HR’s Worst Nightmare! Secrets!
At the risk of sounding cryptic, something big is coming in the next couple of weeks for yours truly. The goal of this “something big” is:
- Increased focus and attention to YourHRGuy.com
- Giving proper content attention to the people who are my audience
- Expand into a mystical fourth or fifth dimension
I am being intentionally vague. That being said, if you are an HRish professional who also happens to be a blogger (or an aspiring blogger) and would like an opportunity to expand your audience, please contact me [lance (AT) yourhrguy (DOT) com] for some less vague information on the upcoming “something big.”
Inspiring Yourself With Music (Or Something Else)
I can’t go to sleep. I spent my entire Memorial Day weekend either sacked out or in heavy interaction with other people. The ebb and flow of it all is incredibly interesting, I just wish I didn’t have to deal with or think about it at midnight before work the next day.
I went through this phase in my life where I was incredibly inspired by music. Sometimes all it took was a little guitar riff to let an emotion wash over me. Sometimes a lyric could tell my entire story. My personal journal was full of written down music lyrics that I thought defined the moment. I was consumed by music though. I could easily spend all day listening to CD’s (or later on, MP3’s).
Looking back on it now, it seems very artificial to be pining for the days when music meant a lot to me. It seems like a lot of people find their way through their formative years with the help of music. Whether it be through rebellion or inspiration or love. For the record, my first tape I hid from my parents was LL Cool J. My first CD, Green Day’s Dookie didn’t come out from a classical music CD case until my junior year in high school. For inspiration, I turned to a worn out Boyz II Men tape. My first girlfriend and I had a “song” by K-Ci and JoJo. I had to Google the name of that band too.
The funny part about it all is that I didn’t lose that love of music, it wasn’t a phase, and it doesn’t seem artificial. 10 years ago, I picked up a guitar for the first time. I didn’t become a superstar but I became good enough so that when I pick it up, I can actually enjoy it. Every time I play (which I do with a decent frequency), I feel more tightly connected with music. I don’t know if it has anything to do with feeling the frequency of the notes resonating through your fingers.
I think the biggest breakthrough for me came when I realized that music didn’t have to emote me. The revelation that music could be used to reveal emotions I was feeling or the mood I was going through was a big deal. The more practical application was that I could correct bad or ineffective moods very easily with music.
So to the practical part of this post: a couple of days ago, I was stressed out. When I drove to work, I put in my Coldplay album instead of listening to sports talk radio (which is really for the better with all of the baseball talk). Half an hour later, all is better. It is a clever manipulation, one that initially made me angry. “Nothing changed, stupid,” I said to myself coldly. True enough.
In the end, it didn’t matter because that clever manipulation helped me perform better and ultimately did make the real change happen (albeit not directly, not that it matters). You have to use your inspirations to help you out in real life. If that means using your inspiration to leverage career success or using it to just get through your work day, do it.
So my inspiration is music which I guess isn’t all that unique but it works. Do you have a particularly unique inspiration? How do you use it to become successful?
Thankfully, I’m not a Gen Y Blogger
As I am starting my third year of blogging about my profession (you can see my first post for entertainment’s sake), I am starting to realize that I am not a very good Gen Y blogger. I am 26 and so I should be posting things about how I am going to change the world, change HR, change … my pants. You see, because I just spilled ice cream on them.
I was invited to join the Brazen Careerist network which is always a nice ego boost. I was called a hotshot (which by the way is utterly and completely true). It is for bloggers who are under 30. I fit that I suppose. Then I was looking at their front page and noticing how hardly anything I ever write about fits in among my peer bloggers. I know this because I am not stupid but I also know this because looking at my stats/demographics analysis, I have about 30% more 35-49 year olds than 18-34 year olds (which, if you know internet traffic, is completely upside down).
Then yesterday, I sort of had an epiphany. I was reading this post in my Google reader and I clicked on share with a note and wrote (and I quote): “More Gen Y whining.” I should clarify that this wasn’t in response to the actual post (Jaclyn Schiff doesn’t write crap), but in response to the comments which were almost offensively ironic. Talk about unintentionally making the authors point.
As far as I could tell, none of the people commenting (as of yesterday) had read the book. Yet they were tearing the thing apart based on an article written in a newspaper (read: limited in scope and availability of additional resources). I have read the book and knew that while I didn’t particularly agree with the overall conclusion of the thing, it did have a lot of damning information in there that supports the generalizations he makes. And while they are generalizations, that takes nothing away from the validity of the studies being done. If only 21% of people my age can explain the reasons behind the Korean War, that says something. You may not like it and you may try to rationalize it but the fact remains that many people in our generation stay voluntarily ignorant.
For many Gen Y bloggers, this is okay. For me, it isn’t. I have a feed reader (80+ blogs), I have diverse interests yet I am still reading, still working on acquiring, retaining and applying knowledge that will make me better at my career and life. And yes, I may be better at finding information when I need it than other generations but sometimes you need that information in your head. At least in my opinion, you need an accumulation of diverse knowledge to make great decisions.
And while I’d love to believe this sort of thing is going to come about in my lifetime, some of it is simply contradictory to every recent trend in business (and, let’s be honest, common sense). Saying that probably doesn’t win me the Gen Y viewership and that is fine with me (Booyah, I’ve got moxie, baby!). Being a realist (or cynic) isn’t that sexy. If being right means being a little less sexy though, I’ll take it (even though I have a lot of sexy to give).
Generation X Doesn’t Like You
I certainly can’t. I would be irritated as hell with the work environment if I were a Gen X’er because they are supposed to be entering the earning years of their life (the one where you bank your retirement, put your kids through college and pay off your mortgage) and it is getting turned upside down by a variety of factors. Harvard Business Publishing throws some of these out:
- Most corporate career paths “narrow” at the top
- And then there are those pesky Gen Y’s.
- X’ers are the most conservative cohort in today’s workforce
- Boomer colleagues are annoying
- Your own parenting pressures are at a peak
And this is why I am so indifferent about generational differences.
Wait, that’s not a good enough explanation.
Let me try this:
Every generation goes through relatively similar career steps. The fact that Generation Y is starting their careers differently than Generation X, the Boomers, and the multitudes of generations before that is not remarkable. It is something we should be aware of the same way employers were aware of issues with previous generations. The paradigm shift isn’t ever going to be to cater to Gen Y until both recruiting and retention of Gen Y becomes a major priority. And catering to Gen Y right now is only really helping on the recruiting side (not necessarily on the retention side). I really think a lot of corporate policies will start focusing on retaining Gen X people. This will be good for Gen Y but it won’t be focused on keeping them happy yet.
Okay, that probably isn’t adequate either. Let me try this:
My great-grandfather didn’t finish high school. He spent his entire life in agriculture.
My grandfather finished high school, went to the military and stayed in the same industry as he was trained in for most of his life.
My father finished high school, took specialty classes, and tried several careers before settling in his industry.
I finished high school and college, and have tried several different industries so far. I am married and we are talking children so at some point in my future, settling down (whether in job function or industry) is inevitable for almost all generations.
And when generations settle (and Gen Y generally will), their needs become much more similar to previous generations. People get more conservative, crave more security, have a distrust for both older and younger generations and ultimately their families and their well-being takes priority over freedom, movement, and flexibility. Obligations are the great equalizer.
This is the road ahead Generation Y and the road you have just traveled Boomers. I would advise you to not throw these concerns to the wayside for some sort of short term gain. Because it will all come back to this.
The Four Click Supervisor’s Manual
As you know, I’ve been trying to create a supervisor manual and I got this software from Gradience that basically helps me put it all together quick and easy. Well, at least that’s what I was sold on whenever they contacted me to tell me about this product. Honestly, supervisor’s handbooks are not only difficult to put together but they are easy to put off. I was very skeptical about the whole ordeal though. Not in the “Infomercial” style of the late 20th century, just that I have been burned by HR software in the past that actually saves very little time. I hate that and I am glad that none of the vendors I have dealt with were local because my wife hates when I make a scene.
That being said, the supervisor handbook software is generally not this way. As the title suggests, it was essentially four clicks from start to print. Here are some screenshots to show you what the interface looks like:
So basically, here is how it works:
- You fill in your company information. Very straightforward as far as that is concerned. It will use this information to customize your manual. So if you have less than 50 employees for instance, it won’t include information on Family Medical Leave.
- The second page is where you are able to further customize it. You can select sections that you do not want to include. You can include additional text or make edits to the pre-filled in information as necessary.
- You then fill out some custom information that will help the program populate it through the manual.
- And finally, you have your supervisor’s handbook. You can print it off or save it as a PDF or Word file for additional distribution or editing.
And that’s it. I am going to export this thing, print it out and give my final verdict in my last post in this series coming up in the next couple of weeks.
Guest Post: Don’t Network Yourself Out of a Job
Note: This is a post from guest author Heather Johnson. If you are interested in doing a guest post, please contact me. I am also happy to do guest posts as well.
Recently, many businesses are putting a lot of emphasis on online social networking. This is a great way for employees to stay connected and move up within their industry. Likewise, employers can improve customer retention and worker morale by adopting Web 2.0 as a company norm. More CEOs are starting blogs than ever before and sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter can make a person’s career. Or break it.
Online Reputation
Have you considered that your employer or future employer may be Googling your name? If they were to do so, what would they find? This is exactly why you should keep on your online social networking strictly professional or strictly anonymous. If you have a personal blog, consider a pseudonym. If you have a MySpace page, even a private profile should be free of incriminating information and pictures.
Web 2.0 vs. Job Performance
Those of us with forward-thinking colleagues and bosses may be encouraged to take part in sites like Twitter. However, too much Web 2.0 usage can come back to haunt us. Do you “tweet” something every five minutes on your Twitter account? Your employer can see the timestamp and may wonder why you aren’t working more. Likewise, a lot of constant activity on Facebook during company hours can bust you as a slacker. Enjoying a LinkedIn account? If you are gainfully employed, don’t add your boss as a contact and then proceed to openly canvas for new jobs. Having an employer who encourages online professional networking can be a Catch-22 situation. If you aren’t engaged with these sites, you might fall out of the inner circle. However, becoming too involved can reflect poorly on your professionalism. It is important to find a sensible balance and to do the brunt of your networking off the clock. Oh, and take those drunken pictures off your MySpace page. Especially if you are a teacher.
This article is contributed by Heather Johnson, who regularly writes on the topic of career exploration. She invites your questions and writing job opportunities at her personal email address: heatherjohnson2323@gmail.com.
Your toilet business revealed
I read an interesting article on CNN. I think I’ll just let it speak for itself.
It reminds me of a more entertaining article from The Onion regarding a subject very close to this.
Now before you think this blog has devolved (evolved?) into toilet humor and poorly suppressed, junior high inspired giggles, let me just shut that down right now. That isn’t what this is about at all. There is nothing humorous about either story. It is sick, disgusting and simply uncalled for in the modern work environment.
Okay, so there may be a tinge of humor there.
Still, the very fact that the first article was featured on the front page of CNN (below the fold but still…) is a bit disturbing and borders on inane. Especially when you realize that there isn’t some sort of lesson to be learned about dealing with this kind of situation in the article at all. It was simply intended to be a somewhat humorous look at a situation that is disgustingly common and makes me yearn for the days when I worked from home. Maybe the author wanted to just blow some steam off about the situation? I don’t know. But I do know that situations like these make me regret the day I picked HR as the field to work in.
There is a right way to handle this (just like almost all office interactions) and it usually doesn’t involve human resources. I don’t say this because I don’t want the work, but because human resources isn’t your mommy or daddy, it isn’t the babysitter, and if you feel you need one of those sorts of people to deal with the petty problems of the world, then you’re not cut out for the business world.
If you want to know why I think HR gets the shaft in a lot of organizations, it is because we have agreed to be party to this sort of crap (yes, pun intended). In some organization, this would involve a note on the doors of the stalls, or a company memo, or even a formal investigation. Ugh. No! Here is what I need to solve the problem:
- Regular janitorial service
- Paper toilet seat covers
- Paper towels
- Can of Lysol
Oh wait, I have all of those things. Problem solved. The janitor will clean up any mess within 24 hours (or less if requested). If it is that big of annoyance, I have given you all of the tools to solve it in less than a minute. Here is how:
- Shake can of Lysol vigorously
- Spray on surface to disinfect
- Wipe clean with paper towel
Now that was certainly less grief than writing an article for a national magazine griping about it. You can all thank me later.
Survey Survey Survey
Calling all HR Pros!
A group from Southern Oregon University is doing a survey of HR professionals and would like your assistance. They are trying to analyze the gap between what is being taught and what students need to be successful in the HR field. To be blunt, it is something that many institutions need to address so I am happy to see SOU starting the process.
Here is the link to the survey: Clicky Clicky Clicky
If you have any questions, you can contact Tim Tanis at timothytanis@gmail.com and just the standard disclaimer (i.e. results will be used in aggregate, it is all confidential, etc, etc…).
-
Advertising
-
About
Your HR Guy is a Human Resources Generalist practicing in the field. But don't let that fool you, this isn't a boring blog. I seek relevance and humor in a place we will spend much of our lives. Everything from workplace issues, job seeking and terrible bosses. Read more...
![View Lance Haun [lancehaun@gmail.com]'s profile on LinkedIn](http://www.linkedin.com/img/webpromo/btn_viewmy_160x33.gif)
Featured on:
HRM Today- Why Your HR Department Needs a BlogThe rules have changed and blogging is not just for geeks with a knack for writing anymore. Employees who want to smear you, recruiters who don’t want to hire you, PR Departments who want to snow you - are all blogging; is HR missing the train? As an HR Professional and a blogger [...]Totally Consumed
- Is Luck a Reality That Should Be Acknowledged?On his blog, Seth Godin responded to a reader who believes luck and randomness is just as critical to success as hard work and effort. Seth says: “Without a doubt, luck is involved. I don’t think anyone would tell you otherwise. The choice one needs to make, though is this: either you believe that luck is [...]Alexandra Levit
- What Happens if Brian Leaves? The Key Employee Problem.Brian is great at what he does. Brian is your controller—he manages all of the accounting for your small business. He keeps all of the company’s expenses properly documented, finds all of the tax deductions, manages payroll, pays all the bills, negotiates for better rates on the company’s health plans, and keeps a sharp eye [...]Working Smarter
- The Big Challenge of Small TalkIt’s an inevitable and sometimes uncomfortable situation. You’re in a meeting or on a conference call and not everyone has arrived, requiring you to banter with the client/boss/partner mano y mano. How do you engage in small talk and build rapport? If you get nervous and start to stammer, what do you do? Do people [...]Inflexion Point
- HR’s Easy ButtonYou’ve seen the commercials - lady in the store trying to use her Staples Easy Button to pay for her groceries. In HR, I was always looking for the Easy Button since dealing with humans is probably the most complex thing on earth. I’ve seen engineers design unbelievably complex electronic circuits, but they don’t come close to [...]rulrici
- Book: Johnny Bunko (The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need)Daniel Pink could have written a classic business book about choosing a career, but he took a risk, tried something new and wrote a manga! The ad for The Adventures Of Johnny Bunko (The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need) says that it’s “Americas first business book as manga”. It contains very nice and expressive art [...]Happy Employee
- Accountability vs. authority: the biggest non-issue in business“Help! I have all this responsibility and no authority to get it done!” OK, I’ll help: authority is designed to formalize and strengthen your ability to influence others, not to replace it. If there is something you need done and you can’t figure out how to do it by influence, then having authority won’t help. In [...]JasonSeiden
- Recruitment Spotlight: How to Check ReferencesMost people have to check references in some shape or form, whether it’s for a candidate or a babysitter. I don’t know about you, but until I wrote Success for Hire I never really knew how to do it. Here’s what I learned: While you can e-mail a reference initially, connect either in person or by [...]Alexandra Levit
- Woman’s Leadership Programs – No Boyz AllowedCompanies will often use external, university-based programs as a way to develop their high potential senior leaders. These programs typically are 1-2 weeks in duration and offer an intense (and expensive) learning experience. According to Iris Marchaj, Director of Smith Executive Education, “99% of leadership development programs offered by elite business schools are male-oriented…which is precisely [...]Dan McCarthy
- Sink or swim? Do you trust your employees/co-workers?If you are like me, you have a hard time delegating. You like having control over a process and have a hard time letting go. Luckily, I have learned to combat this initial reaction of mine and trust the people around me. At least initially. If you screw up it takes quite a bit to [...]HR Minion
- Why Your HR Department Needs a Blog
