HR Insights

The Uncomfortable Reality of HR As It Exists Today

by Lance Haun on May 23, 2013, 10:20 AM | No comments yet

I’ve been out of day-to-day HR for four years.

It was one of the best decisions that was ever made for me. That’s not just because it set me on my current career path (whatever that may be), but it opened up a space for someone who liked doing HR.

I’ve obviously stayed close to the space in that time. This week though, I got a little closer than comfort to the function. HR software provider Silkroad invited me (and, for full disclosure, I paid my way) to their annual user conference in Florida. Read more…

HR Insights, HR Management

Dear 2013 Graduates: Here’s Some Advice From a Friend in HR

by Tim Sackett on May 23, 2013, 8:10 AM | 1 comment

It’s that time of year when college and universities around the world will release onto us the great minds of the graduating Class of 2013.

This always makes me think of the popular advice given at a commencement a few years ago – “Wear Sunscreen.” (see below)

While this advice might be from 1999, it still rings true today. But like everything else in the world, this advice can be added to and expanded upon. Read more…

HR Insights, HR Management

Five Reasons Your Employees Like It When You Stay Home

by Crystal Spraggins on May 21, 2013, 9:12 AM | 8 Comments

It’s Tuesday, and you wake up feeling a little under the weather.

Or, today is that workshop you enrolled in. Or, today your new refrigerator is being delivered … sometime between 8 am and 4 pm.

Whatever the reason, you’re not coming into work today. And when your employees heard the news, they popped their heads over their cubes, gave each other a “high five,” and began grinning ear to ear.

That’s because they like it better when you stay home. Read more…

HR Insights, HR Management

My Rules For Hugging at the Office

by Tim Sackett on May 21, 2013, 8:05 AM | 4 Comments

Hello. My name is Tim Sackett, and I’m a hugger.

Being a hugger can make for some awkward moments. What if the other person isn’t expecting a hug, or doesn’t want to hug, and you’re coming in arms-wide-open!?

Fast Company had an article recently titled To Hug Or Not To Hug At Work?, that delved into this subject. Here’s a piece from the article:

Awkwardness is … ‘the uncomfortable feeling you get when you realize that your concept of your relationship with someone else doesn’t match their concept. The intensity of awkwardness roughly corresponds to the magnitude of difference in relationship concepts.’ ” Read more…

HR Insights, Leadership

Survey Says Helping People, Not Profits, Is Primary Driver for HR

by John Zappe on May 17, 2013, 9:05 AM | 1 comment

HR is all about showing the executive team the value you bring.

I was chatting with some talent acquisition leaders at the recent ERE conference when I mentioned an innovative application being demo-ed by one of the vendors. It uses automated voice analysis to screen and help select customer service reps.

Almost instantly came OFCCP (Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs) and EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) objections, and near unanimous declarations of opposition to the tool. This is before anyone knew much about it.

What reminded me of this conversation was a report I came across a while ago. HR professionals chose their career, the report says, primarily because they “want to help people grow and develop.” Next, and way down the scale, was business growth and development as a career choice driver. Read more…

HR Insights, HR Management

Exit Interviews: The 2nd Most Worthless Activity HR Has to Handle

by Barbara Milhizer on May 17, 2013, 7:00 AM | 22 Comments

Let’s be clear, the most useless HR activity is Performance Management. Hands down.

But since I have been an enthusiastic beater of that horse already, a close second has to be the Exit Interview.

Let’s review all of the reasons for their sacred cow status:

Good, actionable data on why people are leaving;
Closure for employees;
Risk mitigation for the company;
Goodwill and future employee referrals;
Knighted as one of the “Best Practices” by people who know things. Read more…

HR Insights, HR Management

Here’s Why Bullies Are Taking Over Your Organization

by Crystal Spraggins on May 16, 2013, 8:10 AM | 9 Comments

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve heard plenty about bullies in the workplace.

You’ve heard how bad it is. You’ve heard about the missed work days and the increased medical costs and the disability claims and the lawsuits. You’ve heard about the disruption and the drama and the colossal waste of hours employees spend managing others’ aggression instead of producing. Instead of creating. Instead of innovating.

You may have even read the statistic that workplace bullying costs U.S. employers nearly $250 million annually.

And you’ve decided that you don’t give a crap. Read more…

HR Insights, HR Management

The Model HR Leader? Maybe It’s an Orchestra Conductor

by Carol Anderson on May 14, 2013, 10:25 AM | 6 Comments

I have been thinking a lot about my profession – human resources – lately. I have come to the conclusion that there is no other field or discipline in organizations that is as complex and varied as the field of HR

Those in Finance, Marketing or Operations may disagree, and certainly that would be an interesting dialogue. But I would like to explore this idea of the complexities of HR just a bit.

What strikes me is that those aspiring to become HR leaders must have a reasonable grounding in: Read more…

HR Insights, Talent Management

True Work-Life Balance? It’s a Myth We Need to Quit Worrying About

by Eric Chester on May 14, 2013, 8:10 AM | No comments yet

Work-Life balance.

As a Baby Boomer teen born to Depression-era parents, I never heard that term once.

It didn’t exist back then and, if it had, it would have never come out of my father’s mouth. Hard work was his life, and when he had a day off, he worked. To my dad and those who were his age and older, balance was something you did to your checkbook when the statement arrived.

It wasn’t until the late 1980s when this three-word term entered the American lexicon, and it wasn’t popularized until the late 1990s. Now, those three words are said in conjunction as frequently as pass the salt. Read more…

HR Insights

The Uncomfortable Reality of HR As It Exists Today

Dear 2013 Graduates: Here’s Some Advice From a Friend in HR

Five Reasons Your Employees Like It When You Stay Home

My Rules For Hugging at the Office

Survey Says Helping People, Not Profits, Is Primary Driver for HR

Exit Interviews: The 2nd Most Worthless Activity HR Has to Handle

Here’s Why Bullies Are Taking Over Your Organization

The Model HR Leader? Maybe It’s an Orchestra Conductor

True Work-Life Balance? It’s a Myth We Need to Quit Worrying About

Subscribe to TLNT

Most Popular Articles

Recent Comments

Featured Articles