What I’m Hearing…Rookie Police Officer Salaries

Here in New York, one of the big news items this morning is the increase to rookie police officers’ starting salaries to $35,881. In 2005, a new contact cut rookie starting salaries to $25,100. The nearly 40% increase in pay should help to address the serious recruitment issues the NYPD faces. Among other negotiated terms in exchange for the higher pay, the number of vacation days for new hires will drop from 20 per year to 10.

Recently, the City of Seattle posted billboards luring officers to relocate across the country for higher wages. The starting officer salary in the Emerald City is $47,334. The Seattle Police Department will also put in an additional $5,000 for relocation costs.

Supply and demand for labor knows no geographic boundaries. Certainly, one must give credit to Seattle for their creative recruitment techniques. However, it is good to see that New York stepped up to the plate to make these adjustments in officers’ salaries. $36,000 a year is a small salary for those who risk their lives every day to make sure we can safely enjoy ours. Hopefully this increase is a step in the right direction for attracting new talent to the field of law enforcement, and retaining the current police force.

In other news, Clearview Cinemas on Manhattan’s Upper East Side announced that child and senior movie tickets would be the same price as an adult – $12.00 – even during matinees. One wonders how far that 40% pay increase will go.

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

Home Depot's HR Cuts

First, news from United Press International that Home Depot has cut their in-store Human Resources staff: click here

This is an effect of the housing crisis. Housing building is down, so Home Depot's sales are down and Home Depot decided to cut costs by cutting HR staff....

Human Resources Executive Online thinks that this decision by Home Depot is a good idea: click here

Lastly, Guru Focus asks what took so long for Home Depot to make this decision: click here

Back to the Strikes?

The Washington Post starts us off with an old theme, with new players. The Screen Actors Guild is now threatening to go on strike: click here

The Boston Globe follows up with an article about corporate volunteers reaching worldwide: click here

Next from the Globe, advice to answer the boss' criticism as if it were true: click here

Lastly, word also from the Globe, that after an interview, the thanks should go both ways: click here

How to Strengthen Your Organizational Communication Practices

It's Astronology Tuesday!!!!

Today's Astronology is about Strengthening Your Organizational Communication: click here

You also get to find out a lot more about Astron and what is going on in the HR World so I HIGHLY recommend signing up for the newsletter. It's once every two weeks and it's some of the best information you can get. And better yet, it's free!

Employers as Babysitters

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

First, we have an article from US News and World Report's "The Inside Job" which says that although employers end up playing babysitter for their employees, they're increasingly getting in trouble for doing so: click here

This is a very interesting view on the situation which, in effect is saying to Americans "grow up"

Next, from Human Resources Executive Online, an article about what workers want from the President: click here

Also, from the Salt Lake Tribune, word on what happens if you hire undocumented workers and get caught: click here

Lastly, from a blog that is titled "Team Building is for Suckers", a question of "where in the world is SHRM [the Society for Human Resource Management]"? click here

Mayo

As we move into May, the flowers are blooming and we're churning out the articles for you here on the Astron Solutions blog...

First...from the Wall Street Journal...an article about how stay-at-home moms are filling the executive niche: click here

Next, also from the Journal, word about an interesting office perk--getting paid to volunteer: click here

Lastly, from the Baltimore Sun an article breaking down the job data that recently came out: click here

What I’m Hearing…Saving for Retirement

I met the other day with my financial planner. Among the various items we discussed was saving money for retirement. Long story short, if I want to work until 65 or 70, I’m on track. Early retirement at 55? I’ll need to save another $20,000 a year, every year. My jaw dropped when I heard that.

I’ve always been a saver. And I always thought I wanted to retire “early.” Now I’m not so sure. If I retire early, what will I do with my time? I crawl the walls after being home for more than 2 days in a row. So I’d probably end up starting another business, but that’s not “retirement” per se.

My experiences then got me thinking about the general US population. As HR professionals, we definitely need to encourage our employees and co-workers to save for retirement. Many people save little or any money. We all know that Social Security payments will be minimal at best. It is up to each person to look out for his or herself.

However, at what point do we cross the line between being cautious and missing out on life? Could I live in a lower cost of living area, or reduce the number of dance lessons I take each week? Sure. But the tradeoff of having to work a few extra years because of enhancing life now, while still being financially cautious, doesn’t sound so bad. Life is relatively short and unpredictable. Preparing for rainy days is vitally important, but it doesn’t rain every day of the year in New York City.

What I’m Hearing…HR Certifications

As many of us may know, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), though its subsidiary the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI), offers three national and two state specific Human Resource certifications – PHR, SPHR, GPHR, PHR – CA, and SPHR – CA. Currently, to sit for the PHR or SPHR certification exams, the candidate needs to have two years of exempt level HR experience.

HRCI is considering changing the exam eligibility experience requirements. The years of experience required would vary depending on which exam the person is sitting for, and what degree (e.g., Associates, Bachelor’s, and / or Master’s) the person holds. HRCI has conducted external benchmarking against other credentialing programs, considered the current experience of levels of certified professionals, and led focus groups with credential holders, employers, and SHRM chapter leaders. HRCI is currently in the process of surveying more individuals through an invitation to comment period, which closes on May 16th.

HR certification has come a long way since the time when I sat for the PHR exam (and passed!) as a recent college graduate. No longer do other HR professionals ask me what SPHR after my name means. HRCI’s steps towards elevating the experience requirement for SPHR should better align the test content with the candidates’ experiences, and truly reflect the “Senior” in SPHR.

Those considering the SPHR exam who have only 2 or 3 years of exempt level experience may want to take the exam in the Fall / Winter 2008 testing window, before the new requirements, if approved, take effect. HRCI has not stated when the new requirements would go into effect. However, why not take the initiative today and enhance your professional skills, your résumé, and your earning potential by working towards earning the certification?

What I’m Hearing…National Volunteer Week

If you haven’t already heard, this week (April 28 – May 2) is National Volunteer Week. How many times have we taken volunteers for granted? Although volunteers are unpaid, so many non-profits function effectively in the community because of their volunteers’ contributions. What would happen to your local hospital, library, or school, if the volunteers stopped helping? Volunteer recruitment, retention, and motivation are no less challenging than for paid team members. If you haven’t said “thank you” lately to the volunteers you encounter in your professional and personal lives, be sure to say something this week.

In addition to thanking those who help us, have you examined the volunteer opportunities in your life? If you haven’t been active, now is a great time to get involved. I suspect I do more than most when it comes to volunteering. Between sitting on the board of HR/NY (New York City’s SHRM chapter), helping out with special HR/NY projects, serving a 3-year term with SHRM’s Total Rewards Special Expertise Panel, and giving back as a peer reviewer for SHRM and WorldatWork publications, I sometimes think that my volunteer activities could make up a full-time job! However, giving back to the professional community, networking, and making a difference in others’ lives make the time and talent contribution worth it. Start small – either professionally or personally – and see how good it feels to give back. Once you start, you’ll be hooked.

Isiah Wins Again By Losing

Isiah Thomas lives in a fantasy world. If the former NBA star-turned NBA coach-turned NBA executive was governed by normal workplace rules, he'd probably be brought out back and shot. He's made one the NBA's most important franchises a laughing stock both on the court and off of it, lost his organization millions of dollars, and even more in bad publicity he incurred through a lovely sexual harassment lawsuit. He was bad at a GM, so they made him coach...now he's fired from both...and what's he doing now?

He's been reassigned to the team as an advisor, according to ESPN (click here), but has been banned from contacting the players...lest he try to meddle some more...

So he screws up the team as GM, gets to take on the team as coach and GM...doesn't do any better there...and gets a 3 year contract extension...then he really, really does poorly...and the team fires him...but keeps him on as an advisor....

Are you kidding me? What is he going to advise on? How to lose money? How to get sued? How to lose basketball games? How not to manage a cap? How to acquire bad players? How to not coach?

The Daily News tries to explain with a great headline reading "Isiah Thomas is not fired, just banned": click here

But Deadspin, always a good source of honest reporting and a laugh, said it perfectly in their heading "Isiah Is Smarter Than All Of Us: Isiah Thomas Pretty Much Got a Promotion": click here

The best part of the article being: "that makes Isiah a tremendously well-paid secretary (and coffee boy for Jim Dolan). Isiah is making $18 million to stay away from his employers. The man was a genius all along!"

If you are in HR...look at the history of this man and the Knicks and teach it to your colleagues as a cautionary tale

Blow That Whistle

We're in the middle of the NBA and NHL playoffs...but the most important whistleblower story may be in Human Resources...

The Washington Post starts us off this an article about the whisteblower's unending story: click here

Next, from Michigan Live, some news about a lost whistleblower case in Detroit and a document on a computer: click here

And lastly, from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, word about a hospital's large payout following whistleblower's kickbacks: 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...

Blogroll Pt. 2

We're on to part 2 of 3 of reviewing our Blogroll here at Astron Solutions World of HR blog...

We start with Jim Stroud who changed the name of his blog from JimStroud to "The Recruiters Lounge" and has a new look and a new address but the same great information: click here

Also in recruiting is the Recruiting Fly Blog which today gives some diversity resumes and interview advice: click here

We have another WorldAtWork blog here for Ryan Johnson who has a lot of interesting topics including this one about Performance Reviews from a few weeks ago: click here

The HR Capitalist has a lot of interesting topics (Human Resources and not), but this recent one provides a scenario if the author had a few million dollars...they would aggregate references of a candidate: click here

And last on this list is the Industry Radar which has given us a few nice links on their website and has some great HR news on Benefits, Retirement, Health, among other topics: click here

What I’m Hearing…The Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

Compensation came to the forefront of the nation last night, as Democratic Presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton interrupted their campaigns to return to Washington, D.C. to vote on pending legislation. The topic at hand? The Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. The legislation failed to pass in the Senate, with a 56-42 vote. The bill is likely dead for the rest of 2008.

The Ledbetter Act’s main focus was to extend the statue of limitations for filing pay discrimination claims. Had the law been passed, individuals would have been able to file such lawsuits years and decades after the alleged discrimination occurred.

I don’t disagree with the need to ensure equal pay between the sexes. With all other factors being equal, paying someone less simply because she is a woman is wrong. However, the concept of statute of limitations is an important part of our legal system. We cannot allow new legislation on matters including and beyond Human Resources to erode this foundation. Otherwise, our already litigious society will become even more so, with far reaching effects including higher insurance costs, increased money spent on legal fees, greater court backlog, and general ill will. Let’s instead focus our time on preventing such discriminatory actions from occurring in the first place, and proactively remedying any that may have unfortunately already occurred.

What I’m Hearing…Administrative Professionals Day

Every day in America is a celebration of some sort, ranging from the traditional, like Mother’s Day, to the amusing, like National Waffle Day. Today’s celebration, Administrative Professionals Day, is an important one not to be overlooked. Effective administrative professionals keep our workplaces running smoothly and efficiently manage the details. Without them, our days would be longer and our work harder. Be sure to say thank you to the administrative professionals in your workplace. They are essential to success!

Saluting Our Blogroll Pt. 1

It's time to take a look at the fellow bloggers we link to on the right and give you a little idea of what they're writing about...

Blogs for Job hasn't had a post in a while, but shows that employees can be found in odd places (including one who just left a comment): click here

We realized we had an error in the address for Cara Welch's Public Policy Perceptions blog for WorldAtWork so we've relinked to there (click here) and ask you to check out her Earth Day article on Earth Day 2008: click here

Cheezhead talks about a theme we discussed recently and takes you in their latest article beyond Facebook and MySpace recruiting: click here

CollegeRecruiter.com has a great humor article today about 10 ways that the job market resembles Matzah: click here

Which reminds us...Happy Passover!!!

George's Employment Blawg touches on a subject we'll be getting into in a later post...but with the job market how it is, internships are becoming more and more important: click here

HR Web Cafe give you a full menu of articles about everything from spear phishing to bring-your-gun-to-work-day (or permanently): click here

Lastly for today, we go to HR World who asks if male and female owned businesses differ? click here

We'll be back with more tomorrow...enjoy!!!

Some Laughs for Friday

Courtesy of The Office: click here

Deepening the Downturn

Updating our post from yesterday is an article from the New York Times which says that workers are getting fewer hours, deepening the downturn: click here

This is a huge problem as not only are workers being laid off, but the ones who are still employed are getting less overtime and taking in smaller paychecks--which the Times cites as a worse problem than the layoffs....

And those layoffs continue, especially in the financial sector. After Merrill Lynch announced 4000 layoffs yesterday, Citigroup went more than double that with a planned 9000 layoffs: click here

This is going to create a big problem for the United States economy. With a weakening dollar, low interest rates and rising inflation, smaller salaried and laid off workers are going to be spending less. Less consumer spending will lead to less money going to companies. And companies taking on losses will be more likely to layoff more workers. Something needs to happen to stop this cycle from worsening soon or there will be quite a situation on our hands.

If you happen to be at a company that is currently trying to grow and expand, you've hit the jackpot. There are a lot of skilled workers increasingly having their wages cut or being laid off and these people will be more than willing to line up to be hired. Not only will this allow you to get the best workers, but probably pay a lot less in the process.

If you look at the graphs to the right, you can see how this has been playing out in the United States and get some idea of where we are going in the future if this continues.

Stay tuned to see how this situation continues to develop...

UPDATE: A really good point from a fellow blogger: click here

Facebook and the Office

What happens when social networking and the office combine? Well...it can be an awkward situation, as written here in the Boston Globe: click here

Let's say that situation does come up--you are a boss and one of your subordinates tries to friend you on Facebook or MySpace or one of the other social networking websites or you are an employee and your boss sends you a friend request...what do you do?

Well first things first, whether you are a high school student, college student, young professional or "old" professional, you should scrub your social networking profiles. You never know who is looking at it.

If you think you're exempt because you are a student...just check out some of the articles from this Google search: click here

And if you think you're exempt because you're in the job world, just check out some of the articles from this Google search: click here (or, if you prefer, Myspace: click here)

And as I wrote way back in July 2006 for Astronology, the New Age of Background Checks has moved on to social networking websites: click here

So the truth is, make sure that everything in your profile is Kosher because the last thing you want is to have something meant from your friends, end up in your workspace: it could end up costing you your job.

Dissecting the Current News

Sometimes it's best to just dig into the current events and find out how it applies to Human Resources...so we'll get right to that..

First, the economy. A topic that should be the hot-button of the presidential race, especially if this downturn (read: recession) in the market continues, took another turn with today's job numbers, as reported by Bloomberg: click here

This is going to have a ripple effect on the entire economy. As people continue to foreclose on homes and pay higher prices for gas, one thing they certainly cannot afford is to be out of work. This will lead a lot more people to switch out of industries such as housing which are in a lull right now and cause even more competition in other fields. This, combined with a class of '08 graduation will create even more turmoil in the economy. So while we may not be predicting the next Great Depression...let's just say: hold on to your seats.

This next story from the New York Times has HIPAA violations written all over it: click here

HR Professionals should definitely check in with their health insurance plans to make sure that their employee's information is not leaking out to the world or they will have to start lining up at the courthouse for lawsuits

Lastly, in a story that doesn't seem to go away, sexual harassment in the workplace is not necessarily confined to just the traditional workplace. As People Magazine reports, this Rob Lowe story isn't going to end anytime soon with accusations and counter-accusations and claims of abuse and extortion: click here

The lesson to be learned here for HR is that even if you don't have a traditional workspace, there may still be sexual harassment issues and a proactive approach is always the best way...

References

We start off in another direction and go with the Karen Burns, Working Girl blog's article about why references are still relevant: click here

Did you have a good April Fools prank in your office? Human Resource Executive says to grin it and bear it: click here

The Career Diva has some interesting (read: extreme) ways to get a job: click here

Online Colleges and Universities tells you why career management is right for you: click here

Lastly, the Providence Journal leaves us with an article about HR and continuing education: click here

What I'm Hearing...Salary "Surveys"

If your Sunday newspaper carries Parade magazine, you undoubtedly read their annual report What People Earn. The story contained some interesting information, as well as some facts and comments that I, as a compensation professional, already know.

I had a few concerns with the story, though. First, I did not see any quotes or source material from compensation or benefits firms. I’m left wondering where the author obtained the data she used.

Second, as this was a nationally distributed piece, there should have been some discussion around how salaries differ. One of my clients recently called this “your mileage may vary.” To read the story, I might think that my pay should be the same as, or higher than, what’s reported. However, so many factors influence pay – performance, tenure, compensation philosophy, geography, etc. – it is misleading to the general public to not mention such factors.

What did you think of Parade’s story? Take a peek and let us know!

How to Make 2008 Great---Employment Branding

First we link you to our Astronology for this week about Employment Branding: click here

If you're not already signed up for Astronology, make sure to click on that link and do it ASAP

Next, from Yahoo! Finance and US News and World Report, an article about what to do with a boss like Michael Scott from The Office: click here

And here's something that would eternally annoy all your co-workers: click here

10,000 Visitors!

You like us...you really, really like us...

We just reached 10,000 hits on our site which is big news for us here at Astron Solutions. Thank you for making our blog a part of your Human Resource news!

Doing Some Moving....

....and that's why I've been a bit tardy on the posts...but I'm going to try to keep you updated with everything big in Human Resources....

First, from HR Daily Advisor, an article about how to detect and deal with FMLA fraud: click here

The Washington Post follows up with some advice to be encouraged by boss's attempts to grant vacation requests: click here

Lastly, we have word of another Human Resources blog entering the blogosphere: click here

What I’m Hearing – Tolerating Poor Performance

If you follow basketball, you know that the New York Knicks have not been doing too well the past few years. Between numerous losses and the Anucha Browne-Sanders sexual harassment case, it’s been rough for the team and the fans.

Yesterday, the Knicks’ owners announced that Donnie Walsh will take over Isiah Thomas’ role as President of basketball operations for the team. Word on the street says that Mr. Walsh will also become Head Coach, ending Isiah Thomas’ tenure.

Undoubtedly in our own organizations we have an “Isiah Thomas,” someone whose attitude or poor performance drags down the department or the organization as a whole. Should we allow these individuals to stay on in their roles long after it has become obvious that the employment relationship isn’t working to everyone’s advantage?

Watson Wyatt has conducted research showing that top performing organizations terminate employees who perform unacceptably. Certainly, losing an employee can put additional strain on the remaining group. However, in many cases the team works more effectively after removing negativity and ineffective relationships. Why then do we tolerate poor performance?

Let’s hope the Knicks fare better next season, and that we use their experiences to better our own organizations.

So That's What Those Pirates in that Commercial Were Singing About!

The FreeCreditReport.com guys will be happy with this article from Forbes which says that you should get your Credit Report checked before your employer does: click here

(Well at least they should pay those guys so they don't have to be pirates anymore...)

Next, from the Sun-Times News Group and the Naperville Sun, an article about a Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) that warns that no one is immune from sickness: click here

Lastly, from USA Today's On Deadline section (referring to a 2006 Forbes article),would you like to bring your baby to work every day?: click here

Colbert Fills In

We usually like to try to give you some Jon Stewart and Daily Show for your Tuesday, but today we're going with Stephen Colbert of the Colbert Report...

First, from Indecision 2008, Stephen looks at the controversial issue of...Southsourcing:



Next, Stephen has a note for those striking outside his studio:



And then sings them a song with some famous guests:

Judgment Calls

Harvard Business School and the Conde Nast Portfolio Insight Center starts us out on this Monday as we close out March with an article about making difficult judgment calls: click here

The Boston Globe continues with an article about employers using personal references to attempt to limit liability: click here

The Washington Post picks up our strike coverage with the actors (not the writers this time) who are facing some opposition: click here

What I’m Hearing…Going Topless

This morning the radio announcer shared an interesting story out of Silicon Valley. Apparently, 40% of firms in the Silicon Valley area have gone “topless.”

It’s not as risqué as it sounds. The policy bans using mobile communication devices, such as laptops, Blackberries, cell phones, and the like, in meeting rooms.

Kudos to the firms that have instituted such a policy. When individuals use their high tech devices during a meeting, they are distracting to their colleagues, disrespectful of others’ time, and rude to the meeting facilitator. These individuals also send a message, consciously or not, that they and their business are more important than the meeting. Checking voicemails during a meeting break is one thing. Text messaging someone during a meeting is another.

Imagine how much more productive and faster meetings would be if all organizations had a policy of going topless. Hopefully more organizations will move in this direction in the coming months.

To Tattle?

The Washington Post, in its "How to Deal" section, has an article that says that when asked to tattle, to tell the truth: click here

The Washington Post follows up with an article that says the rising healthcare costs are cutting into workers wages: click here

Lastly, the New York Times has an article about tension building (and it's almost Monday): click here

The Onion

Oh...and because we want you to laugh a little: click here

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

It's about 30 degrees but many miles away, in Japan, the baseball season started today. We here at Astron are made up of a few loyalties. But the majority of us root for the Yankees. So let's hope that Joe Girardi can be a good manager (had to add in the HR theme) and get the Yankees to the World Series.

So we'll go and start with the New York Times today where we have an article which says that health plans put the onus on the insured: click here

Also from the New York Times, their Home Front section talks about those determined to find a new beginning: click here

Lastly, from the Christian Science Monitor, if you're going to start an office romance, first sign a contract: click here

Getting Back to the Swing of Things

Sorry for being away from a while, but we're back here at the Astron Blog and we're dipping into the Vault for some depressing news on jobs...

First, from the New York Times, word that Silicon Valley is losing middle wage jobs: click here

The Christian Science Monitor says that the best U.S. factory jobs are increasingly in jeopardy: click here

Next, from the Wall Street Journal, an article that says that for some, suburban jobs prove subpar: click here

From USA Today, news that the housing slowdown puts day laborers in limbo: click here

Hopefully your job news is a little more optimistic than this...

Talking About Addiction

The Wall Street Journal starts us off with an interesting article (actually a reprint from 2006) about talking to your boss about alcohol abuse: click here

This article from the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) talks about the Mental Health Bill and how SHRM sees its merits: click here

Lastly, the Gothamist has an article about the court upholding the firing of a guy who must have been addicted to surfing the web: click here

What Not To Say Pt. 2

We had Part 1 back in November, but this HR Daily Advisor article says what you can't ask in an interview...and how to get around that: click here

Next, from Freelance Writing Jobs, on the same token, if you're in an interview, do you correct the interviewer?: click here

From Human Resource Executive Online, an article about talent and transformation: click here

Workplace Violence News, a fellow blogger, says that screening should be taken to the next level: click here

Lastly, from CoachBlog...is coaching really working? (I think I know where they'll side): click here

Oops

Not sure if this video will make you laugh as well...but wow was Jim Kramer wrong...

Laughing About the Writer's Strike

Jon Stewart and the Daily Show's views on the writer's strike and how it affected the Daily Show:

Of Bad News and B-ball Pools

We start you out this week with an article from CondeNast Portfolio and the Harvard Business School which talks about a better way to deliver bad news to your employees: click here

Next, an issue you will have to deal with this week is talked about in this New York Times article about dipping into the betting pool and the NCAA basketball tournament brackets in your company: click here

I agree with the idea that this helps people meet and brings them together, but it also has to be for a small amount and done in a way that makes people all feel welcome and comfortable. You never know if someone is getting over a gambling issue, has a financial issue, or is feeling left out by not being asked to be in the pool (among other issues) so as a Human Resource Professional, this could be a tough issue to deal with.

Lastly, from the Boston Globe BostonWorks Hiring Hub, advice on the best way to terminate high level employees: click here

Executive Privilege

Did I say every Tuesday? I meant every week on a day that starts with "T":

Imagine a man works at a place where his work is assessed and the process by which he makes controversial decisions has to be justified or there will be consequences...





Thousands of illegal aliens demonstrate their fierce desire to work in this country by taking the afternoon off.



Enjoy!

Podcasting!!!

Adding to our Web 2.0 personality here at Astron Solutions, we have our first podcast courtesy of Workforce Management about managing the unpredictability of talent in today's world: click here

From the Business Wire, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) will be surveying presidential candidates on key workforce issues: click here

Also, make sure to check out some other podcasts on Daxle's website of business podcasts...some good stuff there: click here

Lastly, the Baltimore Sun's "On the Job" has an article about sick and vacation days all being in the same bank: click here

And since we decided we needed some representation between New York and DC, we're adding the feed of the Baltimore Sun's career section on the right...

What I’m Hearing…Employee Tenure

More and more these days we hear that it’s nearly impossible to expect an employee to stay with an organization for more than 2 years. Succession planning is therefore unrealistic. An employee would not want to stay with one organization a relatively long time. It's just not done.

Last night the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame held their 2008 induction ceremony. Madonna, my favorite recording artist, was among those inducted. Her speech covered a number of topics, including how she got started in the business, fond memories of past accomplishments, musings on what’s to come, and “thank you”s to key players in her career. Imagine my surprise when Madonna announced that she wanted to thank Warner Bros., the record label she’s been signed to for her entire 25 year career. She also thanked her Publicist, with whom she has also been for 25 years. Both milestone achievements she announced with a sense of pride and the “you thought it couldn’t be done” attitude that Madonna exudes so often.

I was pleasantly shocked to hear these comments. From an HR perspective, there perhaps would be few employees more demanding than a mega recording star such as Madonna. However, these three parties have created a loyalty based on met professional needs.

Can we expect to have successful, 25 year loyalty with our employees like Warner Bros. has enjoyed? Probably not. However, if Warner Bros. can met a superstar’s needs successfully, and find positive ROI for their organization in the process, it is possible for us to work with our employees to gain perhaps 5 or 10 years of successful professional relationships.

More links!

Yeah...we got more links for you...

First a blog about the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM): click here

Next, from Boston Globe, Monster.com, HiringHub, word on finding the best talent: click here

HR Daily Advisor has 7 stupid things that supervisors say and then get sued: click here

From SHRM, word on what that blogger was talking about above: click here

ITtoolbox has some advice on what every IT manager should know about HR: click here

MSNBC says don't wear blinders when dealing with your boss: click here

HR Daily Advisor is back with 3 vital things that supervisors should say: click here

Lastly, the Business Review of Western Michigan (via Michigan Live) has an article about getting and recruiting talent from elsewhere: click here

That should last you for a while ;)

Adding To Our Blog Family

Passed on to me by Jennifer...and now passing onto you (and will be a permanent fixture over on our blogroll):

WorldatWork announced a new blog designed to help HR professionals and business leaders anticipate and address workplace regulations and legislation. The blog, "Public Policy Perceptions," is written by the association's director of public policy, Cara Welch, Esq., and can be found at http://www.worldatwork.org/waw/adim/blogs/cara_welch/html/blog-cw.jsp.

What I’m Hearing…Monday Morning Fun

Things have been busy here at Astron, so I’m a bit behind on my leisure reading. This weekend I enjoyed last week’s Time Out New York. One fun feature in their I, New York section particularly caught my eye – The Formula. This issue’s formula is “I’m worried I’m about to get fired! How can I know for sure?” The writers at TONY have determined that your risk of being fired is directly related to how much you IM at work, if you have personal relationships with co-workers, the Dilbert-ness of your boss, and the amount of overtime you put in. The Formula is definitely amusing! If only more things in HR were so quantifiable.

HR Links Galore

We hadn't given you a lot of links in a while...and we at the Astron blog love to update you on what's going on around the US...so here you go:

A job outlook from the Providence Journal: click here

A pro-office romance article from the Gazette: click here

Word from the CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM): click here

From the HRM Guide, word that few firms actually define diversity: click here

From Systematic HR...is it Job or Performance: click here

From HR.BLR, a bill to support employee verification: click here

From HR World, word that SHRM has backed this bill: click here

From the New York Times and Inc., word that diversity is unclear at small firms: click here

And lastly for today, from Forbes, word that most retirees will look for other jobs: click here

Enjoy!!!

We'll have more for you soon...trust me

Clinton and Obama as Managers

Leave it those Neanderthals over there at Harvard to bring in another aspect into the mudslinging of candidates in this political race between John McCain, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama: click here

(Just kidding on that...I went to Brandeis so we have much love to our brethren down the Charles River...and even more love for their business cases)

Without getting into a real political discussion here, it's amazing that this hasn't been brought up more often. Especially the "Managing People" aspect. President Bush has done an unbelievably inept job at this in his time as President between "Scooter" Libby and his two Attorney Generals (the latter of which got into a lot of hot water over his "Managing People" skills) and the scores of other officials around him (don't forget FEMA and the whole Katrina disaster) who turned out to be incapable of handling their job, incapable of managing others, or just totally inept.

And lets not forget Bush hasn't done a great job at "Managing Money" either, as highlighted by this article in the New York Times: click here

Mr. Robert Hormats [vice chairman of Goldman Sachs International] mentioned Social Security and Medicare, saying that both could have been put “on a more sustainable basis.” And he cited the committee’s own calculations from last fall that showed that the money spent on the war each day is enough to enroll an additional 58,000 children in Head Start for a year, or make a year of college affordable for 160,000 low-income students through Pell Grants, or pay the annual salaries of nearly 11,000 additional border patrol agents or 14,000 more police officers.

We'll let that sink in.........

Ok...and let's also not forget the whole "Managing Expectations" aspect either: click here

So do I agree with the article? Not completely. Leaving McCain out of the article completely but instead referencing him in passing at the end was not exactly the most even-handed way to do it.

And I think that both Senators Clinton and Obama both have "Managing People" problems. Obama's have definitely shown up recently with his association with Tony Rezko and Clinton's are most prevalently with her own husband--which is another story completely (and could go towards keeping those under your watch under wraps and in control).

And while "Manager" may be a broader title, for the Human Resource aspect the money management realm, while important, is not really relevant.

But the idea is a good one--which candidate would make a good Human Resource Manager. Because those thirsty for change, don't want President Bushes running their country and those in charge won't want President Bushes running their companies.

Update: Yeah...about "Hilldog" and her ability to Manage People: click here

What I’m Hearing…Generational Spending Patterns

Ever since I was a small child, I’ve always believed in saving things that might be valuable to me in the future. Plastic bags, office supplies, nostalgic items, and my most favorite thing to save – money. When I was about 6 or 7, I received a toy safe for Christmas, which I loved. I put all my dollar and five dollar bills in there, along with some business plans for the ideal restaurant I wanted to open when I grew up. I still have those plans. Perhaps that will be my second career after I retire.

So when I recently heard on the radio that one-quarter of Generation X workers live paycheck to paycheck, I was floored. The notion of living that close to the edge is something very foreign to me. I’m wondering if this is an HR issue, a cultural issue, or a combination of factors.

Looking at this issue through an HR lens, we can take several steps to prevent or mitigate this spending trend. We need to pay our employees equitably and fairly, as per our organization’s compensation philosophy. Annual market updates ensure external market competitiveness. We should also provide options for employee education on personal fiscal management.

More and more I’m seeing individuals who want to buy everything…right now. That type of spending approach will certainly lead to a lack of savings. I understand that the younger members of our workforce are juggling a variety of expenses, including cars, cell phones, rent, and student loans. While we as HR practitioners cannot directly change these social / cultural issues immediately, we can provide the tools to help our employees move away from the dangers of living paycheck to paycheck into something more secure.

What I’m Hearing…Paid Family Leave

I heard on the radio this morning that New Jersey is in the process of passing a paid family leave bill. According to the plan, employees would be able to receive up to 6 weeks of paid family leave, at a maximum rate of $500 per week.

One cannot argue that America is not as progressive as other nations when it comes to paid leave and work/life balance. We have much room for enhancement. However, should the government mandate such programs? With a maximum payout of $3,000 under the New Jersey guidelines, would it make more sense for organizations to voluntarily offer such programs, or provide special bonuses of an equal or greater amount without government interference?

Retaining good employees is becoming more difficult every day. Examining options in the area of paid family leave may become a necessity for successful organizations to continue, without intervention from the government.

You, Your Health & You

Gotta love The Daily Show...but you definitely have to love old school Daily Show...

So we decided to go back and get some Human Resources clips from way-back-when...

Enjoy:







Just in case you had a case of the Mondays...and in case you're wondering, we'll be giving you more of these fun video clips every Tuesday to make your week just a little better :)

What I’m Hearing…Résumé Objectives

When I was in college, career services taught me the importance of having an objective on my résumé. However, this never felt quite right. I certainly couldn’t put down my honest objective – to get a job to make money and gain experience with any organization willing to take a chance on me. What if someone judged me solely on the contents of that one elaborately created sentence? Why was that one sentence so important to everyone but me?

Now that I’m on the other side of the table, I again question the value of the résumé objective. I’ve seen many résumés that mention another company’s name, a field we’re not recruiting for, a desire to work in a different part of the US, or statements that tell me right away that the person is not looking for a job at Astron (e.g., seeks a high growth sales position with a Fortune 500 company on the West Coast). Résumé objectives may be helpful in weeding out candidates who won’t be a good fit, but more often than not they don’t add positive value to the recruiting equation.

According to Vault.com, résumé objectives are dead. Résumés should sell you and your personal brand by making you more appealing to prospective employers. Employers don’t want to hear what you want to do. They want to know what you can do for them. Vault.com recommends using a tailored summary of your skills as your personal marketing tool. It will be interesting to see if the tailored skill summary approach takes hold over the next few years. I’d like to see more résumés use this format.

Looks like back in college I was just a little ahead of my time with my thinking on résumé objectives.

March On

Marching on here on the first workday in March as we update you on some Human Resource news that we had previously touched on here on the blog...

First from the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and their study titled "2008 Flu Prevention in the Workplace Study" say that 33% of offices send their employees home if they come to work sick to battle against presenteeism...but just 10% actually offer the employee the telecommuting options that would allow them to work from home: click here

While most of them (59 percent) say their companies offer free flu vaccine to employees, other options are reported. Eighteen percent of companies encourage employees to get a flu shot offsite and 10 percent will pay for it. Nineteen percent offer shots onsite, but at employees' expense. Three percent do the same, but subsidize part of the cost.

"Employers recognize the benefits of keeping their employees healthy and productive during work hours," said Susan R. Meisinger, president and CEO of SHRM. "Flu season is a real threat to all businesses, so prevention is top of mind for HR professionals."

Educating employees on preventative measures to reduce the spread of flu at work is an initiative reported by 47 percent of HR professionals. Other common prevention efforts include making hand sanitizer and tissues easily accessible (52 percent).

Lastly, we turn to another one of our fellow bloggers for advice saying to make sure to protect yourself from lawsuits which can be costly, time consuming and bad for business and your company's public image: click here

Washington's Rulings

We go to Washington and the Washington Post for our blog articles for this Thursday...

First from the Post, word about the Supreme Court declaring that FedEx Workers can sue over age discrimination: click here

More from today on the same case (in some articles they called it ageism and some called it age bias...all the same idea) and some of the reasons involved and repercussions for Human Resources and what happened with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in the case: click here

Lastly from the Post on an unrelated topic, an article about an upside for the Middle Class: click here

What I’m Hearing…Pay for Potential

HR software company Vurv Technology is incorporating a new concept into its latest performance management tool – pay for potential. In HR we talk about across the board increases, merit pay, pay for performance, and pay at risk. But how often do we think about paying some now for what they might do in the future?

Reflecting on our various client engagements, I can only think of one organization that said future potential / contribution should be a factor – but not the only factor – in determining pay and placement in range.

In theory, paying someone for their future contributions sounds like an idea with merit. It encourages people to try hard, to do their best, and to stay with an organization. But what if that person never delivers? What can the organization do about those lost dollars?

On the one hand, ending up with an average performer and solid contributor who keeps down the cost of turnover isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However, pay for potential seems to have too many risks and intangibles associated with it to generate a sufficient ROI. Effective, continuous communication and more rapid pay increases (e.g., every 3 – 6 months) may be just as effective in giving high performers what they need to stay motivated and engaged.

Calling All HR Blogs for our Blogroll

Always trying to update our Blogroll (listed as Other HR Blogs on the right side of the screen), we would love to accept your Human Resources blog or other suggestions you have for our HR Blogroll. We've tried to add in other blogs as we go but if you give us a shout on on your blog, we'll do the same here at Astron!

Let me know if you have a blog to add to the list...

What I'm Hearing...Astronology on Succession Planning

We talked about it in our blog, and now it's made it to Astronology, Astron Solutions bi-weekly newsletter. Check it out on our website http://www.astronsolutions.com/library/astronology.htm

And make sure to sign up for the bi-weekly Astronology newsletter to make sure to get in-depth coverage of the latest important news in Human Resources: click here

Lastly, as always, if you would like to find out more about what we do here at Astron Solutions, please visit our website (http://astronsolutions.com) and feel free to contact us if you have any questions. We love keeping you updated with this blog, but if you want to know what we can offer your business, please check out our website.

Breaking News on Supreme Court Age Discrimination Case

We've been talking about it here for a while so wanted to update you by letting you know a ruling has come down in the Age Discrimination case seen before the Supreme Court and in a unanimous ruling, they have found in favor of the ex-employee (click here)

This is a big blow to businesses as the Associated Press (via Forbes) writes:

The Supreme Court is leaving the door open for workers in age discrimination cases to present supporting evidence from other employees at a company.

This, after a Washington Post analysis article from Sunday said that the Supreme Court Justices were further resisting finding the right to sue: click here

More later as news becomes available...

Updated: If you want to see the actual Supreme Court decision, check it out here on their website: click here

Updated: The StarTribune weighs in with some more information than the Forbes article, but a little easier for most of us to understand than the full Supreme Court decision: click here

What I’m Hearing…Medical Tourism

Last night during my standing Monday dance lesson, my Hustle dance coach told me that a friend of his is leaving for England to have hip resurfacing surgery, a procedure that’s not common here in the States. When I asked why someone would fly so far away for medical work, he said that the procedure will cost $11,000 - $14,000 less than it would here, even with the airfare and other travel expenses.

I’d heard of medical tourism before, but I didn’t really think people did it. I was wrong.

According to a survey done by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, 11% of surveyed organizations cover medical tourism. (Keep in mind these organizations are large.) In addition, some insurance companies have begun creating policies that provide incentive to covered individuals to go abroad for treatment for some medical needs.

Is this a wise idea? Depending on the country one travels to, is this safe? Money is definitely important, and medical costs here in the US are high. However, is saving a few thousand dollars worth the risks and discomfort associated with 6+ hour plane flights to foreign lands, without one’s family, to interact with medical professionals and anesthesiologists who may not be fluent in English? Perhaps instead of “outsourcing” our medical care the insurance companies should cut down on the level of profits they enjoy at our expense.

What I’m Hearing…The Cubicle Police

We’ve all dealt with them. Co-workers who do things that annoy us while we’re trying to be productive. But what can we do? Rules of polite society prevent us from speaking our minds.

In the current issue of Time Out New York, they decided to do go where we can’t. Click here to enjoy an amusing article where TONY’s police officer Laura Leu combed the hallways at ad agency Young and Rubicam to tackle Internet surfing, smelly lunches, animal décor, and joke forwarding. Have fun, and take comfort knowing you’re not alone!

Sick? Work From Home

I finally caught it.

I felt like I was in a horror movie being chased by the killer the past few months as I'd seen colleagues, family and friends go down with the winter bug. I'd done everything to avoid it from quarantining myself from the sick, to loading up on Orange Juice and Airborne, to washing my hands with Purell.

But I got sick anyways. And when it hit it wasn't a mild cold or a virus, but a nasty infection.

Many have to make the choice in this situation whether to go to work or stay home. Many, according to a CBS News report from 2005 (click here), choose to go into work--something called presenteeism:

Although it's done out of job dedication in many cases, it really doesn't help to have an employee in the office who is spreading an infection to others, in addition to not being able to work as well due to their own illness. Some experts say presenteeism can actually result in a greater loss of productivity than absenteeism.

I chose absenteeism, or staying home from work. But instead of making it a sick day off. I've parlayed my days off into opportunities to telecommute. We've talked a lot in this blog about telecommuting, but this seems to be one of the cases where it truly does seem to work.

Although the source (Telecommute Connecticut) may be a little biased in this article (click here), this passage from Jen Jorgenson, a spokesperson for the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) is important to note:

Companies may want to encourage telecommuting rather than have employees come in to the office and use their computers to get work done and infect everyone else around them, Jorgenson said employees who telecommute when sick can continue to be productive without making others sick.

If you're having a hard time figuring out if you're too sick to go to work, this Medicenet article that was a feature on WebMD, can help you figure it out: click here

The New York Times (click here), Baltimore Sun (click here), and Asbury Park Press (click here) all give the same message: if you're sick, stay home!

Human Resources can have a role in this by encouraging employees to work from home when sick instead of stressing on them coming in and fighting through it while spreading the germs and giving them access to things like laptop computers and VPN access so that they can access all their files from home.

And this issue is not just a United States one...sick days cost British businesses £ 34 billion according to this article by the Daily Mail: click here

Thirty nine per cent of workers say they are completely bored when they have to take time off sick, and wish they were back at work.


Wouldn't it be better to take those bored workers and give them something to do when they are home?

What I’m Hearing…Heartache Leave

Here’s one I’ve never heard of before. Receiving paid time off to get over a breakup.

Japanese firm Hime & Co offers heartache leave to employees. Employees under 25 can take 1 day per year. Employees 25 – 29 can take 2 days per year. 30 and over? You can take 3 days per year to get over a failed relationship. According to CEO Miki Hiradate, "Women in their 20s can find their next love quickly, but it's tougher for women in their 30s, and their breakups tend to be more serious."

Here in America, FMLA and EAP programs may cover some of the medical / physical issues which sometimes manifest themselves at the end of a relationship. Title VII and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act would also address whether it’s OK to create such a policy here in the States. (Short answer – “no” to the Hime program. There’s too much discrimination based on age and gender.)

Should corporate policy cover heartache leave? And what about those employees who are happy to get out of a relationship – should they be eligible for an extra vacation day or two to celebrate? I don’t think we’ll be seeing any programs like Hime’s making their way across the Pacific anytime soon. It is interesting to explore what other nations are doing in the area of employee relations, though.

What I'm Hearing...The Employee Free Choice Act

With all the recent political coverage, we’ve heard a lot about the Presidential candidates’ plans for healthcare reform, retirement security, and a host of other topics that impact Human Resources. One proposed law, however, that’s slipped beneath the radar is the Employee Free Choice Act.

Although comprised of a variety of facets, long story short, the potential law proposes that employees should be able to form a union simply by signing authorization cards. A formal election would no longer be required for employees to become organized labor.

The proposed law (H.R. 800, S. 1041) is supported by both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. John McCain opposes the law. Mike Huckabee is silent on the topic.

The Employee Free Choice Act chips away at the cornerstone of our nation’s labor relations code, the Wagner Act, also known as the National Labor Relations Act. When voting this November, be sure to consider how the candidates’ stands on this law will impact your daily job as an HR practitioner. How would your work change if employees could unionize without your having a say in the matter?

Latest 401(K) news

We've been talking a lot lately about the cases the Supreme Court would hear but one ruling they just came out on dealt with 401(K)s...

According to MSNBC (via AP): click here

The issue in the LaRue case was whether the Employee Retirement Income Security Act permits an individual account holder to sue plan administrators for breaching their fiduciary duties.

The language of the law refers to recovering money for the “plan” rather than for an individual, raising the question of whether a participant can sue solely for himself.

Justice John Paul Stevens, in his opinion for the court, said that such lawsuits are allowed. “Fiduciary misconduct need not threaten the solvency of the entire plan to reduce benefits below the amount that participants would otherwise receive,” Stevens said.

Business owners supported LaRue's employers and you wonder what repercussions this plan will have on future 401(K) offerings from employers and how many lawsuits will follow this decision...

What I'm Hearing...Wage and Hour Lawsuits

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been hearing more and more about wage and hour lawsuits. It seems the U.S. Department of Labor is stepping up its investigation of wage and hour complaints. Now, more than ever, it’s essential to make sure your FLSA exempt / non-exempt classifications, and associated job descriptions, are accurate and up to date. White collar positions including store managers, IT positions, and sales reps are the next wave of DOL investigation. In the past, traditional non-exempt positions have been the focus.

According to Fortune Small Business, key areas to examine are “executive assistant” positions, IT employees, pay docking practices, the impact of telecommuting on compensation, provision of comp time, and the use of stock options.

FLSA compliance has always been a thorny issue. While the new 2004 regulations helped in a variety of areas, compliance continues to vex HR professionals and their business line managers. Proactively updating your job descriptions and auditing your exemptions should help to prevent your organization from being targeted for lawsuits by employees and the DOL.

More on Age Discrimination

Whether you call it Ageism (detailed here in full Wiki style) or age discrimination, you, as a Human Resource Professional, should be getting familiar with the idea, because the decisions made in Washington will have an impact on your business. Amazingly, this story is getting very little play in the national media outside of Washington. But we here at the Astron Solutions' blog found you the best articles to get you even more up-to-speed...

First, the Washington Post has a quick summary look at the Age Discrimination cases: click here

Next, an article about how the shield against reprisal after a bias claim was discussed by the Supreme Court: click here

On to Slate which has an article titled "Grumpy Old Men"...always an interesting read over there at Slate: click here

Lastly, Jurist, from University of Pittsburgh Law School, has the court cases for those
who want to see the legalese behind the lawsuits: click here

What I’m Hearing…Fun Stuff

It doesn’t have to be all work all the time. During the long President’s Day holiday, I took some time to enjoy TV!

I enjoy learning more about location specific history. You know, things like “on the site where there’s now a Wal-Mart, in 1829 it was the site of a working farm.” There were two interesting programs on this weekend which are worth viewing online.

First, First Look New York, a program broadcast on WNBC in New York, ran a story about President Theodore Roosevelt’s home. Comedian Mo Rocca takes us on a tour of the President’s home and shares interesting trivia. Be sure to watch for the segment regarding President Roosevelt watching President Lincoln’s cortège for an “it happened here” moment.

Second, PBS’s American Experience ran a fascinating story about the history of New York’s Grand Central Station. Who knew the building that so many of us take for granted today had such a past?

Lastly, for some chuckles, Fox’s Family Guy ran an amusing, if impractical, approach to combating identity theft. The show aired Sunday, February 17th.

Happy viewing!

Too Old? Not in the Workplace

One of the forms of discrimination that may be more prevalent than people think and which many people know very little about is age discrimination.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has facts about age discrimination here: click here

And the United States Department of Labor has information here: click here

But this issue is not as cut and dry as many people would think. Recently my dad was unemployed for a while and while trying to get a new job, he did everything he could to hide his age because of his perceived bias on the part of the people who he was interviewing with.

And he's not the only one...the Supreme Court will hear five Age Discrimination cases according to the Washington Post: click here

The Christian Science Monitor also takes up the issue putting out the issue of: when can people sue for age discrimination: click here

Although this would seem to be a cut and dry area, many companies have policies against older employees and many fire older, tenured employees to bring in younger ones.

And then there's an article from the Boston Globe saying that colleges, companies, and state officials in Massachusetts are giving incentives for young people to stay in state: click here

Although this seems like a good, practical idea with many Baby Boomers retiring and a need for these young workers, how can giving these incentives to young workers and not to the older ones NOT be age discrimination? Would someone have a case against these organizations that provide this incentive?

We'll find out quite soon after the Supreme Court ruling...

What I’m Hearing…Economic Downturns

Listening to the news nowadays, it sounds like the American economy is in a bad way. Certainly, mortgage issues, the cost of oil and gas, and a variety of other factors are impacting our nation’s economy in a less than positive manner.

I heard about an interesting and unique article in the 2/13/08 issue of Financial Times regarding the American economy and its health. The article’s author notes that small business owners, at least in the first quarter of 2008, are NOT seeing a downturn in their businesses. According to the article, Proctor & Gamble can tell us more about our economy than one might think.

When there is a significant slowdown in the economy, consumers tend to shift from brand label products to generics in an effort to save money. Proctor & Gamble’s earnings report, however, does not show that this transition is happening. This finding correlates with anecdotal evidence from a Financial Times survey.

As the economy might be stronger than some members of the media report, it’s important that we continue our efforts to recruit and retain the best talent. When the economy picks up again – and it will – key players must be in place in order to push our organizations to the next level of success. Hiding ineffective HR practices or a lack of succession planning behind the veil of “a bad economy” won’t lead to the success that’s needed moving forward.

What have you done recently to make sure your organization is strategically positioned for the coming year?

Steroid Hearings: What HR Can Learn From This

I have a feeling that Congress has a few other important things to do than to grill baseball over past steroids and HGH use (you know...Iraq, Afghanistan, the economy, the job market, the housing market, the threat of terrorism--and the fact that only about 20% of Americans approve of Congress is surprising to some people), but since they did, it brings up one very, very interesting HR issue, which was buried within the whole circus atmosphere yesterday, and that was: why the heck did Roger Clemens continue to employ Brian McNamee? And not only employee him, but befriend him and trust him...

Jason Stark of ESPN points out in his blog here (may need Insider for access), this exchange:

Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton ran through a laundry list of all the unseemly stuff McNamee had allegedly done to Clemens -- lies about Ph.D.s, claiming the Rocket's workout program was McNamee's workout program, using Clemens' photo in an ad without permission, etc. -- and wondered, "Why did you continue to employ him?"

This seemed like a set-up question -- a chance for Clemens to talk about what a great guy he is. Instead, the Rocket rambled all over the District of Columbia. After about four attempts to get Clemens to sing his own praises, Clemens finally caught on.

"Why did you keep this man? It's very simple," Norton said. "He did some pretty horrendous things."

"I'm a forgiving person," Clemens said, finally.

Oh. That explains it. That satisfied Norton, anyhow.

"Mr. Clemens," she concluded. "All I can say is, I'm sure you're going to heaven."

I'm not sure if Norton (who Colbert Report fans may know from her frequent spots on the show as a famous "delegate") was being sarcastic at the end of that, but this brings up huge character issues and brings up the Human Resources issue. There certainly is value in giving second chances to people, but someone such as Clemens should have more careful with someone like McNamee. That list does not even include his rape arrest, injecting his wife with HGH, giving him an amphetamine, or other incendiary things he has supposedly done.

And if you look at Clemens testimony, it seems like these issues were something Clemens was aware of: click here

The Houston Chronicle picks up on this as well (click here):

The Clemens defense team has been chipping away at the credibility of McNamee for the better part of two months. McNamee is an admitted drug dealer who was involved in a 2001 date-rape case in which he lied to police but was never charged. He isn't the sort of person you'd want spending an inordinate amount of time around your family — yet he was an invited overnight guest in the Clemens home many times.

"I'm a forgiving person," Clemens said.

How forgiving? Clemens asserted that he didn't learn until after the fact that his wife, Debbie, received human-growth hormone injections from McNamee in 2003. Despite that, Clemens continued to employ McNamee until 2007. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., said — either sympathetically or ironically — to Clemens: "I'm sure you're going to heaven."

This man was not only employed by Clemens but by Andy Pettitte and the New York Yankees organization. Some Human Resources professional should have seen the flags in McNamee's record and kept him away from the team. Either Clemens or Pettitte should have realized that they needed to entrust someone else. This problem was NOT just a Yankee problem either (I feel, as a Yankee fan, I should be quick to point that out); the San Fransisco Giants let Barry Bonds personal trainer, Greg Anderson, into the clubhouse and the Mets let in Kirk Radmonski.

Someone in Human Resources should have stepped up with background checks and more oversight to stop letting in drug dealers into Major League Baseball clubhouses...because the truth is that letting these type of people into your company will not "send you to heaven" as a Human Resources Professional

Update: Due to our responses we would like to add in Global Warming, the decline of the American dollar, ridiculously high college costs and the breakdown on the public school system to our list of problems Congress probably should have been worried about rather than steroids...but I digress...

What I'm Hearing...Writing Skills

Yesterday I received a catalog from Uline, a company which specializes in shipping supplies. Liz Uihlein writes on page 374 of the catalog about 7th Grade, Mr. Nelson and Uline.

Ms. Uihlein makes the case that today's employees and consultants don't have the necessary skills to communicate effectively in the workplace. Prioritization, focus, and organization are missing in written documents. As she explains, Despite a "How to Write at Uline" indoctrination by our HR department when employees are hired, poorly written documents submitted to me remains one of my biggest daily challenges. "What is your point, what do you propose, what are your Top 3?" I ask over and over. Lately, I've taken to saying "Return to sender and redo. You're wasting my time."

I too have read documents prepared by individuals for whom English is their native tongue. To read the document, however, you would think English was their third language. I've also seen choppy PowerPoint presentations explained away as "it's meant as talking points and not a written lasting document."

Why is it difficult for individuals to realize the importance of producing polished written work? What you write reflects on who you are. People will make decisions about you based solely on how you write. (Think about what you do with resumes that have typos and other errors.) Writing skills are not something that develop overnight. However, as HR professionals, we should be actively working with our current and future employees, through Workforce Readiness initiatives, to ensure that everyone communicates as clearly and effectively as possible.

Bad Weather? Don't Commute; Telecommute

It is snowy and rainy here in New York....and commuting to work is really bad so we start out on this Wednesday with the StatesmanJournal in Oregon telling us that when the weather turns, people should embrace the telecommuting option: click here

Next, following up on a previous blog entry, a FOX Business article about proposed changes to the FMLA: click here

Uh-oh...here comes that HR chick--said the Orlando Sentinel in this article whose title may irk a few of you: click here

Lastly, Management-Issues from the UK asks what is it about HR that has it rising in importance in so many organizations: click here

What I'm Hearing...Succession Planning

The February 2008 issue of Continental magazine featured a story called "Who's Next?" in the Ideas@Work column. According to the story, "when it comes to developing talent, the future is now."

One cannot argue the importance of succession planning. With the changes in our economy, our nation's demographics, and a general shortage of talent, simply waiting for great employees, or even good ones, to arrive at our organization's doorstep is a naive thought. The article raised a few points worthy of discussion:

1. But given the extreme mobility and conflicted loyalties that characterize today's workforce, it is unrealistic to think you will be able to develop enough talent within your organization to meet all your future needs. True, we may not be able to grow all our necessary talent in house, especially at larger organizations. However, why can't we try? Do people necessarily move from job to job simply because that's the "right" thing to do? If we as an organization can meet or exceed someone's needs, won't employees stay with us? Why change if you're satisfied and developing?

2. You need to know who the stars are in your industry in order to effectively succession plan. We may know who the top talent is in our own organization, but when have we taken a look at the talent our competition has? Although this is a difficult task, for long-term success, it's a perspective organizations will have to take.

3. When courting talent from outside your organization, it is important to identify candidates who are likely to thrive in your culture. Amen. How many times have candidates interviewed at small companies, only to say that their dream job would be to work at a Fortune 100 firm? Make sure the culture fit is there to ensure the best hiring success.