Category Archives: General

Interns: Future Leaders or Coffee Carriers?

This person is probably an intern.

This person is probably an intern.

We all know how much fun it is to laugh at the TV versions of interns. They scurry to-and-fro, trying valiantly to rise above their lowly rank, but they end up with the short end of the stick all too often. I’m willing to bet that people wouldn’t laugh nearly as much if they looked at the interns not as “get me a cup of coffee” gophers, but as the future leaders of the company.

After all, are internships created so a company can get free labor? I should hope not. The intern experience should be a rich addition to a formal education plan. And while the company does get the benefit of inexpensive labor, they shouldn’t necessarily take advantage of the intern’s willingness to do anything for experience.

I was speaking recently with Nancy Woolever, the SHRM Director of Education. When I mentioned the topic of internships, she quickly brought up several points about how important it is to treat interns properly. We both agreed that internships are an excellent method to help college students transition into an entry level career after college, but many companies either don’t utilize interns in their own organizations or don’t treat their young staff as well as they should.

So… Now the ball’s in your court. Are your interns sitting around taking up space, or are they engaging in projects that will have a lasting impact on your business? That answer, my friends, is up to you. Have a comment?

Turning Employees into Brand Champions

From VentureRepublic:

Brand champions are internal and external story tellers who spread the brand vision, brand values and cultivate the brand in an organisation. Every organisation needs committed and passionate brand champions. The more employees the organisation can turn into brand champions, the better will it be equipped to build and maintain strong brand equity. Singapore Airlines, L’Oreal, Harley Davidson, Nike, Google and LEGO are well-known examples of companies which benefit tremendously from their employees being strong and dedicated brand champions.

My company has more employees than it has customers. These employees leave work every day and have conversations and interactions with complete strangers in homes, bars, stores, restaurants, etc. Some of those people know our company exists, and some are getting their first glimpse of us.

employee brand championAre they saying good things? Are they telling the world how amazing it is to work for this company? Are they enhancing our reputation?

I hope so.

Some people recommend hiring great people and inspiring them to do amazing things. Sounds like a plan to me. Find a way to make brand champions out of your employees. You won\’t regret it.

Photo by pinksherbet

If Batman was in HR

 

Batman tat. Coolness.
Batman tat. Coolness.

I’m a Batman fan. Yes, my geekery is showing, but you know it’s fun to watch! What if Batman was in HR? What would happen? Well, here are a few of my thoughts, but I’d love to hear yours, too!

  1. Strategic plans would always begin with the phrase: “hop into the Batmobile.”
  2. Theft of office supplies would drop drastically.
  3. Capes and masks would be required in the new dress code.
  4. Senior management would be known as “villains.”
  5. He could give a drug screen, interview an applicant, and terminate an employee using gadgets in his utility belt.
  6. He’d teach the receptionist seven forms of martial arts to use on annoying sales people.
  7. Office hours would be 8pm-4am.
  8. Admins would be called “sidekicks.”
  9. Christmas bonuses would be $1M per employee from an “anonymous donor.”
  10. Employees would be too terrified to perform poorly.
  11. Job titles like “bat-accountant” and “bat-IT manager” would be commonplace.

I’m sure that’s not all, but I need some help! What would be different if Batman was in your HR department?

How I Took Control of My Career Development

Interestingly enough, this post was written about a week before this news on HR leadership development came out from i4cp.

Time to get tough.
Time to get tough.

I don\’t know how many of you know it, but I\’m an HR assistant. Yes, I occupy that prestigious rung of the HR career ladder just above weasels and interns. I jest, of course, but not overly so. It\’s often been said that Gen Y thinks they deserve immediately what it took others years to attain. I usually scoff at that sort of generalization; however, my HR assistant job is one of those times in my life that I actually bear a resemblance to my generational cohort. No, I don\’t think I should be groomed for the CEO position just yet, but I do want to move up in my responsibilities as an HR professional.

I want to step up to important things, but a recent interaction showed me just how unprepared I was for the “big leagues.” Two of my senior HR coworkers were discussing a thorny issue, and I listened intently, gathering as much information as I could. As if by some unspoken agreement, they then both turned and asked me (the HR assistant, mind you) how I would handle the situation if I were in charge.

Wow. My heart fluttered a bit. And I may or may not have broken out into a sweat. (Hey, it is summertime in Alabama, so cut me some slack!)

I eventually gave my verdict, but as I said before, it showed me just how unprepared I am to move up just yet. However, I have found an interesting way to learn and grow in my position. And I discovered it by accident.

My Realization

I had to go over to our storage area to toss our oldest employee files and make room for some new ones. As I was going through the old ones, I came across more than a dozen thick, monstrous files full of interesting documentation. I realized then that instead of waiting for another learning situation to pop up, I could do some research on issues that had already occurred and discuss those with my peers. I got the okay from my supervisor, and starting this week, I\’m going to peruse one of these employee files every week, look for clues and information, and form conclusions based on the available data. Then I’ll discuss those ideas with one of my senior peers to get some feedback. It’s like a scrimmage before the real game, and I think I’m going to learn a lot!

You, too?

I know that professionals from all steps in the grand scheme of things read this blog, so I\’d like to ask those of you who hold a supervisory role to see if you can do something similar to develop your own HR assistants (or whatever you call the supporting staff in your HR department). If you\’re one of the new HR professionals, then try to speak with your supervisor and get plugged into the events around you. If you don\’t take charge of your career, then don\’t expect someone else to!

While school can teach you how to memorize a bunch of stuff, it certainly can\’t give you much practice in employee relations and other real-life issues that don\’t have a single, clear answer. How did the rest of you get started? Were you mentored steadily? Thrown to the wolves? Still learning? I’d love to hear more ideas.

Review: The Pursuit of Something Better

I recently received a copy of “The Pursuit of Something Better” to review. I have a fairly large queue of books to review, so this one sat on my shelf for about a month. Now I’m kicking myself for waiting. The company that the story’s centered around, U.S. Cellular, reminds me of my own organization in several ways. And seeing that company take the problems they faced and turn them around helped me to have hope.

A little bit of background: U.S. Cellular is a relatively small cell service provider. In 2000, the company was going down the tubes. In some parts of the company, the job abandonment/walk off rate was as high as 20%! It was then that a new leader took the helm. Jack Rooney held some beliefs that he knew could save this company if given the opportunity. Those beliefs include, but are not limited to, the following sections.

Employees treat customers like their leaders treat them. Continue reading →

Top 15 Reasons to Take the PHR or SPHR Exam

Getting certified. Its a big deal for some people. Not so much for others. And some people just laugh at others about it. Why in the world do people put themselves through this kind of stuff? Well, here are the top 15 reasons to take the PHR or SPHR exam… And if you don’t get humor/sarcasm, then this ain’t the post for you. :-)

  1. Your boss told you to.
  2. You really want that nifty certificate on your wall.
  3. It’s easier to be the “smug HR person” when you have letters after your name.
  4. It can help you pick up HR chicks/dudes.
  5. You want to show your mastery of some subject so boring that it would make a librarian cry.
  6. You needed an excuse to get the Rock the PHR guide.
  7. You need something to balance that upcoming performance review.
  8. That new job you’re looking at requires it.
  9. You’re in HR. Other than torturing employees, you have a lot of free time.
  10. You’d like to demonstrate excellence in (snort) and commitment to (giggle) the HR profession (cough). Riiiight.
  11. All the cool kids are doing it.
  12. You enjoy spending hundreds of dollars on study materials.
  13. Because Dwight Schrute would do it if he was in HR.
  14. You want to learn new and creative ways to make employees miserable.
  15. Because you want your HR department to do more than plan birthday parties.

And there you have them! The top 15 reasons to take the PHR or SPHR exam. Think you could do better? Have something to add? Drop it in the comments below.

http://humanresourcespufnstuf.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/today-at-1100-a-m-central-you-can-rock-the-phr

Use Google Reader to be Better, Smarter, & Faster

My Google Reader

My Google Reader

With so many great blogs online that provide HR commentary, research, and advice, it’s very tough to keep up with the multitude of posts that appear on daily basis. Earlier this year, I was having a tough time, because I followed about 10 blogs manually (going to each site daily to check for new content). Then I learned about Google Reader, a free tool that allows you to read all those blogs in one place in a fraction of the time!

For those that attended the August chapter meeting, you already have an inkling of what Google Reader can offer you as an HR professional. And it even has some great business benefits, too! For the rest of you, here\’s the short version. Google Reader is an online application that allows you to collect dozens of information sources via RSS (Really Simple Syndication) into one place for easy access, automatic updates, and quick professional development. Sound good? Great. This is a step-by-step tutorial for getting your Google Reader set up.

Go to the Google Reader page. If you already have a Google account, you can log in here. If not, it\’s very easy to create an account. I’ve created a new one just to show the steps, so after filling in my new account information, clicking the link in the confirmation email, and logging into my account, here\’s what you see:

image002

 

 

 

Click the “Reader” button in the top bar, and you\’ll be taken to the normal Google Reader screen. The default Google Reader address is google.com/reader.

image003

 

 

 

Google offers several helpful tips, and I encourage you to check them out if you wish. But first, we\’re going to add some resources to your reader to get you started. Click the “Add a subscription” button, and type “upstarthr.com” into the box. You are now subscribed to UpstartHR with your Google Reader! Every time a new post is added to the blog, you will automatically get a new item in your reader. Instead of checking this blog (and the other resources that are coming in a moment) on a daily basis, you can just drop by your Google Reader for a few minutes every morning and you\’ll be done for the day!

 

Now, there are a few small buttons on the bottom of each item that look like this:

image004

 

 

 

Each has function, but the main ones you\’ll probably use are described below.

  • Add star-For the good ones that you\’d like to re-read later.
  • Email-Got a funny/interesting post that you just HAVE to share? Email it!
  • Keep unread-Sometimes we (I) get long-winded. Keep them for later.
  • Add tags-Have a LOT of subscriptions? (I’m in the 80+ range!) Take control by adding tags like “recruiting” or “benefits” to certain blogs. This can help you stay organized, but it is optional.

Now, I know that you want more than just one puny blog in your reader, so let\’s add some more, shall we? Here\’s a short list just to get you started. Just click the “Add a subscription” button and type these into the box one at a time. If you want to be a little more extreme, you can also add the second batch of blogs to your reader as well.Or you can do the “kid in a candy store” thing and pick and choose the ones you’d like to add. A more definitive and organized list is currently being developed.

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And if you ever get tired of one of these (although not likely), it’s fairly easy to remove a subscription as well. If you have more suggestions on other HR resources, feel free to leave a comment below. I’m always looking for more resources!