People I Work With: The Fraternizers

Fraternizers. I doubt that's a real word. But it describes not just people I work with but people I know and people I have worked with. There's a point where like Pam and Jim on "The Office", that office romances are cute and romantic (and I know plenty of those, too). But I'm more talking about the more illicit affairs that are, well, affairs. People cheating on wives and husbands and fiances with other people at the office.

Most of the time, I admit, it's none of my business. But one situation came up in the past which was really uncomfortable. I knew that two of my co-workers (one married and one not quite there yet) were involved with each other. And at an outside work event, one party arrived with their spouse. That conversation was, to put it lightly, quite awkward!

Now I'm not saying that all fraternization at the office should be banned at every office. I know co-workers who have fallen in love and gotten married. And in some places, that type of relationship is OK. But the type of fraternizing I am talking about made everyone uncomfortable. Those who knew. Those who didn't but suspected. Those who saw something. Everyone around these people. That is not a kosher situation for the office.

The other problem is that a great conflict of interest can result from these two working in the same office. A lot of companies have checks and balances but when you have two people involved past a work friendship, those lines can be blurred. And sexual harrassment is always a concern in this type of situation, especially when one party is higher ranked than another.

The best thing Human Resources can do is to set company policies and try to enforce them whenever they feel it is going over the line. Forcing couples to reveal a relationship when it begins is a good way to do this. That way, they know if there are any potential conflicts that be discovered early on. HR doesn't usually have a place in their workers love life, but this is one place where a good company policy can go a long way. People can't help who they fall in love with but HR has a responsibility to not make it an awkward work situation.

-Andrew

The People I Work With: The Self-Depricator

Humor is a great asset for a person to have in an office. So is modesty and honesty. But sometimes when they get combined, the results are NOT pretty. Take "Jerry", a person I work(ed) with, who is self-depricating, but in a sometimes-racist and increasingly-uncomfortable way.

It's OK to apologize for things you do wrong, but Jerry tries to always blame it on his race in a very stereotypical way. He has a good sense of humor and an accent so the first time he says it you sort of shrug it off and laugh but he 4th or 5th time makes you growingly uncomfortable. You don't know whether to laugh--or run to HR.

This not only makes people at the office uncomfortable who Jerry tells these "jokes" to, but people who are of his same race who hear him talk about these sometimes-hurtful stereotypes. People who don't know better and hear it may also repeat these jokes to others and/or in a public setting and get reprimanded for it. Just because someone is of the race they are making fun of doesn't mean that Human Resources shouldn't talk to them about their dialog. But because it goes unchecked, some people feel increasingly awkward about the situation.

Jerry is someone who needs to be talked to by HR. It's not an easy conversation to have, but it's better to have it now than when someone comes and complains about it. Next in this series we'll look at some more of "the people I work with".

-Andrew

The People I Work With: Loud Personal Phone Talker

I figured it was about time to do a series I've wanted to do for a while now titled: "People I Work With". It will be totally anonymous but will talk about some HR red flags that I've seen in the workplace. Our first installment of the series will focus on "Doug", a "loud personal phone talker".

Doug works nearby me and he's always on the phone making personal calls. He's in the process of making large scale changes in his life and talks to everyone from his wife to his doctors to his bank on the phone. And he talks loudly. VERY loudly. Doug obviously hasn't heard that people have move past analog cell phones because he shouts in every call he makes. Everyone who works in a cube within Doug's area can hear all his conversations loud and clear.

The Human Resources implications of this are very large. Doug's productivity goes down because of his large time making personal phone calls and his surrounding co-worker's productivity goes down as well because of his loud talking. He also talks about personal information on the phone which many people can hear about. When Doug is talking about his position or the people he works with, he makes other feel quite uncomfortable. And Doug's constant presence on the phone also leaves co-workers unable to conduct their own, business-related phone calls in the area.

This is just the first example of the HR hazards that I see around the office. Because there is no strict policy in place and because no one speaks up, this behavior is allowed to continue unchecked. In our next installment, we will talk about another co-worker who makes some people very uncomfortable with his self-depricating humor.

-Andrew

Astronology - Religious Accommodation Keeping the Balance

Astronology Volume X Issue 27   March 9, 2009 Dear Andrew, Astron Solutions provides high-quality, low-cost, innovative human resources consulting services to organizations like yours. Call us for advice, innovative program design, and user-friendly Web/PC based software.   Fact or Fiction Only twice a year, you can see the sun pass directly overhead while standing on the equator. FACT! This natural phenomenon occurs only twice a year on the equator: during the vernal equinox and autumnal equinox. As for everyone here at Astron, we're eagerly awaiting this year's Vernal Equinox - March 20th. Enough with the snow and ice!   Daylight Savings Time Spring forward, fall back. Don't forget to set your clocks ahead this Sunday morning (March 14th). Daylight savings time begins early this year.   Religious Accommodation...Keeping the Balance For many, religion is a private and sacred part of their lives. Still, this delicate subject impacts an employee's professional life and his / her organization. Many organizations are quite conscious of the sensitivity needed when addressing employees' requests for religious accommodation. However, some organizations are not aware of how to keep a balance between satisfying their employees and keeping the organization productive. This edition of Astronology takes a closer look into the topic...more   Have a Question? If you have a topic you would like addressed in Astronology, or some feedback on a past article, don't hesitate to tell us!  Simply reply to this e-mail.  See your question answered, or comments addressed, in an upcoming issue of Astronology. Looking for a top-notch presenter for your human resource organization's meeting?  Both Jennifer Loftus and Michael Maciekowich present highly-rated sessions on a variety of compensation and employee retention issues.  For more information, send an e-mail to info@astronsolutions.com.   The Fine Print We hold your e-mail address in trust.  Astron Solutions promises never to share or rent your personal information.  We also promise never to send you frivolous e-mails and will allow you to leave our list, at your option, at any time. To remove yourself from this list, please follow your personalized subscriber link at the bottom of your Astronology alert e-mail. Copyright 2010, Astron Solutions, LLC ISSN Number 1549-0467 Quick Links Client List Meet the Astron Team Contact Us   World of HR Blog Bringing you Human Resource news from around the globe...compliments of Astron Solutions. More

 

Guest Post: Writing Like a Professional Will Get You Paid Like a Professional

Once in a while, we get an excellent guest blog submitted to us. This is one of those cases. Jay, a friend of mine, who just graduated law school and passed the bar, is someone I would classify as a "grammarian" (others may use the less politically correct term "grammar nazi"). He hates people's misuse of "your" and "you're" and of course "there", "their", and "they're". But while perfect writing is not required in any job, knowing how to write like a professional is a good way to get hired, to keep your job, and to advance. Here is some advice from Jay in our guest blog today:
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I am a newly admitted attorney who graduated from law school less than one year ago. Lawyers, by definition, have been trained to write like professionals. This is one of the redeeming aspects of our profession, and I am proud to uphold this “tradition.”

Sadly, writing is not the art that it used to be. From the dawn of mankind until the early 1980’s, human beings wrote on surfaces ranging from stone walls to ordinary paper, using utensils ranging from granite rocks to ballpoint pens to typewriters. The common element among each of these formats is that those human beings had no room for error. There was no backspace key or pencil eraser or Wite-Out. Once that typewriter key was pressed, or that pen stroke was made, the words were – figuratively and often literally – set in stone. Consequently, writers were forced to choose their words very carefully.

Fast forward to the last couple of decades. The invention of the personal computer has revolutionized the way in which people write. The two biggest changes, in my opinion, are that we can write faster than ever before and that we can easily correct our mistakes. Admittedly, this faster pace of writing has lessened the strain on our bodies and our minds. The downside of this speed is that to avoid negating the time and trouble we have saved by using computers, we rush through the thinking process. Quite simply, because we can write quickly and correct our mistakes effortlessly, we write as the words and thoughts occur to us. For many people, the concept of “stream of consciousness” has transformed from an exercise in a high school English class into the primary way in which we communicate with other people.

Lots of modern norms have accelerated this change. Nobody writes a letter anymore; we write e-mails instead. Text messages have replaced handwritten notes and postcards. Blogs have replaced letters-to-the-editor. Twitter has replaced newspaper clippings. Communication has never been easier, and the end result is that people are writing more frequently and faster than ever. We are constantly looking for shortcuts to save even more time. The problem, however, is not how fast we write. No, the problem is how we write.
I believe that “AIM-speak” is just plain ugly. First used in instant messaging programs more than a decade ago, this style of writing has spread to modern e-mails and text messages. The words “you,” “because,” and “tonight” have become “u” and “cuz” and “2nite.” We are even too lazy to phrase the simple question, “What’s up?” anymore. Instead, we opt for the shorter “wsup?” These examples are just a few of the countless shortcuts people now use in contemporary English writing.

Deception, Credit Checks and the Receptionist in the Job Search

A few older articles to get out of the way today, but that doesn't make them unrelevant!

From a mid-February New York Times report, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued seven job placement operators for deception. The victims were innocent people just looking for a job and part of an expanding array of fraudulent job placement and work-at-home schemes. This is sad news for the job market where cruel people are taking advantage of the desperation of people to get hired.

From earlier this week a Yahoo! News and AP report says that states may ban credit check on job applicants (H/T Wendy). As we said above, it's hard enough to get a job in this economy, but now job applicants are facing another hurdle in the form of bad credit histories. From the article:

Sixty percent of employers recently surveyed by the Society for Human Resources Management said they run credit checks on at least some job applicants, compared with 42 percent in a somewhat similar survey in 2006.

Employers say such checks give them valuable information about an applicant's honesty and sense of responsibility. But lawmakers in at least 16 states from South Carolina to Oregon have proposed outlawing most credit checks, saying the practice traps people in debt because their past financial problems prevent them from finding work.

And lastly, from the New York Times "Corner Office" is a C.E.O. that says that one of the things she looks for in a job candidate is how they treated the receptionist when they came in for the interview: "I’ll want to know if someone comes in and if they weren’t polite, if they didn’t say, “Hello,” or ask them how they were. It’s really important to me." Good advice!

On Verbal Job Offers and Facebook Friending Your Boss

We start out on this Wednesday with an interesting post from Fistful of Talent which talks about the sad state we've gotten to in job offers when verbal agreements aren't enough. While the author of the post first laments that candidates demand offers in writing but after more research, turns the table on those doing the hiring:

But, maybe, more importantly... why have so many job seekers been jerked around when it comes to employment offers that they have to be so overly cautious? I mean for those of you making offers out there, what the heck are you guys doing?

I agree with Jessica. If you're going to offer a job to someone verbally, make sure that it exists and there's money in the budget to pay for it. It makes things much more difficult for everyone else when candidates can't trust hiring companies at their words.

Next, from Yahoo! News via Reuters the question was put out to America if you should Facebook friend your boss and America said no (H/T Wendy*)."A survey released on Thursday found that 56 percent of Americans say it is irresponsible to be friends with a boss and 62 percent say it is wrong to be friends with an employee." The interesting part of the study is that more and more, people are feeling comfortable saying that while accessing social media/networking at work is OK, doing things like updating statuses uploading pictures, tweeting, or watching online videos are becoming less acceptable to people. Hopefully studies like this will allow more companies to allow access to social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter--and have confidence that the employees will act responsibly.

*Side Note: Wendy happens to be my boss...and she sent this to me--do you think she's hinting at something?

Industries Hit Hardest by Job Losses and States With the Highest Taxes

Yesterday we talked about the hiring freeze thawing and the Wall Street bonuses growing, and today we have two more topics to discuss with you.

Investopedia via Yahoo! Finance has an interesting look at the three industries hardest hit by job losses and the job loss market as a whole (H/T Wendy). The amazing part is that since I started working in my current role in December of 2007, unemployment has almost doubled from 7.7 million Americans to 14.8 million. To make matters worse, the article says that the number of workers unemployed for 27 weeks or longer has soared to a record 6.3 million people. And 661,000 have just dropped out of the labor market entirely. These people don't count against the unemployment rate which means that even more people are not working than the unemployment percentage shows.

The three biggest industries hit by jobs losses are construction, transportation and warehousing, and manufacturing. There are only a few industries which have seen an increase in their employment. The temporary help services industry saw a bump as well as health care and the federal government (mostly due to the upcoming census). This proves that while jobs seem to continually be disappearing, looking in the right places shows that hiring is occurring.

Our second article, from The Guardian, looks at the actual tax rates of different US states (H/T Jay). It starts with the premise that many people are complaining at California taxes but California comes in 6th at an average of 10.5% on an average per capita income of $47,706 (2008). The real problem is in the Tri-State Area. New Jersey is #1 with 11.8% on $56,116, New York is #2 with 11.7% on $55,032. Connecticut is #3 with 11.1% on $63,160, with Maryland and Hawaii rounding out the top 5 (unfortunately I get taxed by both New York and Connecticut...eek!).

Massachusetts surprised the author of the post (and me) by coming in at 23rd. The South, while a lower tax rate in many states, also has a lower average per capita income. Wyoming seems to be the best bet to keep the most of your high salary with only 7% on $53,163. Some things to think about when relocating for a job!

Picture from Select Leaders

Hiring Freeze Thawing and Wall Street Bonuses

It's a mega link week here at Astron's World of HR blog.

First, from The Journal of Commerce, an interesting article about the hiring freeze starting thaw (H/T Wendy). The article does point, out, however that the road to recovery is just beginning and overall the U.S. job market is pretty flat (with unemployment hovering at 9%-10%). (Picture also from this article).

Next, The Wall Street Journal came out with the numbers yesterday that Wall Street bonuses were up 17% to $20.3 billion in 2009. Now, while it's not surprising that bonuses are up after last year's bonus-busting recession and the tight regulation on Wall Street bonuses, it is still disconcerting to much of Main Street that their tax dollars went to Wall Street for this. The interactive graph that accompanies the article is a good view to show how crazy the bonuses have gotten on Wall Street. You have to figure that many of these bonuses were "making up" for last year. But while most of America is dealing with unemployment, hearing that the average bonus was $124,850 and the average compensation was $340,000 has to be upsetting to many.

Tomorrow we'll get more into the job losses that we talked about as well as looking at which states tax you the most.

Astronology - The Electronic Workplace

Astronology Volume X Issue 26   February 23, 2009 Dear Andrew, Astron Solutions provides high-quality, low-cost, innovative human resources consulting services to organizations like yours. Call us for advice, innovative program design, and user-friendly Web/PC based software.   The Astron Road Show The weather's been frightful here in the Northeast, but that won't slow down the Astron Road Show! March 11th finds National Director Jennifer Loftus presenting to the Mid-Hudson Valley (New York) Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (MHVSHRM). Jennifer will speak on A + B + C = Wow! Using Total Rewards to Your Strategic Advantage. For more information or to register, please contact Katie Sens, MHVSHRM's VP of Programming. We hope to see you on the road!   Fact or Fiction The acid found in the stomach for digestion is strong enough to dissolve razor blades. FACT! Hydrochloric acid is the type of acid found in the stomach. This acid has the ability to not only dissolve the yummy food we eat, but also certain types of metals! We hope that your workplace is a positive one, not generating too much Hydrochloric acid for you!   The Electronic Workplace BlackBerries, Iphones, laptop computers, Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter. These are just a handful of the everyday technology advances impacting most every avenue of life, including the workplace. Along with technological advances in hardware systems, the social networking boom is changing the productivity of the workplace. In today's issue, Astronology reviews some of the many advantages and disadvantages of a more electronic workplace....more   Have a Question? If you have a topic you would like addressed in Astronology, or some feedback on a past article, don't hesitate to tell us!  Simply reply to this e-mail.  See your question answered, or comments addressed, in an upcoming issue of Astronology. Looking for a top-notch presenter for your human resource organization's meeting?  Both Jennifer Loftus and Michael Maciekowich present highly-rated sessions on a variety of compensation and employee retention issues.  For more information, send an e-mail to info@astronsolutions.com.   The Fine Print We hold your e-mail address in trust.  Astron Solutions promises never to share or rent your personal information.  We also promise never to send you frivolous e-mails and will allow you to leave our list, at your option, at any time. To remove yourself from this list, please follow your personalized subscriber link at the bottom of your Astronology alert e-mail. Copyright 2010, Astron Solutions, LLC ISSN Number 1549-0467 Quick Links Client List Meet the Astron Team Contact Us   World of HR Blog Bringing you Human Resource news from around the globe...compliments of Astron Solutions. More

 

Valentine's Day in The Office and in "The Office"

I'm just catching up on my DVR from last week after a fun trip down to New Orleans and one of the shows that I recently watched was "The Office" from last Thursday. It had a Valentine's Day theme which reminded me a lot of the Astronology from last week titled "Valentine's Day: Friend or Foe of the Workplace". Andy Bernard, a guy in Dunder Mifflin, likes Erin, a girl, but he doesn't want to make it that obvious by just giving her a Valentine's Day card and gives one to everyone in the office. Except he doesn't actually read the cards and confusion (and hilarity) ensues when some of his cards are a bit too "loving". In the fictional Dunder Mifflin, no one ever seems to get in trouble for violating Codes of Conduct, but in your real-life office, this could become a real problem:

While we look to the positive side of the holiday, there is always the concern about sexual harassment claims. The romantic nature of the holiday may encourage some employees to express their feelings for co-workers. Each year Vault.com runs an eye-opening study on office romance. Vault.com should be releasing the 2010 results shortly. Barbara Safani of Career Solvers also recently blogged on the prevalence of workplace romances and why people get involved with co-workers. While we can’t control everyone’s actions, as HR professionals, we need to ensure our employees know our organization’s policies regarding sexual harassment and hostile work environment to prevent legal claims.

I think the key is to revert to elementary school politics to prevent problems from occurring. As Astronology suggests, after what we all went through in 2009, Valentine's Day just gives workplaces another "excuse" to bring a "small injection of fun" into the office--but it needs to be fully inclusive of everyone. Games, candy, and even cheap gift cards all seem to work. Since it's Mardi Gras time, bringing in a King Cake for your group is a fun, sweet way to celebrate. The tradition is that whoever finds the tiny plastic baby has to buy the next King Cake. This allows some fun competition between office members and allows everyone to participate in a cheap fun way.

The Astronology concludes with some great advice: "Whatever options you implement, utilize this opportunity to reach out to your employees and let them know how much they mean to your organization!"

Photograph courtesy of NBC, Byron Cohen via Poptimal.

Greetings From New Orleans

Greetings from New Orleans and Bourbon St., home of the Super Bowl champion Saints! I was on one of two flights to escape Newark in this direction yesterday and miracuously made it down here.

I am amazed at how well the city looks. After Hurricaine Katrina, I expected the city to still be in a state of reconstruction, but other than the infrastructure improvements in the roads, the place looks great. Actually, it looks better than ever.

It's a good lesson to companies recovering from the recession. Although things may look bleak and no company wants to go through such tough times, it does give you a chance to rebuild certain things and start from scratch.

And when money starts coming back to the the balance sheet, invest in improving the infrastructure to make sure it's in place the next time bad times come.

If you can take one lesson from down on lively Bourbon St, that is a really good one.

-Andrew

Astronology - Valentine's Day: Friend or Foe of the Workplace?

Astronology Volume X Issue 25   February 9, 2009 Dear Andrew, Astron Solutions provides high-quality, low-cost, innovative human resources consulting services to organizations like yours. Call us for advice, innovative program design, and user-friendly Web/PC based software.   Fact or Fiction Sweethearts receive the most Valentines on Valentine's Day. Fiction! Teachers receive the most Valentines, followed by children, mothers, wives, and finally, sweethearts. Who knew?   Valentine's Day: Friend or Foe of the Workplace? Cupid. Candy colored hearts. Cards. Every February 14th, many people in the United States look forward to Valentine's Day. In this issue of Astronology we offer you a smorgasbord of Valentine's goodies. We'll take a look at the history of the potentially amorous holiday, as well as explore some tips on office-safe ways to recognize the day....more   Have a Question? If you have a topic you would like addressed in Astronology, or some feedback on a past article, don't hesitate to tell us!  Simply reply to this e-mail.  See your question answered, or comments addressed, in an upcoming issue of Astronology. Looking for a top-notch presenter for your human resource organization's meeting?  Both Jennifer Loftus and Michael Maciekowich present highly-rated sessions on a variety of compensation and employee retention issues.  For more information, send an e-mail to info@astronsolutions.com.   The Fine Print We hold your e-mail address in trust.  Astron Solutions promises never to share or rent your personal information.  We also promise never to send you frivolous e-mails and will allow you to leave our list, at your option, at any time. To remove yourself from this list, please follow your personalized subscriber link at the bottom of your Astronology alert e-mail. Copyright 2010, Astron Solutions, LLC ISSN Number 1549-0467 Quick Links Client List Meet the Astron Team Contact Us   World of HR Blog Bringing you Human Resource news from around the globe...compliments of Astron Solutions. More

 

Questions (Not) To Ask During an Interview

assertTrue( ) has a list of 9 question to ask during an interview on their website but I figured it would be a good idea to expand on their list of questions not to ask from the candidate and the interviewer. Here are 5 for each:

For the candidate:

1. Don't ask about time off. If you have a vacation planned after you're supposed to start the new position, there's a time and a place about it. But don't start your relationship with a hiring manager or human resource professional by talking about how much time you won't be spending in the office

2. Be careful about how you talk about your last/current employer. There are good reasons why you want to leave your job and then there are reasons that will send up huge red flags at your new company. Don't hide anything from them that they need to know...but don't start by talking about the body odor of your current boss.

3. Don't ask any question about the company you can find out on the website. There is a fine line between being interested about a company and finding out more and being lazy and just not searching the company's website before the interview. Actually, it isn't a fine line. Do your research before you step into the office.

4. Leave something non-essential off the resume. I feel that some question will come up that's best described by something that's not essential to be on the resume, but something which will describe you well. If you were president of an organization but that was years ago, you can talk about the initiative you took to climb up the ranks without having it as one line in a resume. Also, if there's something on your resume just to pad it, it may look like you're confused about your career path and/or using a generic resume. Don't do that.

5. Don't go in without any knowledge of who you'll be speaking with. Not everyone has a bio up on the website, but if they do, give it a little study. If they don't, ask the person who sets up the interview to tell you a little bit about who you'll be interviewing with. Eventually you'll get a chance to ask a question and you don't want to be totally stumped/totally unoriginal. If you've done the research into them, it'll pay off.


For the HR Professional/Hiring Manager

1. Don't be nervous. I guarantee the person sitting across from you is 100x more nervous that you are. If you're nervous, it'll make them nervous and make for a very awkward interview. Some people hate operating in this type of setting but you need to find a way to feel comfortable doing this.

2. Force the interviewee to go off script. Basically, don't ask only generic questions. Ask them something they will have to think about for a few seconds and show some creativity/problem solving skills in thinking. Maybe talk about a problem and see how they would solve it or ask them how they feel about something in current events relating to the job (or to something else). In one of my interviews for my current role, I spent more than half the time speaking about A-Rod opting out of his contract with the Yankees. It had nothing to do with the role, but it allowed me to show how I spoke, how I solved problems and my creative side. But most importantly, it forced me to go off script.

3. Read the resume before the interview. I've had way too many interviews where I could tell the person interviewing me had no clue anything about me. If you're expecting the candidate to be prepared and do research on the company, you should provide the same courtesy and do the minimal amount of research required to read their resume. It can also help you frame questions for #2.

4. Keep the interview moving. You're like the producer of a radio show. If the host or callers get off topic for too long, you're job is to move it along to the next step. Don't cut anyone off, but you can't allow an interviewer to just ramble. Part of any job is fitting what you need to say within a timeframe and this is great practice for it. Also, you don't want the interviewee veering into too many personal details, so keep it on track.

5. Know what the position requires. This seems like it should be above for "candidates" but I think this is just as important for interviewers. I had an interview where the job description, HR representative and hiring manager all gave me a different shpeel about what the position required. There's no easier way to confuse a candidate than not being all on the same page. I was asked about certain licenses that had nothing to do with the job and the HR rep thought I was wholly unqualified by the time she got done speaking with me, when, in fact, I had all the requirements listed on the job description. It's not considerate to the person being interviewed.

Hope those are some good hints. I figured it was a few non-obvious Dos and Do Nots for the interviewer and the interviewee.

The Onion Takes On Job Performance Reviews

Since we all need a little laugh for our Monday, The Onion takes on job performance reviews, goal setting, inspirational posters, company retreats and many more subjects. With end-of-the-year performance reviews just completed, this may hit too close to home for some, but at least you can get a laugh out of it. Enjoy (a NSFW word slips out right after the 2 minute mark so if you're watching this at work, you may want to stop it at 2 minutes):


Obama To Hold Job Performance Review With Every American Worker