Category Archives: General

Steve Browne-Only the Lonely

Today we have a guest post from Steve Browne, an HR pro who I’ve recently come into contact with and have already developed a respect for. I recently joined his HR Net group, and after you hear what he has to say, you might want to do the same. Hit him up in the comments if you’d like to know more about the group. In this post, he’s sharing his thoughts on HR’s isolation and how we need to be getting out there. Enjoy!

Human Resources is one of the most fulfilling, challenging, uplifting and… lonely professions. You see, almost any position within a company has a place they can go to and vent (HR) or complain about employees (HR) or grouse about Senior Management (HR). Where can HR go?

Often it’s to a bar. I mean really! Since we are the bartenders (with no copyright infringement to Sharlyn Lauby) in our own organizations listening to every story of woe and sense of frustration from our employees about other employees, we’re just missing the long wooden bar and the stools. (That would be a cool office for HR though!)

People are tough. However, that’s why most great HR professionals are in HR! They truly are “people” people. So, where can they go?

The great voices in HR that are flooding the waves of Social Media forums such as blogs, Facebook and Twitter are sending out great messages… But, more often than not, it’s to each other and their great thoughts never reach practitioners.

Why? Continue reading →

What is your “go to” resource?

I’ve been working on a post on small HR departments for a while now, and a reminder this past Monday is going to help me finish it once and for all. However, I need a little help so I can finish up that post.

One of the ladies in my SHRM chapter mentoring group (the same one who made the dress and read for the job you want quote) asked a great question that HR people everywhere should have a quick answer for–when you are looking for specific, targeted information, where do you go? Continue reading →

Review-How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

review how to win friends and influence peopleHow to Win Friends and Influence People Review-I received the book as a contest prize (video review below), and it’s been one of the most valuable prizes I’ve ever won. All of us have strained relationships, ideas we want to move forward, and connections we want to make. I’ve picked up a piece of advice on each of those topics that has helped me in my professional and personal lives.

These ideas are, for the most part, common sense. We already know some of them. But I think the difference for me is knowing that some of the most successful people in the world have used these ideas to achieve what they have. If you are looking for ideas on how to win friends and influence people, get the book today! Continue reading →

Can Students Take the PHR Exam?

Can students take the PHR exam? Yes, they can, but only for a short while longer. There are new rules going into effect in 2011 that change the eligibility rules for students and other HR professionals who would like to take the exam. Here are the HRCI eligibility requirements for getting PHR certified.

Hooters-Too Fat for the Job?

Hooters girl vs dog womanThere’s been a recent popular news story about a Hooters employee who was basically put on a performance improvement plan for… being fat.

Although I’m not really a fan of the restaurant (their food doesn’t impress me and having women in tight clothing around doesn’t make it taste any better), I found this story interesting for several reasons.

Things to Ponder

HR-Let’s see some value

AKA Other people think human resources has zero value

I find neat resources now and again in my web travels (like the Netflix presentation on culture and responsibility), and the one I’m talking about today is fantastic. Most of you have probably heard about the 2005 article “Why We Hate HR” in Fast Company where the author bashes the human resources profession for a number of faults.

Well, there’s a great PDF guide I found somewhere (can’t remember where! I’ve had it downloaded for almost half a year) that is a teacher’s guide to combat the points in the article. I really enjoyed looking it over, and I bet you will find it useful as well. Here’s the link to download the PDF. I have covered some of the interesting points and quotes from the article below. The questions at the end get my blood pumping. Are you the same way? :-)

Chicken or the egg?

It is unclear what came first, the marginalization of HR by senior management or the stagnation of the skills of HR professionals. Certainly, if all senior management wants is someone to plan the company picnic and keep morale up, HR professionals would not be to blame as there is no motivation to improve their skills and attempt to have a strategic role in the company.

School isn’t helping

The work of Mark Huselid and John Delery, among others, regularly focuses on how HR practices can have an important impact on an organization\’s bottom line. The metrics exist; they are just not being incorporated into academic programs and professional continuing education certification and reading. A greater connection must be made between academic researchers and the professionals who actually practice these skills every day.

We all could use some Dilbert

In the immortal words of Alice of Dilbert fame (Scott Adams, United Feature Syndicates, Inc. 1996), who has just met a newly minted MBA who has no people skills but yet is highly skilled in finance, accounting and economics, “So, you\’re a highly qualified leader because…you\’re good at math?”

Asking the hard questions

There are some great discussion questions tacked on at the end of the guide, and I think they are worth talking about even if we ignored the rest of the article.

  • Top management does not understand what value HR departments can play in their organizations. How do we convince them?
  • What key changes would you make to HR education to ensure graduates have the appropriate knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) to link HR practices to business strategy?
  • How does the gender makeup of HR professionals help or hinder the perceptions of the effectiveness of the HR function?
  • What recommendations can you make to protect the company assets and minimize litigation while still allowing for individual differences and exceptions to the rule when managing diverse employees in your workplace?

Anyone have thoughts to share? Surely I’m not the only one who’s interested in this stuff. :-)