The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo May Be Worth Hiring

Once in a while an article appears online that is so captivating, that multiple people send it to me to post on the blog. I believe that this article from Inc. set a new record for the amount of times that I received the same article to post on the blog. So it's about time I posted it.

The article is talking about the movie/book "The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo" and the lead character Lisbeth Salander who is a bright and creative girl but covered with tattoos and piercings. The point of the article is that we shouldn't judge a book by its cover--that we shouldn't dismiss someone from being qualified for a job just because of their body art. In fact, the author argues the opposite, that we should think of them for certain roles:

People with body art are generally not only creative, but also bold, and often decisive.  They are passionate, capable of thinking outside the box, and are often more open to the ideas of others than the general population. Those characteristics translate well to many professions—sales, marketing, advertising, public relations, and art direction, to name but a few.

This isn't to say that the only people you should hire are the ones with visible markings, but it is to say that sometimes you need to get past initial stereotypes and figure out if what you see in a person on the outside will make them a good employee for your organization. And in the race to get the best employees for your organization, maybe it's best that you don't dismiss an employee just because they may have a dragon tattoo on their body.

Guest Post: Professional Emailing Etiquette that is Too Often Abused

Hope you're having a great MLK Day today! We love our guest posts here at Astron Solutions: Welcome to the World of HR blog. Today we have a great one from Kimberly Wilson on e-mail etiquette. Kimberly is from accredited online colleges, she writes on topics including career, education, student life, college life, home improvement, time management etc. Here is her guest post:
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So much of our conversation today takes place through informal modes of text. With things like text messaging, instant messaging, Twitter, Facebook, and emailing, we've become very comfortable with fast paced and impersonal conversation. While these modes of communication were at one time reserved solely for personal or informal discussions, conversations in a professional context have become more and more common through these impersonal text avenues. While this has made many professional conversations easier to get through, it has also stirred up several agreed upon technical rules and guidelines for professional emailing that go (annoyingly) ignored. These four professional emailing etiquette rules can be easy to overlook, but are (no doubt) some of the biggest pet peeves of your boss and coworkers.

Replying 101
This is the No. 1 emailing thing you will hear people in the office complaining about. Pay close attention to how and to whom you are replying when you send an email. Never reply all. This is basically a good guideline to go by always. Obviously, if you are the boss or supervisor, sometimes reply all is a necessary step, but for the most part employees shouldn't need to reply all. Email chains that end up circling the office are distracting and obnoxious for recipients who are not actually concerned with the content. Reply to the people you need to see your email. The reply all plague often happens when people are simply careless and not paying attention. A good way to avoid this is by only putting the people you want to reply in the to line and then CC everyone else that needs to see the text.

Subject Lines
Subject lines are one of the most important aspects of your email in both a personal and professional atmosphere. The subject line of an email helps your recipients understand what the email concerns and how urgent it is. Put a subject that is brief and to the point, but that is telling of the email's content. You should give your recipient the bottom line of the message when they read the subject line. If the email is urgent (and only if it is truly urgent), put the word urgent in the subject. You should be precise and detailed in your subject line without being longwinded. Do not leave the subject line blank. Recipients use the subject line to determine how (or if) they will read the message.

Astronology - Retaining Talented and High Performing Management Staff

Astronology Volume XII Issue 20 January 10, 2012 Dear Andrew, Astron Solutions provides high-quality, low-cost, innovative human resources consulting services to organizations like yours. Call us for advice, innovative program design, and user-friendly Web/PC based software.   What to Do With a Troublemaker Here comes trouble! Does your organization have that one person with the reputation of being a troublemaker? How are employees supposed to respond to such an individual?  And how can an organization protect itself from inadvertently hiring such individuals?  Astronology investigates the dynamics of the office troublemaker......more    Retaining Talented and High Performing Management Staff With the economy starting to pick up, proactive HR professionals want to make sure their key talent doesn't walk out the door.  But what are the most effective ways to ensure employee retention?  With all the motivational tools out there, it's hard to know which is the "right" one to use.  In this issue of Astronology we examine research results prepared by the Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement.  Not familiar with the Forum?  The Forum's goal is to generate a better understanding of how organizations can and should implement award / motivational programs for success.  Additional, the Forum strives to examine the extent to which these programs can achieve a broad range of organizational objectives......more      Have a Question? If you have a topic you would like addressed in Astronology, or some feedback on a past article, don't hesitate to tell us!  Simply reply to this e-mail.  See your question answered, or comments addressed, in an upcoming issue of Astronology. Looking for a top-notch presenter for your human resource organization's meeting?  Both Jennifer Loftus and Michael Maciekowich present highly-rated sessions on a variety of compensation and employee retention issues.  For more information, send an e-mail to info@astronsolutions.com.   The Fine Print We hold your e-mail address in trust.  Astron Solutions promises never to share or rent your personal information.  We also promise never to send you frivolous e-mails and will allow you to leave our list, at your option, at any time. To remove yourself from this list, please follow your personalized subscriber link at the bottom of your Astronology alert e-mail. Copyright 2012, Astron Solutions, LLC ISSN Number 1549-0467 Quick Links Client List Meet the Astron Team Contact Us   World of HR Blog Bringing you Human Resource news from around the globe...compliments of Astron Solutions. More

 

Going Abroad for Work

With the United States economy still in recovery and the job market still weak, many job seekers (whether they currently have jobs or not), find the prospects underwhelming and unfulfilling--at best. Sometimes there are no prospects to speak of and the search is just one, long frustrating march through resumes, cover letters, and interviews.

But, as the New York Times op-ed from yesterday described, sometimes it just takes thinking outside the box to find what you're looking for in your profession. And by "box", I mean "the US borders". While the United States and much of Europe is hurting for jobs, places like China needs people to come work. The author writes about how he decided to leave his dead-end job for an opportunity to work in a job that he felt would be more fulfilling.

He writes: "We live in grim times, but fortune favors the bold. So if you are reading this from some occupied encampment, a soul-crushing cubicle, your parents’ basement or anywhere else in America really, maybe you should consider paying me a visit."

After visiting New Zealand a few years back, loving the country, and finding out that they needed employees badly, I thought about leaving my unfulfilling, dead-end job for the beauty and intrigue of the land of the kiwis. In the end, though, it was too much of a sacrifice to make to leave my family, friends and life behind to pursue something of this magnitude. I had a student loan and a budding relationship, and although I think I could have convinced my fiancee (then girlfriend) to move with me, I'm not sure either one of us would have been happy with the impulsive decision now.

But the good part is to know there is that option. Life isn't about the borders of your town, state, or even country. Find what will fill your occupational needs and think outside the box to find it. But make sure you know exactly what you're getting into before you do so.

Celebrating a New Year

I want to start by wishing everyone a very Happy New Years and hope you had a very happy holiday season! The new year allows for a lot of new experiences in both your personal and professional life. Yes, your New Year resolution can be professional as well!

Some have taken that to the extreme. One of my friends gave her two weeks notice right after she got back from her new years break. She realized the job she was in was making her unhappy and she wanted to pursue her dreams. I wish her luck!

Changes don't have to be that extreme, though. A change in your cubicle layout or where you sit or the new co-workers you want to get to know can all help to make 2012 feel different. Figure out one thing you want professionally in 2012 and reach for it. I wish you good luck as well!

Monitoring Survival Mode

The news about jobs continues to be mixed which has led to increased uncertainty once again this holiday season. The uncertainty of jobs has some positive effects at times as workers go out of their way to distinguish themselves and be more productive to avoid the axe, but this type of pressure is not something you want employees to constantly have hovering over their heads. One of the worst effect of this uncertainty is "survival mode". Forbes via Yahoo! (H/T Wendy) tells us 5 signs that will allow you to tell your employees are in "survival mode".

The article is definitely a good read but the five signs are that relationship building among peers is fading, meetings are frequently rescheduled or cancelled, people don't trust one another, turnover is high and employee morale is low, and, finally, self-promotion is out of control. This creates a workplace environment that is not only unproductive but one that people don't want to work in. Then, instead of "survival mode", employees go into "apathy mode", or, even worse, "please-lay-me-off mode". Instead of trying to stand out from the crowd, those people act like the lead character in "Office Space" and just try to get themselves removed from the situation.

The lesson is that if there is uncertainty or discontent in the workplace, that you need to nip it in the bud. Find ways to make the office environment less contentious and more inviting to people working together and making the most of their situation. You can't always assure employees that everything is okay without lying, but you can always try to help make them move away from survival mode.

Sometimes you just need to laugh

The "World of HR" is usually a pretty serious place with some pretty serious consequences if things don't go right. Lawsuits, firings and lack of productivity are not things to laugh at. So I really enjoy when I find something I can laugh at including this "Cover Letter" that I found floating around Facebook.

Hopefully that link works but it certainly gave me a laugh today. The faxing in of the cover letter was one thing but the creativity on the page is pretty hilarious. I have horrible handwriting, but I know that if I was to submit anything in writing, it would have to be a lot neater than that...especially for a Graphic Design job. Figured we could all use a laugh during the busy holiday season!

Astronology - Metrics: Not Just a Year-End Exercise

Astronology Volume XII Issue 19 December 9, 2011 Dear Andrew, Astron Solutions provides high-quality, low-cost, innovative human resources consulting services to organizations like yours. Call us for advice, innovative program design, and user-friendly Web/PC based software.   Happy Holidays! Everyone at Astron Solutions wishes you and those dear to you a safe, fun, healthy, and relaxing end to 2011!  Thank you for allowing us to visit with you in your inbox every other Tuesday.  We look forward to seeing you again with our next issue of Astronology on January 10, 2012.   Happy holidays!   Metrics: Not Just a Year-End Exercise By Richard L. Virgilio, SPHR   Organizations who whole-heartedly incorporate evaluating various metrics into their self-assessment plans often look at the end of the year as the time to do a careful look at their performance based on how they did in terms of the measures they set up a year ago.  However, this routine can be one that misses many opportunities to discover performance information other than what was targeted when the measurement plan was initiated.  A little bit of creativity and basic arithmetic can find insights in places where no one ever looked before.....more      Have a Question? If you have a topic you would like addressed in Astronology, or some feedback on a past article, don't hesitate to tell us!  Simply reply to this e-mail.  See your question answered, or comments addressed, in an upcoming issue of Astronology. Looking for a top-notch presenter for your human resource organization's meeting?  Both Jennifer Loftus and Michael Maciekowich present highly-rated sessions on a variety of compensation and employee retention issues.  For more information, send an e-mail to info@astronsolutions.com.   The Fine Print We hold your e-mail address in trust.  Astron Solutions promises never to share or rent your personal information.  We also promise never to send you frivolous e-mails and will allow you to leave our list, at your option, at any time. To remove yourself from this list, please follow your personalized subscriber link at the bottom of your Astronology alert e-mail. Copyright 2011, Astron Solutions, LLC ISSN Number 1549-0467 Quick Links Client List Meet the Astron Team Contact Us   World of HR Blog Bringing you Human Resource news from around the globe...compliments of Astron Solutions. More

 

Who To Get Rid Of

In the first season of The Office, Michael Scott has to decide who to lay off. He goes through a terrible ordeal trying to figure out who to let go as he debates the merits of each of the members of the office. But what if he had a guide of who to fire? Well Bloomberg Businessweek has a list of three types of people that you should fire right now

Those three type of people are "The Victims", "Non-believers", and the "Know-it-alls". I think that the idea behind the article is correct (what type of people to avoid if you want a more innovative company), but I don't think you can quote that article when you fire someone. I'm not sure that being a know-it-all actually is a fireable offense.

Astronology - Addressing the Needs of Seasonal Employees

Astronology Volume XII Issue 18 November 29, 2011 Dear Andrew, Astron Solutions provides high-quality, low-cost, innovative human resources consulting services to organizations like yours. Call us for advice, innovative program design, and user-friendly Web/PC based software.   Astron in the Press Two publications recently featured articles authored by National Director Jennifer Loftus.  CPA Practice Management Forum published Jennifer's article on the Fair Labor Standards Act.  HR West, the publication of the Northern California Human Resources Association (San Francisco, CA), published Jennifer's piece on politics in the workplace.    Fact or Fiction?  The staffing industry isn't growing.   FICTION!   Staffing Industry Analysts predicts that staffing industry revenue will grow 7% in 2012. This will make the total revenue for staffing industries a whopping $121.9 billion in 2012.  That's good news, and hopefully a sign that the US economy with strengthen in 2012.    Addressing the Needs of Seasonal Employees 'Tis the season...for more workers! In many places, especially retail locations, the fall season signifies a flurry of seasonal, temporary workers to help make the holiday rush activity function smoothly. How can workers become quickly acclimated to the organization's culture, in order to yield the desired levels of productivity and efficiency? Furthermore, the season itself carries stress. How can an organization and all its employees survive the pressure? In this issue of Astronology, we take a look at these challenges.....more      Have a Question? If you have a topic you would like addressed in Astronology, or some feedback on a past article, don't hesitate to tell us!  Simply reply to this e-mail.  See your question answered, or comments addressed, in an upcoming issue of Astronology. Looking for a top-notch presenter for your human resource organization's meeting?  Both Jennifer Loftus and Michael Maciekowich present highly-rated sessions on a variety of compensation and employee retention issues.  For more information, send an e-mail to info@astronsolutions.com.   The Fine Print We hold your e-mail address in trust.  Astron Solutions promises never to share or rent your personal information.  We also promise never to send you frivolous e-mails and will allow you to leave our list, at your option, at any time. To remove yourself from this list, please follow your personalized subscriber link at the bottom of your Astronology alert e-mail. Copyright 2011, Astron Solutions, LLC ISSN Number 1549-0467 Quick Links Client List Meet the Astron Team Contact Us   World of HR Blog Bringing you Human Resource news from around the globe...compliments of Astron Solutions. More

 

Happy Thanksgiving

Hopefully you all are enjoying your Black Friday shopping. I know I'm a day late, but while you all are still digesting turkey (and probably eating turkey leftovers), we want to take the time to say we hope you had a happy Thanksgiving. We are certainly thankful for you, our readers, and we look forward to some great blogging in the weeks ahead. Hope you had a great time with your loved ones.

Telecommuting and Productivity

In my new job, I've had the opportunity to work from home (or elsewhere) quite a bit. Everyone always tells me that they could never work from home and be productive but I always retort that I'm actually really productive working from home--sometimes even more productive. The Smithsonian via their Surprising Science blog took a look at telecommuting the scientific way, and has some results that may support my own findings:

After a few weeks of the experiment, it was clear that the telecommuters were performing better than their counterparts in the office. They took more calls (it was quieter and there were fewer distractions at home) and worked more hours (they lost less time to late arrivals and sick breaks) and more days (fewer sick days). This translated into greater profits for the company because more calls equaled more sales. The telecommuters were also less likely to quit their jobs, which meant less turnover for the company.

Of course, as the article states, working from a place other than the office is not for everyone and most would like it to be a temporary condition. I like working from home for the flexibility, the lack of commute, and the ability to work in my PJs. But I miss the resources of an office including co-workers, technology, and the ability to have meetings in person. So for as much as I like staying at home while I work with my dog at my feet, I also need a break from that every once in a while.

Astronology - Civility in the Workplace---Is it Decreasing?

Astronology Volume XII Issue 17 November 15, 2011 Dear Andrew, Astron Solutions provides high-quality, low-cost, innovative human resources consulting services to organizations like yours. Call us for advice, innovative program design, and user-friendly Web/PC based software.   Fact or Fiction Over half of Americans think civility training should be offered in public schools. FACT!   The Civility in America poll reports 78% of Americans believe civility training should be offered in our nation's schools.   Do you have a story from a time when incivility in the workplace strengthened your resolve to find a new job or to stop patronizing a business?  Please share your story with us!The story with the most incivility will win an Astron Solutions goodie bag!       Happy Thanksgiving! From the entire Astron Solutions family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!  We hope you and those dear to you have a day filled with food, fun, and great memories in the making.    Civility in the Workplace---Is it Decreasing? A major highlight of the second annual Civility in America poll, released by Weber Shandwick and Powell Tate in partnership with KRC Research, is the reported increase of incivility in the workplace. A whopping 43% surveyed experienced incivility at their place of work. Even more disturbing is the 38% who believe the workplace is becoming increasingly uncivil. What does this mean for human resources? Astronology investigates...... more      Have a Question? If you have a topic you would like addressed in Astronology, or some feedback on a past article, don't hesitate to tell us!  Simply reply to this e-mail.  See your question answered, or comments addressed, in an upcoming issue of Astronology. Looking for a top-notch presenter for your human resource organization's meeting?  Both Jennifer Loftus and Michael Maciekowich present highly-rated sessions on a variety of compensation and employee retention issues.  For more information, send an e-mail to info@astronsolutions.com.   The Fine Print We hold your e-mail address in trust.  Astron Solutions promises never to share or rent your personal information.  We also promise never to send you frivolous e-mails and will allow you to leave our list, at your option, at any time. To remove yourself from this list, please follow your personalized subscriber link at the bottom of your Astronology alert e-mail. Copyright 2011, Astron Solutions, LLC ISSN Number 1549-0467 Quick Links Client List Meet the Astron Team Contact Us   World of HR Blog Bringing you Human Resource news from around the globe...compliments of Astron Solutions. More

 

The Worst Excuses for Missing Work

I've heard some back excuses for missing work. People have readily admitted to partying too much the night before, missing their flight home from vacation, or oversleeping. I thought I had heard them all. But then Jennifer posted a great link from ThomasNet's industry market news which lists some great ones from Careerbuilder including, my 5 favorites:

• Employee's 12-year-old daughter stole his car and he had no other way to work. Employee didn't want to report it to the police.
• Employee said bats got in her hair.
• Employee was in line at a coffee shop when a truck carrying flour backed up and dumped the flour into her convertible.
• Employee's brother-in-law was kidnapped by a drug cartel while in Mexico.
• Employee was at a bowling alley and a bucket filled with water crashed through the ceiling and hit her on the head.

There are other great ones but you need to read the article to see the rest. The truth is that people come up with creative lies of why they can't show up at work and while it's funny to many, it's costly to the companies who have to cover for those absent employees. According to the article "employee absence is not cheap. According to [employment services firm] CCH, sick days cost employers an average of over $760,000 each year, in addition to intangible losses to employee morale and productivity." So while some of these may make you laugh now, you won't laugh when you realize how much money these excuses are costing your company

Astronology - Evidence-Based Human Capital Management - Lessons We Can Learn from Healthcare

Astronology Volume XII Issue 16 November 1, 2011 Dear Andrew, Astron Solutions provides high-quality, low-cost, innovative human resources consulting services to organizations like yours. Call us for advice, innovative program design, and user-friendly Web/PC based software.   Astron Road Show It's time for the last stop on the 2011 Astron Road Show!  We finish our 2011 tour close to home, in Tenafly, NJ.  National Directors Mike Maciekowich and Jennifer Loftus will both present to the 2011 Morry Stein Fall Management Conference, hosted by the American Camp Association of New York and New Jersey.  Jennifer will speak on the application of total rewards in a part-time and volunteer driven organization, while Mike will explore the secrets of motivating and managing Gen Y and Gen Z employees.   Thank you for your support of our 2011 Road Show!  We look forward to seeing you again on the road in 2012.      Halloween fun at Astron Halloween spirit was active at Astron yesterday!  National Director Jennifer Loftus and Consultant Deb Woolridge even came dressed in costumes:     We hope you also had a fun and festive Halloween!       Evidence-Based Human Capital Management - Lessons We Can Learn from Healthcare Roughly 60 percent of hospitals' budgets are allocated to human capital, underscoring the need for good "people stewardship."  People stewardship refers to playing to an organization's strengths in human capital planning to best control costs and invest most intelligently. HR executives need to encourage all leaders to establish the goals and standards for great performers..... more      Have a Question? If you have a topic you would like addressed in Astronology, or some feedback on a past article, don't hesitate to tell us!  Simply reply to this e-mail.  See your question answered, or comments addressed, in an upcoming issue of Astronology. Looking for a top-notch presenter for your human resource organization's meeting?  Both Jennifer Loftus and Michael Maciekowich present highly-rated sessions on a variety of compensation and employee retention issues.  For more information, send an e-mail to info@astronsolutions.com.   The Fine Print We hold your e-mail address in trust.  Astron Solutions promises never to share or rent your personal information.  We also promise never to send you frivolous e-mails and will allow you to leave our list, at your option, at any time. To remove yourself from this list, please follow your personalized subscriber link at the bottom of your Astronology alert e-mail. Copyright 2011, Astron Solutions, LLC ISSN Number 1549-0467 Quick Links Client List Meet the Astron Team Contact Us   World of HR Blog Bringing you Human Resource news from around the globe...compliments of Astron Solutions. More