-Andrew
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Happy Passover
Happy Passover to all our Jewish followers. As you worry about being "passed over" for promotions or making an "exodus" to a new job, remember to take time to recline, ask some questions, and wonder why this night is different from all other nights?
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Know It When You See It
Sorry we've missed you for a few days here at the Astron blog. In the middle of moving and that has been no fun. But I have some fun links for you to read over the weekend. Here's how to know it when you see it.
The first is from Career Solvers and is good advice for the job seeker on how to spot a job scam.
Next comes from The Recruiters Lounge and it's advice for a the interviewer of how to know if you're being lied to in a job interview...and how to counter it.
From Grub Street New York, word that the Gristedes supermarket chain's gender discrimination lawsuit is becoming a class action lawsuit--if only people knew what to spot beforehand..
Lastly, from the Examier, a very off-color way to answer weird interview questions. Not exactly PC, but shows how dumb some of the questions are when you see how you can answer them.
The first is from Career Solvers and is good advice for the job seeker on how to spot a job scam.
Next comes from The Recruiters Lounge and it's advice for a the interviewer of how to know if you're being lied to in a job interview...and how to counter it.
From Grub Street New York, word that the Gristedes supermarket chain's gender discrimination lawsuit is becoming a class action lawsuit--if only people knew what to spot beforehand..
Lastly, from the Examier, a very off-color way to answer weird interview questions. Not exactly PC, but shows how dumb some of the questions are when you see how you can answer them.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Astronology - Team Building: Building Blocks of Success
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday, March 18, 2010
The People I Work With: The Managers Who Can't Manage Others
I'm going to continue with this series since it seems to have hit the right cord with the audience. Next comes the managers who can't manage others. You know who these people are. They may be brilliant people who are great at what they do, but as soon as they are put in charge of others, they don't know how to manage. They either micromanage or undermanage and they provide a tough environment for their co-workers to work in.
Sometimes you can't teach a person how to be a good manager. Some people just don't have the ability to relate to others in a way you need managers to do in a good job environment. And it doesn't mean that the manager is a bad person or has bad intentions.
The problems here are numerous. You have frustrated reports who either feel suffocated or that they're not getting enough support. Sometimes the manager becomes an office bully. Sometimes the manager refuses to go to bat for their reports. Sometimes the manager will make the employees they are in charge of feel that what they do will never be enough or that they're set up to fail. They may not mix in the right combination of praise and constructive criticism. They may even engage in activities that open their company to lawsuits.
The first thing Human Resources needs to do is to provide enough training to managers to make sure they have the skill set necessary to be managers. But HR needs to also identify those people who should never be managers and make sure they don't have that responsibility over others. Just because someone is in a high position or is highly skilled does not mean they necessarily need--or deserve--to have people report to them if they can't handle the task. HR needs to be attuned to these situations and try to intervene whenever issues arise. This is the only way to make sure that the workplace environment between employees and their managers is a healthy one for everyone involved.
-Andrew
Sometimes you can't teach a person how to be a good manager. Some people just don't have the ability to relate to others in a way you need managers to do in a good job environment. And it doesn't mean that the manager is a bad person or has bad intentions.
The problems here are numerous. You have frustrated reports who either feel suffocated or that they're not getting enough support. Sometimes the manager becomes an office bully. Sometimes the manager refuses to go to bat for their reports. Sometimes the manager will make the employees they are in charge of feel that what they do will never be enough or that they're set up to fail. They may not mix in the right combination of praise and constructive criticism. They may even engage in activities that open their company to lawsuits.
The first thing Human Resources needs to do is to provide enough training to managers to make sure they have the skill set necessary to be managers. But HR needs to also identify those people who should never be managers and make sure they don't have that responsibility over others. Just because someone is in a high position or is highly skilled does not mean they necessarily need--or deserve--to have people report to them if they can't handle the task. HR needs to be attuned to these situations and try to intervene whenever issues arise. This is the only way to make sure that the workplace environment between employees and their managers is a healthy one for everyone involved.
-Andrew
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
People I Work With: The Fraternizers
Fraternizers. I doubt that's a real word. But it describes not just people I work with but people I know and people I have worked with. There's a point where like Pam and Jim on "The Office", that office romances are cute and romantic (and I know plenty of those, too). But I'm more talking about the more illicit affairs that are, well, affairs. People cheating on wives and husbands and fiances with other people at the office.
Most of the time, I admit, it's none of my business. But one situation came up in the past which was really uncomfortable. I knew that two of my co-workers (one married and one not quite there yet) were involved with each other. And at an outside work event, one party arrived with their spouse. That conversation was, to put it lightly, quite awkward!
Now I'm not saying that all fraternization at the office should be banned at every office. I know co-workers who have fallen in love and gotten married. And in some places, that type of relationship is OK. But the type of fraternizing I am talking about made everyone uncomfortable. Those who knew. Those who didn't but suspected. Those who saw something. Everyone around these people. That is not a kosher situation for the office.
The other problem is that a great conflict of interest can result from these two working in the same office. A lot of companies have checks and balances but when you have two people involved past a work friendship, those lines can be blurred. And sexual harrassment is always a concern in this type of situation, especially when one party is higher ranked than another.
The best thing Human Resources can do is to set company policies and try to enforce them whenever they feel it is going over the line. Forcing couples to reveal a relationship when it begins is a good way to do this. That way, they know if there are any potential conflicts that be discovered early on. HR doesn't usually have a place in their workers love life, but this is one place where a good company policy can go a long way. People can't help who they fall in love with but HR has a responsibility to not make it an awkward work situation.
-Andrew
Thursday, March 11, 2010
The People I Work With: The Self-Depricator
Humor is a great asset for a person to have in an office. So is modesty and honesty. But sometimes when they get combined, the results are NOT pretty. Take "Jerry", a person I work(ed) with, who is self-depricating, but in a sometimes-racist and increasingly-uncomfortable way.
It's OK to apologize for things you do wrong, but Jerry tries to always blame it on his race in a very stereotypical way. He has a good sense of humor and an accent so the first time he says it you sort of shrug it off and laugh but he 4th or 5th time makes you growingly uncomfortable. You don't know whether to laugh--or run to HR.
This not only makes people at the office uncomfortable who Jerry tells these "jokes" to, but people who are of his same race who hear him talk about these sometimes-hurtful stereotypes. People who don't know better and hear it may also repeat these jokes to others and/or in a public setting and get reprimanded for it. Just because someone is of the race they are making fun of doesn't mean that Human Resources shouldn't talk to them about their dialog. But because it goes unchecked, some people feel increasingly awkward about the situation.
Jerry is someone who needs to be talked to by HR. It's not an easy conversation to have, but it's better to have it now than when someone comes and complains about it. Next in this series we'll look at some more of "the people I work with".
-Andrew
It's OK to apologize for things you do wrong, but Jerry tries to always blame it on his race in a very stereotypical way. He has a good sense of humor and an accent so the first time he says it you sort of shrug it off and laugh but he 4th or 5th time makes you growingly uncomfortable. You don't know whether to laugh--or run to HR.
This not only makes people at the office uncomfortable who Jerry tells these "jokes" to, but people who are of his same race who hear him talk about these sometimes-hurtful stereotypes. People who don't know better and hear it may also repeat these jokes to others and/or in a public setting and get reprimanded for it. Just because someone is of the race they are making fun of doesn't mean that Human Resources shouldn't talk to them about their dialog. But because it goes unchecked, some people feel increasingly awkward about the situation.
Jerry is someone who needs to be talked to by HR. It's not an easy conversation to have, but it's better to have it now than when someone comes and complains about it. Next in this series we'll look at some more of "the people I work with".
-Andrew
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
The People I Work With: Loud Personal Phone Talker
I figured it was about time to do a series I've wanted to do for a while now titled: "People I Work With". It will be totally anonymous but will talk about some HR red flags that I've seen in the workplace. Our first installment of the series will focus on "Doug", a "loud personal phone talker".
Doug works nearby me and he's always on the phone making personal calls. He's in the process of making large scale changes in his life and talks to everyone from his wife to his doctors to his bank on the phone. And he talks loudly. VERY loudly. Doug obviously hasn't heard that people have move past analog cell phones because he shouts in every call he makes. Everyone who works in a cube within Doug's area can hear all his conversations loud and clear.
The Human Resources implications of this are very large. Doug's productivity goes down because of his large time making personal phone calls and his surrounding co-worker's productivity goes down as well because of his loud talking. He also talks about personal information on the phone which many people can hear about. When Doug is talking about his position or the people he works with, he makes other feel quite uncomfortable. And Doug's constant presence on the phone also leaves co-workers unable to conduct their own, business-related phone calls in the area.
This is just the first example of the HR hazards that I see around the office. Because there is no strict policy in place and because no one speaks up, this behavior is allowed to continue unchecked. In our next installment, we will talk about another co-worker who makes some people very uncomfortable with his self-depricating humor.
-Andrew
Doug works nearby me and he's always on the phone making personal calls. He's in the process of making large scale changes in his life and talks to everyone from his wife to his doctors to his bank on the phone. And he talks loudly. VERY loudly. Doug obviously hasn't heard that people have move past analog cell phones because he shouts in every call he makes. Everyone who works in a cube within Doug's area can hear all his conversations loud and clear.
The Human Resources implications of this are very large. Doug's productivity goes down because of his large time making personal phone calls and his surrounding co-worker's productivity goes down as well because of his loud talking. He also talks about personal information on the phone which many people can hear about. When Doug is talking about his position or the people he works with, he makes other feel quite uncomfortable. And Doug's constant presence on the phone also leaves co-workers unable to conduct their own, business-related phone calls in the area.
This is just the first example of the HR hazards that I see around the office. Because there is no strict policy in place and because no one speaks up, this behavior is allowed to continue unchecked. In our next installment, we will talk about another co-worker who makes some people very uncomfortable with his self-depricating humor.
-Andrew
Astronology - Religious Accommodation Keeping the Balance
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Friday, March 05, 2010
Guest Post: Writing Like a Professional Will Get You Paid Like a Professional
Once in a while, we get an excellent guest blog submitted to us. This is one of those cases. Jay, a friend of mine, who just graduated law school and passed the bar, is someone I would classify as a "grammarian" (others may use the less politically correct term "grammar nazi"). He hates people's misuse of "your" and "you're" and of course "there", "their", and "they're". But while perfect writing is not required in any job, knowing how to write like a professional is a good way to get hired, to keep your job, and to advance. Here is some advice from Jay in our guest blog today:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am a newly admitted attorney who graduated from law school less than one year ago. Lawyers, by definition, have been trained to write like professionals. This is one of the redeeming aspects of our profession, and I am proud to uphold this “tradition.”
Sadly, writing is not the art that it used to be. From the dawn of mankind until the early 1980’s, human beings wrote on surfaces ranging from stone walls to ordinary paper, using utensils ranging from granite rocks to ballpoint pens to typewriters. The common element among each of these formats is that those human beings had no room for error. There was no backspace key or pencil eraser or Wite-Out. Once that typewriter key was pressed, or that pen stroke was made, the words were – figuratively and often literally – set in stone. Consequently, writers were forced to choose their words very carefully.
Fast forward to the last couple of decades. The invention of the personal computer has revolutionized the way in which people write. The two biggest changes, in my opinion, are that we can write faster than ever before and that we can easily correct our mistakes. Admittedly, this faster pace of writing has lessened the strain on our bodies and our minds. The downside of this speed is that to avoid negating the time and trouble we have saved by using computers, we rush through the thinking process. Quite simply, because we can write quickly and correct our mistakes effortlessly, we write as the words and thoughts occur to us. For many people, the concept of “stream of consciousness” has transformed from an exercise in a high school English class into the primary way in which we communicate with other people.
Lots of modern norms have accelerated this change. Nobody writes a letter anymore; we write e-mails instead. Text messages have replaced handwritten notes and postcards. Blogs have replaced letters-to-the-editor. Twitter has replaced newspaper clippings. Communication has never been easier, and the end result is that people are writing more frequently and faster than ever. We are constantly looking for shortcuts to save even more time. The problem, however, is not how fast we write. No, the problem is how we write.
I believe that “AIM-speak” is just plain ugly. First used in instant messaging programs more than a decade ago, this style of writing has spread to modern e-mails and text messages. The words “you,” “because,” and “tonight” have become “u” and “cuz” and “2nite.” We are even too lazy to phrase the simple question, “What’s up?” anymore. Instead, we opt for the shorter “wsup?” These examples are just a few of the countless shortcuts people now use in contemporary English writing.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am a newly admitted attorney who graduated from law school less than one year ago. Lawyers, by definition, have been trained to write like professionals. This is one of the redeeming aspects of our profession, and I am proud to uphold this “tradition.”
Sadly, writing is not the art that it used to be. From the dawn of mankind until the early 1980’s, human beings wrote on surfaces ranging from stone walls to ordinary paper, using utensils ranging from granite rocks to ballpoint pens to typewriters. The common element among each of these formats is that those human beings had no room for error. There was no backspace key or pencil eraser or Wite-Out. Once that typewriter key was pressed, or that pen stroke was made, the words were – figuratively and often literally – set in stone. Consequently, writers were forced to choose their words very carefully.
Fast forward to the last couple of decades. The invention of the personal computer has revolutionized the way in which people write. The two biggest changes, in my opinion, are that we can write faster than ever before and that we can easily correct our mistakes. Admittedly, this faster pace of writing has lessened the strain on our bodies and our minds. The downside of this speed is that to avoid negating the time and trouble we have saved by using computers, we rush through the thinking process. Quite simply, because we can write quickly and correct our mistakes effortlessly, we write as the words and thoughts occur to us. For many people, the concept of “stream of consciousness” has transformed from an exercise in a high school English class into the primary way in which we communicate with other people.
Lots of modern norms have accelerated this change. Nobody writes a letter anymore; we write e-mails instead. Text messages have replaced handwritten notes and postcards. Blogs have replaced letters-to-the-editor. Twitter has replaced newspaper clippings. Communication has never been easier, and the end result is that people are writing more frequently and faster than ever. We are constantly looking for shortcuts to save even more time. The problem, however, is not how fast we write. No, the problem is how we write.
I believe that “AIM-speak” is just plain ugly. First used in instant messaging programs more than a decade ago, this style of writing has spread to modern e-mails and text messages. The words “you,” “because,” and “tonight” have become “u” and “cuz” and “2nite.” We are even too lazy to phrase the simple question, “What’s up?” anymore. Instead, we opt for the shorter “wsup?” These examples are just a few of the countless shortcuts people now use in contemporary English writing.
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Deception, Credit Checks and the Receptionist in the Job Search
A few older articles to get out of the way today, but that doesn't make them unrelevant!
From a mid-February New York Times report, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued seven job placement operators for deception. The victims were innocent people just looking for a job and part of an expanding array of fraudulent job placement and work-at-home schemes. This is sad news for the job market where cruel people are taking advantage of the desperation of people to get hired.
From earlier this week a Yahoo! News and AP report says that states may ban credit check on job applicants (H/T Wendy). As we said above, it's hard enough to get a job in this economy, but now job applicants are facing another hurdle in the form of bad credit histories. From the article:
From a mid-February New York Times report, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued seven job placement operators for deception. The victims were innocent people just looking for a job and part of an expanding array of fraudulent job placement and work-at-home schemes. This is sad news for the job market where cruel people are taking advantage of the desperation of people to get hired.
From earlier this week a Yahoo! News and AP report says that states may ban credit check on job applicants (H/T Wendy). As we said above, it's hard enough to get a job in this economy, but now job applicants are facing another hurdle in the form of bad credit histories. From the article:
Sixty percent of employers recently surveyed by the Society for Human Resources Management said they run credit checks on at least some job applicants, compared with 42 percent in a somewhat similar survey in 2006.And lastly, from the New York Times "Corner Office" is a C.E.O. that says that one of the things she looks for in a job candidate is how they treated the receptionist when they came in for the interview: "I’ll want to know if someone comes in and if they weren’t polite, if they didn’t say, “Hello,” or ask them how they were. It’s really important to me." Good advice!
Employers say such checks give them valuable information about an applicant's honesty and sense of responsibility. But lawmakers in at least 16 states from South Carolina to Oregon have proposed outlawing most credit checks, saying the practice traps people in debt because their past financial problems prevent them from finding work.
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
On Verbal Job Offers and Facebook Friending Your Boss
We start out on this Wednesday with an interesting post from Fistful of Talent which talks about the sad state we've gotten to in job offers when verbal agreements aren't enough. While the author of the post first laments that candidates demand offers in writing but after more research, turns the table on those doing the hiring:
Next, from Yahoo! News via Reuters the question was put out to America if you should Facebook friend your boss and America said no (H/T Wendy*)."A survey released on Thursday found that 56 percent of Americans say it is irresponsible to be friends with a boss and 62 percent say it is wrong to be friends with an employee." The interesting part of the study is that more and more, people are feeling comfortable saying that while accessing social media/networking at work is OK, doing things like updating statuses uploading pictures, tweeting, or watching online videos are becoming less acceptable to people. Hopefully studies like this will allow more companies to allow access to social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter--and have confidence that the employees will act responsibly.
*Side Note: Wendy happens to be my boss...and she sent this to me--do you think she's hinting at something?
I agree with Jessica. If you're going to offer a job to someone verbally, make sure that it exists and there's money in the budget to pay for it. It makes things much more difficult for everyone else when candidates can't trust hiring companies at their words.But, maybe, more importantly... why have so many job seekers been jerked around when it comes to employment offers that they have to be so overly cautious? I mean for those of you making offers out there, what the heck are you guys doing?
Next, from Yahoo! News via Reuters the question was put out to America if you should Facebook friend your boss and America said no (H/T Wendy*)."A survey released on Thursday found that 56 percent of Americans say it is irresponsible to be friends with a boss and 62 percent say it is wrong to be friends with an employee." The interesting part of the study is that more and more, people are feeling comfortable saying that while accessing social media/networking at work is OK, doing things like updating statuses uploading pictures, tweeting, or watching online videos are becoming less acceptable to people. Hopefully studies like this will allow more companies to allow access to social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter--and have confidence that the employees will act responsibly.
*Side Note: Wendy happens to be my boss...and she sent this to me--do you think she's hinting at something?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)