upstartHR

Making HR better. One HR pro at a time.

  • Innovation: Turn Your Idea Inside Out

    Last week I wrote a post about innovation and employee engagement over at the Brandon Hall Group blog. The basic idea is that listening to, and implementing, employee ideas is a great way to get them engaged within the business. In the post I talked about a recent Indiegogo campaign I contributed to. I’m really…

  • Can Employees Volunteer to Work for Free?

    Recently someone asked me about allowing employees to volunteer for free instead of being paid. I wanted to answer that more fully here because it might be something you have run into or might be considering in your own business. For starters, here’s the DOL ruling on that. Let’s break it down and look at two broad…

  • Why I Don’t Believe in Parental Leave Requirements

    My friend Lance Haun wrote last week about why he thinks we should fight for legislating parental leave in the US. I don’t know that I’ve ironed out my point of view 100%, but I don’t know that I agree with him at this point. Remember, this is a dialogue, not a requirement to conform. :-) So, as…

  • Firing Employees Who Are Unproductive

    Awhile back I received an email from a reader about how to let an employee go who is not performing adequately. It surprised me because I don’t know that I’ve ever actually written on the topic specifically before. I want to talk about some of the dos and don’ts, but first, a story. The Time Thief…

  • Leadership in the Crucible of Work (Book Review)

    Last week I took a vacation with my family to enjoy the lovely beaches of south Alabama. I was able to squeeze in a little reading, and here are the fruits of that labor. Today we have book review on Leadership in the Crucible of Work: Discovering the Interior Life of an Authentic Leader by…

  • International HR Management: An Interview with Debbie McGee

    Last year I met a subject matter expert on international HR issues through my local SHRM chapter. A few months later, when I was looking at some HR challenges affecting our expatriate employees, I ran across her again. When I spoke at ALSHRM in May, she was presenting across the hallway on international human resources best practices. In other…

  • A Day in the Life of a Human Resources Director (HRD)

    This is another installment in our “Day in the Life” series, this time focusing on the HR directors out there. In case you missed one of the previous pieces, here is the full list: The average HR manager’s day What it’s like to be a recruiter The life of an HR analyst Read on below…

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