My Hope

Christmas isn’t something that should upset or anger people. It isn’t something that should make a person feel uncomfortable. Yet that’s what it has become in many respects. I have no issues with diversity and inclusion, but that also means we shouldn’t be excluding others’ beliefs in hopes that we won’t offend anyone.

If someone doesn’t celebrate a specific holiday due to personal or religious beliefs, then that is their choice. However, I would never feel uncomfortable or uneasy about wishing anyone and everyone Merry Christmas, since that’s the event I celebrate this time of year.

When I wish you a Merry Christmas, it is my hope that you’ll take it in the spirit that it is offered. It’s my hope that you will join me in a celebration that is meaningful to me. I’m not trying to convert anyone or make them feel uncomfortable, and I’ve only met a few people with enough of a chip on their shoulder to respond negatively to my well-wishes.

But why respond that way? It’s my attempt to include you in an annual event that has shaped my life for the better.

I’ve learned to be a selfless giver to those in need.

I’ve learned to have more patience, especially with those close to me.

I’ve learned to hold onto those precious moments with family.

Yes, Christmas holds more significance for me as a Christian, but on the surface, those are the ways that others will benefit from me taking part in this celebration year after year. When I wish you or someone else a Merry Christmas, I hope for those same powerful changes in your own life. Who among us couldn’t stand to have a more generous spirit, a patient soul, and a loving heart?

I wish you a very Merry Christmas, and I look forward to another great year ahead, my friends.

My New Phone-A Love Story

I’m sure the rest of you are just biding your time until you’re off for Christmas, so I’m going laid back today and tackling the age-old question:Â What does an HR person carry in their purse/pocket for a cell phone?Â

Earlier this month I had to break down and get another phone. My Droid2 was my go-to for over two years, and it finally stopped charging altogether. I love technology, but I’m also easy to please, so I’m not switching out every time a new item hits the shelf. I started researching and talking with friends so I could educate myself on the best options available.

I knew I needed a few key things:

The battery life needs to be good. I hate using it at a conference and having to recharge every 3-4 hours of heavy use.
Needs to be Android. No Apple for me. And BlackBerry? Don’t make me laugh.
It should take good pictures and video so I can fulfill parent law #24-everything your kids do is worth documenting.

So I wandered around the Verizon store and put my hands on the lovely Droid Razr Maxx.

Its Â main selling point is that the battery is the largest of pretty much any phone on the market, and boy can you tell it! I can use it for 24 hours of normal talking, texting, surfing, etc. and still have 40-50% of the battery left. Not too shabby.

The pictures are pretty snazzy compared with my old phone as well. I am hoping to shoot more video content for the blog once we get into the new year. I’ve missed the video content and I think it’s a great tool for personalizing the content here for you guys.

Plus it’s an Android phone, which means it syncs seamlessly with my Google account and other services. I liked my previous phone, but I had no idea what I was missing until I moved to the Razr Maxx.

Okay, enough geeky talk from me. What is your ~~weapon~~ phone of choice?

What’s your tool of choice? iPhone? BlackBerry? Android? Something else?

The Temp Factor (Book Review)

The Temp Factor by Cathy Reilly

Recently I received a copy of The Temp Factor: The Complete Guide to Temporary Employment for Staffing Services, Clients, and Temps from Cathy A. Reilly. I didn’t know what to expect from the book, because I don’t have much experience with temps or staffing companies. I ended up with a well-rounded understanding of the client/temp/agency relationship triangle, and I feel much more comfortable with the possibility of working with a staffing company at some point in the future. Below you’ll see a few tips I learned and also to whom I might recommend this book.

What I liked

For the newbies-pages 19/20 have a great checklist of items that will help put new clients at ease. I know if I was hiring a staffing firm that the answers to these questions would be very valuable to help establish a trusting relationship with my new provider. It includes basic info, but the new clients might not know to even ask some of the questions!
Culture matters! Thankfully Ms. Reilly covers one of the biggest concerns I would have about hiring temporary workers: culture. How do we explain it to them? How do we find someone who is only temporary but still a fit for what matters most to us? She goes into some detail here on presenting candidates that are “company ready,” meaning not only fully prepared for the operational aspects of the role, but also the cultural considerations that could make or break the staffing company’s reputation if handled poorly.
Tip for the agencies: use updated and fresh materials, including timesheets and business cards. Just because the concept of a time card is 80 years old doesn’t mean your forms should be using an 80 year old design. Every time a client signs off on the timesheet, it’s a marketing opportunity to reinforce your brand identity–use it well.
Handling problems: the customer service side of the client/agency relationship can be complex, but one piece of advice stands out. The manner in which you handle problems can become the problem itself.Â Find out about an issue with a temp? Take care of it, or it could hinder the relationship with the client on a larger scale.
Top three issues with temps: performance, policy related, and “fit.” Those are the key areas to ensure your temps are performing up to par if you want to remain on contract for your services as a staffing firm.
Shopping for a temp agency? Ask these questions…Â Page 250 has a laundry list of “wants” that a company could desire from a staffing firm. The challenge is to pick the top five or ten and customize the list for your business. For instance, if you are looking for a satisfaction guarantee, a temp that is coachable within their specialty area, and a person that is a strong culture fit, make those the top three items for the agency to agree to. That allows you to differentiate among those providers who might be able to do one or two of those but isn’t quite a fit for what you need overall.
Just say “no” to celebutemps. If the agency is pushing someone on you who is “great” and “really nice,” ask for more concrete information. Find out what makes them so “great” and “nice,” because those hard facts are going to be the basis of why you decide to bring them on (or not). This is the equivalent of an employee trying to refer a clueless friend with no marketable skills–if they can’t tell you what makes them a fit, they aren’t going to fit!

Wrap up

Again, I am not extremely experienced with temps and temp agencies, so my take on it is from that perspective. I would recommend this book for temps looking to hone their craft, HR pros looking to partner with a staffing agency, or staffing agencies looking for innovative ways to serve clients and grow the business. This book covers all that and more!Â Click here to get your copy of the bookÂ if you are interested.

Click here for other book reviews.

The Purpose of Human Resources

What is the purpose of human resources in an organization?

Have you ever wondered about the purpose of human resources? Does the stereotypical HR person represent you? Are we working to make sure everyone is “playing nicely” and that every rule is being followed to the letter of the law? Are we planning picnics and making sure that nobody’s feelings are hurt whenever a decision is made?

Lord, I hope not.Â

I see the purpose of human resources as something else entirely, and some of the brightest people in the entire human capital industry do as well. Check out this phenomenal quote that made me stop in awe–it encapsulates well the true purpose of human resources.

HR departments should focus both on talent (getting better people) and organization (building stronger capabilities). If the focus is only on talent, the organization may be a disconnected group of all-stars who don’t play well together and don’t win over time. Line managers need to find great people, but then create great organizations for the people to work in. The strongest HR departments help secure talent and shape organizations.

And that, my friends, is a great example of what HR should be about. When you’re looking at your “to do” list, the major items should always map back to those two key components: getting better people and building stronger capabilities.

Everything else is second.

Because at the end of the day, your leadership team is going to pat you on the back not for the great cake you baked or the employee whose hand you held when they had a tough time, but for the talent and the culture that will sustain the business through good and bad times. That’s your true role. That’s the purpose of human resources.

Are you living out your purpose as an HR pro? Why or why not?

5 Things to Do After You Get Certified

Recently I had a friend get the PHR certification. We were talking about the process and what she should do after she got the official “pass” notification from HRCI, and here’s what I suggested to her.

Update email signature-some people see this as silly, but it’s one of those little details most of us overlook. Go ahead and declare your certification and be proud of it!
Notify your manager-let your manager know that you officially got the “pass” and what that means for you. If you discussed a raise after getting certified, this is the time to bring it up. If not, start thinking about how you can make the case for one (what do you know now that will make you better at your job and worth more money?)
Update your LinkedIn profile-get your shiny new PHR/SPHR/GPHR label out there for the world to see. Sometimes if you don’t update things right away you forget to do them!
Update your resume-take a few minutes to update your resume to be sure that it reflects your certification–small updates here and there make it easier to manage your resume over time.
Get started on recertification.

What else should someone do after they complete their certification?

20 Most Popular Posts of 2012

I say it every year, but WOW the past 12 months have flown by. This has been a year of growth and learning as well as loads of fun and friendship. I launched my first study course, and the 5th HRevolution event was a smashing success. Somehow we managed to cram that into one year, and if you were hoping for a break, let me clue you in: I don’t expect next year to be any slower!

That said, let’s take a look at the most popular posts of 2012. These were the posts that received the most traffic (and helped the most people) this year, though not all of them were written in 2012. Have a favorite? See one that looks interesting? Feel free to share with a friend!

How to Get a Job In HR-perennial crowd favorite
How to Create a New Hire Welcome Letter (barely edged out its sibling below)
Crafting a Welcome Letter to New Employees
How to Write Job Postings that Don’t Suck-this guest post from my friend Dr. Daniel Crosby is still going strong
Corporate Culture Examples-looking at how some companies use culture
How to Ask Questions During an Investigation-HR. Employee Relations. Investigations. Need I say more?
HR to Employee Ratio-looking at how many HR pros you need at different employee base numbers
4 Things Great HR Pros Know-strangely enough, this is found by people googling “4” more than anything else!
Benefits of Performance Appraisals-looking at how these tools can help businesses and people
50 Human Resource Challenges-a great list of ways to get your HR team fired up to kick off 2013
Comments for Performance Reviews-what do you say on those things, anyway?
New Hire Orientation eBook-the free guide to onboarding and new hire orientation
Employee to HR ratio-close cousin to the other post above with a similar name
How to Get a Press Pass as a Blogger-probably being searched by PR and newsy-type people, but it’s a neat tip
Entry Level HR Jobs-the first ultimate guide and one of the most requested pieces of info by new HR pros
How to Establish Credibility-because we all need it, and we could all use just a little more
How to Run a One Person HR Department-funny that I wrote this before I actually did it, and now that I do it I haven’t written anything on the topic (anyone interested???)
How to Stop Nepotism at Work-a great question and some phenomenal support from readers
Should I Get an MBA or a PHR or SPHR?-The timeless question for those of us with limited time, money, and patience
PHR Study Materials (Cheap and Free)-Because we’re not all rolling in cash
Employee Retention eBook-free guide covering employee retention best practices
Employee HR Portal-what to put in an employee HR portal, how to build one, etc.

So you got just a bit more than 20, but I’m all about exceeding expectations.

Did you have a favorite post in 2012? What was it? Why?

Better Communication at Work-Fluff ‘n Stuff Matters

If you’ve been thinking about having better communication at work, but you’re not sure how, here’s a quick tip from a former manager that has stuck with me.

better-communication-at-work Every year when we held our annual kickoff meeting to prepare for the hurdles ahead, she walked us through a quick presentation of her expectations for the team. It touched on responsibilities and ideas for better communication at work, among other things. And every time, without exception, she would mention “fluff ‘n stuff.”

One example of better communication at work

A manager emails you asking for an idea of how the recruiting is going for an open position in his department. You have two ways to respond. Both ways get the same pertinent information across, but one way involves slightly more effort on your part.

Hey, Tom! It is going well. We are scheduling two candidates to interview later this week. You’ll see the calendar invites shortly. Thanks!
Hey, Tom! Thanks for reaching out. It’s going really well. We actually have two candidates that we’re scheduling to interview later this week. I will be sending the calendar invites to you shortly. Hope you guys are doing well up there. Let me know if there is anything else I can do in the meantime. Thanks!

Clearly option two is what I’m referring to in terms of adding the “fluff ‘n stuff.” Even though it took an extra 15 seconds to write the additional words, the feeling of the response is more friendly and personable.

It’s not a revolutionary, world-changing avenue for better communication at work. But it’s the little things like this that make you and your department the resource that all staff come to when they need help. I’m not saying that the first response would be wrong, and there are times when the time crunch forces a shortened response. But over time if I’m sending a significant number of those, I will take the time to send a longer, more detailed response once in a while.

That’s one solid tip for better communication at work. Do you have one? Do you use “fluff ‘n stuff” when you respond to your staff? Why or why not?