You're Fired...Wait...You're Hired...Again

Way back in November of 2007 I wrote a post on the Astron Solutions blog titled "You're Fired...Wait...You're Hired" after Circuit City decided to rehire some of the employees they had fired. It continues to be one of our most-visited posts and even though Circuit City is no longer around, the themes in that post (and Michael Scott's words) continue to resonate, especially with the recent "resignation" of Shirley Sherrod.

I posted a little while back from HR hero's The Oswald Letter about terminating in haste can lead to regret at leisure. Last Thursday, Fistful of Talent (H/T Jennifer) looked at the process of welcoming back rehires (AKA "The Sacred Boomerang Ceremony"). The author describes the ceremony:

At Kahler Slater, not only do they accept employees back (the good ones of course) but they believe that having a strong employee come back is reason to celebrate. John Horky, the HR Guy, creates for each one of these employees a boomerang and presents it to them during a staff meeting with their very own “Sacred Boomerang Ceremony”.

Imagine, a celebration where the entire company is gathered to welcome an employee back into the fold. They present the boomerang, tell everyone what the employee has been doing since he/she left, and celebrate them coming back to the company. 

This isn't a process without problems, however.

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?

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...

The Office Super Bowl

We start out here on this Wednesday night with an article from HR Daily Advisor with a question if Super Bowl pools are illegal gambling or teambuilding (or both): click here

What is your office doing about the big game? Are people passing around "squares" in your office. Ironically, these squares are going around at the same time as Girl Scout Cookies and many employees feel pressure to get involved in both. This is definitely something to monitor in your office...to a degree...

Also from HR Daily Advisor, an article following up on what not to do during EEO investigations...with 4 tips of what to do during investigations: click here

Next, from SecurityProNews, an article about how HR could be endangering the company...by opening up applications/resumes in e-mails: click here

CNNMoney and CareerBuilder are last with an article about the salaries HR Professionals are making...so you can measure yourself up against the competition: click here

Enjoy!

Back from the Holidays

Sorry about the layoff...but we're back with a lot of articles for you:

First, from the Tennessean, advice (which may be a bit belated) on how to survive the office party: click here

From Federal Computer Week, word that the USPS is consolidating their Human Resource system: click here

Next, from HR Daily Adviser Business and Legal Report, an article about laughing your way to wellness: click here

Also from HR.BLR, an advice column that tells you the things to never put into a job description: click here

From the Fresno Bee, tips for the HR personnel in the hot seat of the witness box: click here

Lastly, eight signs from Computer World that it's time to look for a new job: click here

Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

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