upstartHR

Making HR better. One HR pro at a time.

  • The Levity Effect: Why It Pays to Lighten Up (#HRFL11)

    I have read The Levity Effect: Why It Pays to Lighten Up, and I think it’s a fantastic book for people to read in order to understand the impact that humor and levity can have in the workplace. Scott Christopher, the author of the book and speaker at the session, had so many fantastic quips…

  • Small Business Hiring on the DriveThruHR Show

    Today I spent some time talking with Bryan Wempen about small business hiring and how to recruit in a high-touch, intimate way on the DriveThruHR radio show. Recruiting for a small business lets you do some things that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to in a larger company, and it’s a great look into what…

  • Developing an effective, no cost recognition program (#HRFL11)

    My first concurrent session at HR Florida was titled “Developing an Effective, No Cost Recognition Program.” Truthfully, it was my second choice because the other one I wanted to attend was unavailable, but it was a suitable replacement. The speaker, Todd Efird, gave us some great information on using recognition at work. While the examples…

  • Who holds the best meetings? (and other questions you should ask)

    Which of your supervisors holds the best meetings? I was in a session at HR Florida and the speaker tossed out that question. Most of the audience likely ignored it, but I couldn’t get it out of my head. I honestly didn’t know the answer within my own company, and I’m willing to bet many…

  • Crazy 35 days (where I’ll be)

    Whew. I don’t travel that often, but the coming weeks are going to be quite busy. I hope to meet many of you at least once in this whirlwind, so check out the list below to see if we’ll be at any of the same events. HR Florida-August 27-31 This is my first HR Florida…

  • 7 Steps to a Successful Performance Appraisal

    The old adage tends to be true: you get out of things what you put into them. This advice applies well to employee performance appraisals. Managers and employees tend to complain about them and their value, but sometimes, putting in a little bit of effort means you’ll get better results. You may think you\’re a…

  • Organizational Culture Change Manifesto

    Recently I surveyed you guys on what you wanted to learn about organizational culture. Change was the highest response on the survey, so today I’m happy to present the Organizational Culture Change Manifesto. It’s a free guide that covers some of my perspectives on changing the culture at work. This is not exhaustive and I am…

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