average workplace has no confidence that his or her senior leadership team knows ... Read More
Identified Your Personal Values and Vision?
Monday March 5, 2012
If you have read this site for any time, you know that I am a fierce advocate of periodically assessing your goals and direction. You deserve more than a purposeless ... Read More
Workplace Wellness: Vision for March
Monday March 5, 2012
In an economic climate in which lower wage increases prevail and employers seek to provide affordable rewards and recognition for their employees, a focus on employee's and family members' vision ... Read More
HR Remarkable Firsts
Saturday March 3, 2012
Everyone who works in Human Resources, management, or even as an employee, has memorable first work moments to share. In Human Resources, I can clearly remember the first time I ... Read More
You Can Increase Your Productivity
Friday March 2, 2012
Are you interested in more about increasing your personal productivity? My recent interview with Jason Womack (pictured), produced more information than I could use in one article without burying ... Read More
Womens' Negotiation Reluctance Is Warranted
Friday March 2, 2012
Probably because I am a woman, I watch studies about women and success in the workplace with great interest. This is an interesting piece from the Washington Post that refutes ... Read More
Afraid of Conflict? Get Over It
Thursday March 1, 2012
Meaningful confrontation is never easy but conflict is often necessary if you want to stick up for your rights at work.
Whether the confrontation is over shared credit, irritating coworker habits ... Read More