Another Plug for Napping at Work

Here at the Astron Solutions World of HR blog, you may think that we're obsessed with napping. In January of 2009 we quoted a study that we found on ESPN.com that says that people ought to take afternoon naps, in March of 2009 Jennifer wrote about National Nap Day, Labor Day last year we posted that Bloomberg and Yahoo! gave a nod to napping, and a month ago Astronology said that 50 million Americans suffer from sleep problems. Well napping has moved past the traditional workplace and is now prevalent among basketball players in the NBA according to the New York Times:

In the United States, napping is often stigmatized, seen as evidence of laziness or a lack of purpose. But in the world of sports, and certainly in the N.B.A., the attitude is entirely different.

“You’re nocturnal in terms of what you do, playing at night, so your body adjusts to the rhythm of being up late, getting in early in the morning,” said Grant Hill, [Steve] Nash’s teammate with the Phoenix Suns. “You’re tired around midday. Naps are important. It refreshes you. It gets you ready for competition.”

The key now is to figure out a way to get rid of that stigma in the rest of society. A 20-30 minute "power nap" at work can be the way to keep your employee base fresh and to keep them from burning out or making mistakes. While others may be okay shunning naps, here at Astron's World of HR, we're trying to make it an accepted practice in the workplace.

Speaking of basketball...if you are interested in getting involved in a NCAA tournament pool, you can check out my sports blog, NYaT, where we have a pool open to all Astron Solutions World of HR readers. Go over there and test your mettle for a chance to win bragging rights as the best of the blog. Good luck!

Guest Post: Don't Let Gloomy Weather Keep You Down at Work

Once in a while we get a guest post submitted to this blog, but I don't think any of them have been as timely for us New Yorkers as this post on gloomy weather. So when you wake up this morning and see all the snow out there, you'll want to read through this post. This guest post is contributed by Alisa Gilbert, who writes on the topics of bachelors degree. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: alisagilbert599@gmail.com. Thanks to Alisa for this great post!
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Sometimes the dead of winter can make for some terribly gloomy weather when we leave for work. Nothing makes a commute more frustrating than having to drive through heavy rain and cold weather knowing that all you'll do is sit at work in a grumpy mood. Even worse is when you get caught in the rain walking to the office and you don't have a change of clothes! In any case, bad weather can often ruin the mood at the workplace, affecting both productivity and people's spirits. For those bad weather days, you have to try to come up with some ways to stay cheery. Hopefully these five tips can help you.

Shake it Out

If you find yourself sitting at work stewing in a foul mood, then maybe you should consider getting up and moving around. You may not be able to take a walk outside, so instead do walk through the office, maybe stop for coffee or a soda, and recharge you energy. Moving around gets blood flowing throughout your body, and as a result, it can be enough to shift you into a better mood.

Surround Yourself with Positivity

On your walk around the office, consider trying to have some chats with your co-workers and friends, especially those who are characteristically cheery people. The social interaction will help distract you from your inner frustration; hopefully, some of their cheer can rub off on you. The energy of the social interaction will help prime your pump to be productive and get your next project done.

Add Color to Your Cubicle

If you know the weather is going to be terrible, then you should consider trying to brighten up your workspace. A freshly cut flower, a bowl of candy, even a photo of yourself on a beach far away can help lighten the mood in your office. Just a little splash of color can be enough to rest your eyes.

More About Disgruntled Workers

Last week we talked about Steven Slater here at the Welcome to the World of HR blog, but obviously he's not the only disgruntled worker out there. Let's take a look at a few other articles:

First we have the other "famous quitter" of this past week, "Jenny" who quit her job via job erase board "leaked" to The Chive. The whole thing ended up being a farce, but Jenny became as big of a cult hero as Slater for a few hours. What does it show when Slater and "Jenny" become "working class heroes"? People are frustrated at their current jobs.

With that in mind, Slate tells us that employers should be glad that candidates won't take their crummy, low-wage jobs, even in a bad economy: "Hiring is a negotiation between employers and employees over the terms at which they'll agree to come to work—wages, benefits, working conditions, length of commute, relocation requirements. Maybe some of these employers just aren't offering terms that are good enough."

TLNT follows by telling us that even people who have jobs aren't ready to settle for those crummy, low-wage jobs and that 40% of workers are going to be ready to find a new job this fall.

Lastly, we have a Wall Street Journal Careers Q&A where someone asks about quitting a job...before they've even started.

The lesson of all this: make sure that your current co-workers and you candidates are, well, "gruntled"

What the JetBlue Story Can Teach Us

By now most of us have heard the story of Steven Slater, a 38-year-old flight attendant who got fed up with an annoying passenger, cursed out the whole flight, and made a grand exit by grabbing some beers and sliding down the emergency chute. But given a week to think about the consequences of such an action (and the debate goes from "he's an idiot" to "he's a hero"), let's take a look at some lessons Human Resources can take away from this:

Be First Class in Your Response

"No news is bad news," is sometimes the moniker of advertising,  but this type of news can't be good news if you're in Human Resources of JetBlue. But as HR Hero blogged earlier this week, Jet Blue responded in the best way possible in their blog post "Sometimes the news is about us." While most of us would a) not have the sense of humor to write a blog title like that, b) want to go on the defensive and start shoving accusations at Slater, and/or c) focus on the bad, JetBlue did none of that. They took the high road and acknowledged the great crewmembers they do have. And they referenced one of my favorite movies, Office Space, in the process. Bravo, Jet Blue!

Make Sure This Is Not Something People Feel Is OK

While it's OK to joke around about a story that has become funny news, it's important to let your other employees know this behavior is not tolerated and this is not the way to handle being disgruntled. Vault looks at it from the worker's side (and references a famous Half Baked quitting scene--which was in itself a parody on the Jerry Maguire quitting scene) and says things like "never quit out of anger", "don't burn bridges", and "give ample notice". This is something that your employees should take as regular behavior and not the way Slater (or Scarface or Jerry) quit their jobs.

Manage Your Employees' Workplace Stress

Barbara Safani wrote this post for AOL Jobs probably without Slater in mind, but the timing couldn't have been more prefect. The article is titled "Work Stress: What Are Companies Doing About It?" and should be a legitamite concern in the wake of Slater's seemingly stress-induced outburst (or maybe it was to land a reality TV show as TheWrap reports). This part is especially timely: "Managing stress in the workplace is a business issue, not fluff," says Rania Sedhom, principal at Buck Consulting. She notes, "Companies that make the investment to reduce stress in the workplace can improve employee loyalty and retention."

Making the Workplace Uncomfortable

We've all seen it at one point or another: a bully in the workplace. This person can be a boss, an owner, someone in power or someone just on a power trip. They can work in any department and they come in many shapes and sizes. But Human Resources needs to be aware of these people and take care of them before they dominate and intimidate the workplace. Like a school bully, it can be intimidating to stand up to these workplace bullies, but someone needs to do it. And that someone needs to be from either management or human resources.

A few articles on the subject:

Bloomberg Businessweek starts us out with ten signs of a fear-based workplace so you know what to look out for (H/T Wendy). Some of them are more obvious than others but #10 seems to sum it up: "When senior leaders make virtually all decisions in secret, dole out information in unhelpful drips, and base hiring on sheeplike compliance rather than energy and talent, and the PA system all but blares "Be glad to have a job, stop whining, and get back to work," your company's fear problem is off the charts."

TIME via Yahoo! News is next with an article saying that New York just passed a bill which may make workplace bullying explicitly illegal: "If New York's Healthy Workplace Bill becomes law, workers who can show that they were subjected to hostile conduct - including verbal abuse, threats or work sabotage - could be awarded lost wages, medical expenses, compensation for emotional distress and punitive damages"

Running a Business Like George Steinbrenner

George Steinbrenner was known as "The Boss" in his time owning the Yankees. When he passed away last week, Steinbrenner took with him a complicated legacy as an owner who produced championships but a boss who could torment his employees. He was at the same time charitable (he had a saying that if more than one person knows about a good deed you've done, you've done it for the wrong reasons) and a criminal (made illegal contributions to Richard Nixon) but always interesting. Today the New York Post went through how to succeed the Steinbrenner way, but while they have praised the man and the team's success, it's also helpful to note that "The Boss" was not always the ideal boss:

BE FOCUSED From the day George Steinbrenner bought the Yankees for $10 million until he permanently stepped down last week, the former shipping executive had one all-consuming goal: to win. And he seems to have spent pretty close to every waking minute thinking about how to make it happen — just ask the minions who fielded his constant phone calls, endured his tirades and his meddling, and spoke of his obsessive attention to every corner of the organization. And his focus never let up, even in the off-season.

“Winning is the most important thing in my life, after breathing,” he famously said.

That was just one of the pieces of advice put forth by the post article. The others included "work tirelessly", "don't be afraid to shift gears--even if you swore you wouldn't", "fire when ready", "be a boss, not a friend", "hire top talent, and pay them well", "demand results", "set clear goals", "never always criticize your employees in public", "pay attention to the little things", "don't give your stars preferential treatment", "build your brand", "have a heart OK", and "don't rest on your laurels". All of these are good advice for someone running a business and while George M. Steinbrenner III was very good at accomplishing some of these in a way that helps an organization, some of his actions certainly hurt his organization and his employees. A good balance is certainly needed for an organization to have successful leadership.

Jobs You Want and Jobs To Stay Away From

That's the theme of our Friday links as we get you ready for the weekend on the day a decade-old age discrimination suit was settled by the TV networks and studios according to The Wrap

Fortune and CNNMoney have the 100 best companies to work for--which may be an even more important list than the Fortune 500.

Glassdoor.com has their list of the best 50 places to work for (I wonder how many of those overlap...?)

Media Bistro (the website where I actually found this job and why I'm blogging to you right now) has a list of the most desired media jobs of 2009

Complain about your job? FoundValue Blog has 10 jobs they promise are worse than yours (though I know a LOT of people who would want #10).

The Springfield News-Leader has 10 steps to workplace happiness from some great professionals in the field.

Have a great weekend!

What I’m Hearing…Your Hearing May Be in Danger

This morning on the radio I heard about a new study out of Britain. According to the research, someone who listens to their iPod or other music device for 1 hour a day for five years will go deaf.

Scary.

The study got me thinking. If someone listens for longer periods each day – like many of our Gen X and Gen Y colleagues in our offices – will he or she go deaf sooner?

Free will is an important part of life here in America. If someone wants to risk their hearing to listen to music, that’s his / her choice. However, as HR Professionals, what can we do to help our employees make informed choices? What should we do? I’m thinking about going beyond traditional policies that restrict the use of musical devices in the workplace. We currently provide opportunities to educate employees about wellness, financial planning, and other topics. Perhaps preserving one’s hearing should be included in that mix. If we don’t – and this study’s results turn out to be true – our workplaces and ways of doing business will radically change in the next 10 or so years. Being bilingual in American Sign Language is one aspect that comes to mind. What are your thoughts?

Wall Street to Main Street

Riding the train this morning I happened to peek at a fellow passenger's Wall Street Journal and spied upon some great articles...

First, a front page article on layoffs...if you hear rumors they may be coming, here's some advice on what to do: click here

And with this advice, some thoughts should emerge for HR professionals on how to handle those types of situations. One of my friends worked for a large fashion company that had been rumored to be on the brink of bankruptcy. One of the actions taken by the company's management--that shocked him and others--was to fire one employee whose only misstep was talking about the rumors going around about the company. They said he was a poison to the company and got rid of him. A few days later, the company filed for bankruptcy and a lot more employees went. But if the company had not filed, that sole decision would have been viewed as a warning (whether right or wrong) to other employees who would think about discussing the rumors among themselves at work...

The Career Journal then gives some advice for those pushed to part-time work--make the most of it: click here

Next, a topic we've talked about in the past on this blog, workplace bullying takes center stage again as they reference a recent United States court case: click here

Lastly, an interesting article about summer jobs--selling knives--positioned with a great title: click here


Enjoy!

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...

Subway Series

We just completed the first part of the subway series here in NY...and now it's time to get you caught up on HR news on our blog....

First, from the Rules of Wealth Blog, and article about handling office romances: click here

While it may be hard to have an ongoing office romance, just remember that you may not have as much privacy as you think at work according to the Wall Street Journal Career Journal: click here

Going back to an old theme, Workforce says that abuse of leave tops FMLA concerns: click here

Another blogger tells us the dark side of Human Resource Management: click here

Lastly, HR Daily Advisor gives some advice on hiring based on internet searches: click here

Workers Comp Comes Full Circle With HR

We start out here on this Tuesday (another Super Tuesday) with an article from the American Chronicle. Workers Comp always ends with Human Resources, but this article says that it also starts with HR decisions: click here

Next, the American Dream Project says that Corporate Social Responsibility needs HR: click here

Lastly, from the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), who does the work when an employee does FMLA leave: click here

Blogroll pt. 3

The last entry of our blogroll has some great blogs for you to check out on the Astron Solutions blog...

First, the Laconic Law Blog has a lot of great legal information for Human Resources Professionals including news on joint employers and FMLA violations: click here

Next, Thinking HR blog has some great information for HR including this one about the IRS raising the Mileage Rate for 2008 (via BLR): click here

Bootstrapper has the top 100 HR Bloggers and we hope to be on this list if they do it again in 2008: click here

Workforce Management's Workforce Blog "The Business of Management" has some great articles including one about rethinking charging workers for smoking: click here

Lastly is Workplace Attitudes who we fixed their link (sorry about that) and provide to you for great information on articles such as why jerks kill creativity: click here

If you have any other suggestions for our blogroll, please let me know...

What I’m Hearing…Workplace Romance

This week, Business and Legal Reports (BLR) has run a series of articles on workplace romance. The prevailing theme has been “don’t have one, but if you do, document it clearly to prevent a lawsuit.”

Are workplace romances inherently bad? I received Fortune Small Business yesterday. The cover story, Sleeping with the Boss, talks about married couples who run businesses together, and are making it work.

Various studies suggest that 20% of workplace romances become permanent. By extension, 80% end, but the studies don’t tell us if the relationships end at the same company or after one or both of the individuals has moved on to a new job.

Of any relationship that ends, does it have to be a hostile, nasty situation? Can individuals break up and still be friendly, or at least professional? I believe they can.

Workplace romances would appear to have benefits that dating strangers don’t. You see the person at work, so you know if they’re a hard working team player or a loafer before you start dating. You can observe them well before you get involved – at a time when they’re not trying to impress. You can more easily cut through the date chatter meant to impress and get to the person’s personality and the factors that matter in a relationship.

Workplace romances do have risks, to be certain. But for some couples, who’ve made a well thought out decision, taking the gamble could mean all the world.

Happy New Year!

The Boston Globe starts us out on this first day of 2008 with an article about what's hot, what's not in the workplace for 2008: click here

Next, a Washington Post column suggesting that having employees make career resolutions can help them rise to the occasion: click here

Conde Nast Portfolio ends our blog today with an article about the risky business of hiring stars: click here

Two Weeks Notice?

No, we're not talking about the Sandra Bullock/Hugh Grant movie: click here

But like the movie, it can also be a bad idea although it seemed so good in your head (this author has never seen the movie, but can just imagine...and the Roeper of Ebert & Roeper says "This thing works on no level whatsoever for me." That doesn't seem like too good of a review...)

Anyways...Two Weeks Notice is the general way of quitting in many businesses, but there can be times it's a really bad idea...

This article in the Wisconsin Technology Network says that two weeks notice went out of style with nickel beers: click here

This Monster.com article asks what happens when you give two weeks notice and the employer tells you that two weeks is too many?: click here

HRMagazine says to make sure that the way your company treats departing workers is good for business and for those remaining: click here

This Yahoo! Question asks what are the ramifications of releasing someone before the two weeks are up: click here

Leaving a Job

We'll be doing a few articles this week about leaving a job...

The first is about when to leave? Is it worth working to the last possible second? Is it good to get a little vacation time in there before you start? When should you give your notice? About.com gives some advice about resigning from your job: click here

But the key is to understand that you probably won't be able to take off time right when you start your new job so if you elect for time now vs. waiting until the last second, you may want to aim for resigning sooner.

Evil HR Lady gives some advice in this article: click here

The key, she says, is to quit when you have another job lined up. The key is definitely to have a job lined up, but if you are truly miserable, let your superior know that...there may be a way to solve that within your own organization through a move within the organization or maybe a changing of responsibilities or maybe being able to talk to someone about the problems you are having with them.

The HR Capitalist has some advice about when and how to have someone leave once they resign: click here

More coming in the next post....

Women in the Workplace

Amy Joyce writes about those companies that open more doors and allows more women into higher spots in the workplace: click here

Next, from the Pocono Record, an interesting article about University students offering new views on Human Resources Management: click here

Lastly, from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, a report that talks about all those employees who missed work because of fake excuses: click here

High Tech AND High Price?

Salaries rose and demand grew in the IT market this past year according to this article that was published in TechNewsWorld: click here

Information from a seminar on the responsiblities of employers hiring illegal immigrants: click here

Lastly, from Benefitnews.com, word that gambling problems are prevalent in the workplace: click here