Some Office Faux Pas

CNNMoney did a great job going over 10 office faux pas that you should avoid to keep yourself off the potential-layoff list (H/T Sarah). I'll list those here and add a comment of my own after each one

1. Don't! Be the Office Downer- This does not mean "don't be serious". It just means that you should be amenable to your co-workers. When your name gets floated around as a potential cut, you want someone going to bat for you.
   
2. Don't! Microwave Fish in the Office- Also, don't pop popcorn unless you're going to share it with everyone. I hate when someone pops a big bag for themselves and it smells throughout the entire office. It's selfish.
   
3. Don't! Go Barefoot- I'm a big fan of kicking off the shoes under the desk. Just make sure if you do, that you have a pair you can quickly slip on. There's nothing wrong with having a pair of shoes to walk to the office and another pair to wear around the office. Just don't be caught as a Shoeless Joe.
   
4. Don't! Set Your Ring Tone to the Jonas Brothers - "Keep your phone on vibrate" is great advice. Recently they handed out new Blackberrys at our office because we switched providers. Everyone wanted to get a new ringtone so they could differentiate their rings when they were away from the desk. One woman decided to go with this one ring that sounds like an alarm is going off. Everyone thinks the fire alarm is going off when her phone rings. It's awful and inconsiderate...especially when she takes a long lunch and forgets her Blackberry!
   
5. Do! Save Smiley Faces for Mom- Leave smiley faces out of e-mails, IMs, and any other form of communication unless you are very comfortable with the person. Even then, leave it out. It can't be a good thing. Save it for AIM/Gtalk/MSN
   
6. Don't! Be the Boss' New BFF- Kissing ass is always a problem, but this may not be the worst thing to be in this new environment. Your co-workers usually don't vote to have you laid off--it's the boss' decision. But don't go over the top. You don't want to come off as a kiss ass...even if you are a kiss ass.
   
7. Don't! Read Your Emails Out Loud- Great advice. I had a co-worker who would conduct conference calls at his desk on speakerphone with the volume all the way up. This was his "protest" against not getting an office. Once layoffs came, he didn't have a desk at all.
   
8. Don't! Give Yourself a Mani/Pedi- There's also the time spent giving yourself a mani/pedi as well as the noise. There's no business reason to be doing this at work. I'm sure your co-workers would be a lot happier if you ate lunch while getting a mani/pedi at a local shop for 30 minutes than you spending 30 minutes doing it to yourself at the office. They may even chip in just to get you to leave.
   
9. Don't! Steal Food- Someone was stealing my food for a while. I never caught who it was (though I was tempted to put some eye drops in my food and wait by the bathroom for the culprit). But I took a bite out of my sandwich every morning to deter that person and they never did it again. And one person who caught someone stealing their lunch wasn't so kind--they told management about what they saw and the person was given a warning. They weren't around after the first round of layoffs.
   
10. Don't! Crank the Russian Folk Music - This is an important one. If you're going to have music at work, just put on headphones. And don't sing out loud. You may need some noise to help you out, but your co-workers certainly don't. And the people they're speaking with on the phone don't want it either. I also think if you're going to put on headphones, it shouldn't be for the whole day. No one wants a worker that ignores everyone for their Russian Folk Music (going back to #1).

Some good advice from CNNMoney. Any faux pas you want to add?

Hiring Slowly Improving But Those Who Haven't Been Laid Off Suffer

-The South Florida Business Journal starts us up with a Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) survey which says that hiring is slowly improving and the Central Valley Business Times has some more information on that

-CNNMoney says that after layoffs, layoff survivors are now stuck with more responsibilities and more stress but aren't getting any more money.

-Lastly, after we just quoted a few surveys from employees...word from the Associated Press (AP) that companies are turning away from employee surveys

Eavesdropping in the office....

Last week I started to talk about eavesdropping in the office...but maybe it's time to have it's own blog article...

There are many types of eavesdropping in the office. One could occur when someone overhears your personal phone conversation with a family member or friend. Another could occur when two colleagues are talking about a third worker, a client, or a potential deal and are overheard by a third party. Yet another could occur when a coworker is talking to a client and you overhear this conversation.

All of these have great potential conflicts for Human Resources. In places like New York City where space is at a premium so offices are abandoned in lieu of cubes, people's phone conversations as well as conversations with other works can be easily overheard.

And these have implications beyond privacy issues. If an investment banker is talking about a deal with Material Non-Public Information (MNPI) and another employee eavesdrops on this and uses that information in their personal or professional life in an unethical way, this could lead to serious problems for a company.

Feelings get hurt or rumors get started when certain conversations are overheard. Client's personal information can get into the wrong hands. In medical organizations, HIPPA violations can occur when this happens. And conversations in a public place like an elevator can lead to eavesdropping by competitors.

Ladies Home Journal says to always watch what you're saying because you NEVER know who's listening and gives a few examples: click here

Almost three years ago a company named "Babble" came out with a product to help drown out eavesdropping as reported in this old CNN piece: click here

And, lastly, the US Department of Energy has some advice on those that think they are being eavesdropped upon by a competitor: click here

The lesson here for HR is to make sure to tell your employees (and, even more importantly, practice this to the utmost) to remember that Big Brother is always listening and to mind what they say when others can be listening...

Smart? How Smart?

Not exactly the Get Smart motto, but our title, nonetheless...

We apologize for missing you yesterday but how is this for catching up?

From the New York Times, a simple question: How Smart Is Your Manager?: click here

Next, Human Resource Executive Online writes about employee engagement: click here

Also from Human Resources Executive Online, an article that CEOs are getting that talent management is important: click here

From the Arizona Republic, word that more companies are offering fitness benefits for employees: click here

CNN and Careerbuilder to team up on this list of six tips to managing workplace conflict: click here

Lastly, from Workforce Management, an answer to the question of what are HR Certifications worth: click here

End of the Year Data

Making up for lost time and articles and catching you up on the happenings of 2007...

CNNMoney and Fortune write that jobless claims are higher than analyst forecasts: click here

Also from CNNMoney and Fortune is word that the writer's strike has been crippling small business: click here

Next, from MSNBC, courtesy of the Associated Press, word that health insurance has jumped twice past inflation: click here

Lastly, the Christian Science Monitor, word that ethical infractions are back to pre-Enron levels: click here

Small Biz Healthcare Reform

First, from CNNMoney and Fortune Small Business, word that the Senate is considering small business healthcare reform: click here

From Business Week, an article about Asia's hunger for management talent: click here

Lastly, from the Wall Street Journal's CollegeJournal, a column in their On The Job section of when performance reviews don't meet potential: click here

It's Holiday Time

Happy Holidays to everyone (Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, Bodhi Day, Winter Solstice, Festivus, and whatever other holiday you celebrate)...

In the spirit of the holidays, we have an article starting you off from the New York Times about the office party being a tightrope walk: click here

The Associated Press on Google News has word on the government revising rules on illegal immigrants and the employers that get penalized: click here

CNNMoney has a report on the economy that says that jobless claims have dipped and indicators have shown slow growth: click here

The Vault Blog has advice for both sides when an interviewee is rejected: click here

From HR Matters and HR Answers an article about health obligations under the FMLA: click here

Also, from the same source, a Q&A about pregnancy leave when not covered by the FMLA: click here