HRCleanUp

Britany Spears and Human Resources

If you were the HR Director at Britney Spears Inc. and you had to bring her into your office on Monday to discuss her MTV Video Music Awards performance, what would you say to her?  Would you put a note in her permanent record?  And if you did, what would it say? 

I'd say that Britany needs a PIP.  You know, the infamous Performance Improvement Plan that we give employees who just aren't cutting it in their jobs.  We usually secretly hope that they will quit instead of going on the PIP but, more often than not, the employee really wants to succeed so they opt for the PIP.  But we know that they really should have taken the package.

If I had to put Brittany on a PIP, here are a few of the things that I would need to see immediate improvement on:

• Lip Syncing:  Britany would immediately have to report to a Lip Syncing Coach.  I mean, people pay good money to watch Britany lip sync
• No more Diddy before shows.  It just can' be good.
• Listen to your supervisor.  The wardrobe captain is just that, The Captain.  Listen to him.  Wear what he says.  He knows better than you do.
• Call up your EAP (Employee Assistance Program) and get the help you need.  You've obviously tried to make a comeback before you are ready.
• Know when to say when.  Britany, is it time to give this up?  Are you really happy?

It might also be interesting for Britany to get some 360 feedback from her bosses, peers, and coworkers.  She might learn a thing or two.  I'm also guessing that my friend over at JobDig would agree with my advice. It seems like something that they would say. 

Culture Club?

I just read that “culture can be the deciding point for an employee who chooses to just show up at work – or to actually contribute to your organization” (Scott Cawood in Talent Management Magazine, July 2007).  What a huge statement.  So, if having employees who embrace the company culture is important, and I think we all agree that it is, how can we determine who fits?

One way it to actually figure out what makes our top performers tick.  What are their learning styles, behavioral traits, and occupational interests?  How do they compare with our lower tier performers?   What are the differences?  Can I coach them?  Do I need to move them to different jobs that align better?  Is it time to work them out of the company and set their future free? 

What I know is that we can assess our people and get to the bottom of what makes people successful in jobs.  When we know that additional information, we can make better business decisions.  If you would like to know more about assessment testing, check out my business website.

I’ll sum it up with Scotts’ words:

“Connected people are motivated to be more effective and results-oriented.  They’re willing to do what it takes to see the organization succeed because they are a part of something special.”

Amen.

Lindsay Lohan and Employee Development

I was in LA last week.  And, I admit it, I went on one of those Hollywood tour buses that takes you around to see the homes of the stars.  One of the points of interest for us was the spot where Lindsay Lohan crashed her car and got arrested for drunk driving.  That evening we learned that she did it again—the day after she was released from rehab.

 

Oh, poor Lindsay.

    

But, what we forget is that change is hard even when you are sent to a bajillion dollar rehabilitation facility.  How is it that managers, and executive in particular, expect employees to change with little or no support?  We move entire departments to the south or to China and we expect everyone to just accept that and go on.  Or, we implement new software that changes the way we do work.  Again, we expect everyone to just move on. 

    

I’m all for moving on.  I just think it is harder than we realize.  Just look at poor Lindsay.  As HR, we need to keep the change discussion running within our companies.  We need to make sure that we give people the opportunity to make positive change, understand when change is optional and when it isn’t and what the consequences for not changing are.