HRCleanUp

Never Fear, Underdog is Here!

Have you ever worked with someone who creates chaos and disaster every time they walk into the room or join the conference call?  Has this same person somehow spun said chaos and disaster into a situation where they came in and take all credit for solving the problem or, have you ever worked with someone who is constantly putting herself in a "Here I Come to Save the Day!" position?

A few weeks back, the Wall Street Journal ran an article called "Munchausen at Work" (for those of you who don't know Munchausen--and that included me--it refers to  a German storyteller who told preposterous tales about his adventures as a soldier and hunter; his name is now associated with any telling of exaggerated stories or winning lies (1720-1797)) .  The article discussed employees who made errors and then told the boss about they swooped in and saved the day. 

I know people who thrive on this behavior.  Think about your IT department.  They love to tell how they saved the day when they caused the problem!  People who work with clients also love to swoop in and take credit for saving the client relationship when in fact the person who worked the relationship long before you came along was doing  just fine thank you very much.

The Journal had some good tips on how to create a culture that doesn't encourage or support this behavior:

1. Stress teamwork over individual problem-solving
2. Be way of creating office "heroes"
3. Watch out for information hording
4. Ensure bosses are attentive to employees' needs

Do Me A Favor!

Jared Sandberg has a great article in yesterday's WSJ and today's Career Journal:  Workers Can't Resist Doing Favors--Or Asking for Them.  In the article, he quotes yours truly!  Check out the full article here!

Golden Handcuffs

The Career Journal's Peter Lattman wrote an article about a law firm that was still losing associates despite paying them more and offering them bonuses. 

Does this law firm have a Human Resources Department?  Clearly, if they do, they are not at the decision making table or they don't have a clue about what today's multi-genertional workplace consists of.  Money, while it never hurts, generally never helps an organization improve retention statistics unless the firm is truly paying under-market. 

Retention strategies have to examine multiple satisfaction points.  They include:

1. Pay for performance and internal/external equity
2. Appreciation for a job well done
3. Time to do what I want to do

It is my guess that the law firm that Mr. Lattman was talking about worked its associates to death.  Just the way law firms have always done.  What the firm doesn't realize, or is choosing to ignore, is that while it can buy a lot of things, it can't buy time with ones family and friends.  And Gen X and Gen Y office workers know that time is the most important benefit.  Time to do what one wants to do--for some, that might be working 100 hours per week and making partner by age 30.  For others, it means being home by 7 so they can have dinner with their partner.  And for some it means having the time to compete in a triathlon. 

Retention goes beyond money and it goes beyond a work/life program that HR might institute.  Retention has got to become about empowerment.  Letting people decide for themselves what they want and what they need.  We want everything customized so why not our retention strategy.

Talk About Putting Your Head In The Sand!

The Career Journal recently ran an article where someone asked about the legality of a company policy requiring an employee to pay back the cost of training if they leave before they are employed at least a year.  Why would any company want to create that type of reputation for themselves?  It sounds like the type of policy that  petty, form creating, HR person might create.  In my opinion, there is nothing strategic about it.

Think about it, the labor market is in the midst of a radical shift where it is going to continue to get harder and harder to find the talent we need to get the work done.  So, while we're at it, let's get a lousy reputation on street as an employer who makes the employee pay for required training if they happen to get a better offer.  Employers are going to have to start thinking differently if they are going to be able to survive.

So, let's start by asking two strategic questions:

1. If the job is so bad that people tend to leave after one year, what can we do to make it better?
2. What is the type of employer reputation that we want on the street?  Best or worst?  Somewhere in the middle?

Oh, and finally, if you are going to stick with the policy, you might as well state it up front before the person accepts the job.

You Deserve A Break Today

Why are we now afraid to go on a vacation?  This summer, I've read more than a dozen articles that discuss how we either don't take vacations, take short vacations, or work on our vacations.  What is going on?  How can we be both creative and full of energy when all we do is work? 

A good vacation should serve several purposes:

First, it should allow the vacationer to take a break.  Spend time with family, friends, or just sit quietly in a cafe--alone.  Maybe we could read an entire book, paint the living room, or take the elevator to the top of the Washington Monument.  Not big stuff but stuff that should be done before we leave the planet.

Second, If you are the boss, it is a chance for your employees to step-up and get the job done in your absence.  Maybe not exactly the way you would do it but it will get done just the same.  If you are the employee, it is an "opportunity" for your boss to step into your world for a bit of time.  It will remind her how much she counts on you.

Finally, believe it or not, the world will turn with or without you.  Maybe, just maybe, it is nice for us to get a break from each other.  Boss from employee, employee from boss, and employee from employee.  And, if you are so important that you need a satellite phone to go on a trip, you had better have a contingency plan if the battery goes dead and if you can have a contingency plan then I think you can just leave the phone at home and go on vacation.  If something happens that is that bad, you'll hear about it.  Trust me.

Is It Time To Overhaul Your Resume?

Check out today's Wall Street Journal (Marketplace, Page B6) or today's WSJ Career Journal and read Sarah Needleman's article on special resume looks.  Her article focuses on how to make your resume stand out from the competition.  What makes you special? Way back in 1997 Tom Peter's wrote an article that appeared in Fast Company Magazine called "The Brand Called You" and in that article he discussed how to create your personal brand.  A great first start is the resume.  You should be thinking about it as your own personal marketing campaign.  The key to getting you the interview.

You want your resume to be professional, well-written, typo-free (a challenge for me!), and easy to read.  You also want your resume to be a list of achievements (what does your brand represent) vs. a list of tasks.  I read thousands of resumes and almost 90% of them are a list of tasks.  Boring.  Then along comes one that is a list of achievements.  Ah!  An interesting one!

Sarah quoted me in the article and I maintain that my caution is valid "some of the software programs employers use to store resumes don't recognize tables, logos and graphs".  Send them a copy via the USPS and they won't believe what hit 'em!