upstartHR

Making HR better. One HR pro at a time.

  • 2012 SHRM Annual Conference in Atlanta, Georgia

    So, are you thinking about going to the 2012 SHRM Annual Conference in Atlanta, Georgia? Yeah, me, too. I was able to attend back in 2010 due to the boundless generosity of my friend Eric Winegardner. However, at that time I was working in a 6-person HR department as the low man on the totem…

  • Creatively Ever After (Book Review)

    A while back I received the Creatively Ever After: A Path to Innovation book by Alicia Arnold to review. I had a tough time getting started, and it sat on my shelf for a few weeks at one point. I’m a naturally creative person and a fan of solving problems through a creative process. However,…

  • How to create and distribute an employee survey in 10 minutes

    We use employee surveys at work to measure employee satisfaction, gather confidential feedback, and uncover hidden issues and trends lying under the organization’s surface. Some companies spend money and time on expensive survey tools, but as long as the right questions are asked, the followup is more important than the method. I personally like Google…

  • Field Tested-Recruiting, Managing, and Retaining Veterans (Book Review)

    I work for a government contractor in the defense industry. We have a large number of veterans working for us, so I am always looking for ways to understand them better. Recently I received a review copy of this book, and I was really excited to dig in. As usual, I read with an eye…

  • Don’t be a fan, be a player (#HRevolution 2012)

    I spent some time on the phone with my good friend Trish McFarlane the other day discussing HRevolution 2012. This event is going to be fantastic. Then I heard the phrase “don’t be a fan, be a player” today, and I knew the two topics were related. You see, HRevolution isn’t your average, ordinary event.…

  • Ten rules to work (and live) by

    Sometime last year I ran across Dale Dauten’s website when I found out he was coming to the Alabama SHRM conference to speak. My post on killing the status quo focuses on that session, but he also has created a list of rules for work that I think most people need to learn. It’s titled…

  • Getting a job in HR (Q&A)

    I love getting questions about what it’s like getting a job in HR. Today I’m giving C a hand with her questions (answering a little late, but better than never!). As a generalist, what exactly is your job like? What kind of projects do you work on, etc? Every day is fairly different in my…

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