Astronology - Ripped From the Headlines: Employee Frustration in a Customer-Based Organization

Astronology Volume XI Issue 13   August 24, 2010 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 Ligers are animals that can grow up to be the same size as both parents combined. Ligers' parents are a lion Father and a tiger Mother. FACT! The Liger is considered the largest cat in the world. This hybrid cat's largeness compares favorably to that of its sibling, the Tiglon. Hopefully you don't have any Ligers or Tiglons roaming your home or apartment! However, you may have a sweet kitty or a clever cat who rules your kingdom. We'd love to see pictures of your own "Leo" doing something clever or fun, and share the joy with our Astronology readers! Please send us an e-mail with your pictures!   Ripped From the Headlines... Employee Frustration in a Customer-Based Organization By now most of us have heard of Steven Slater, formerly of JetBlue, who made a dramatic exit from his place of employment after reaching his breaking point on the job. While many employees who have had their fair share of job frustrations applaud his approach and consider him a folk hero, many wonder what caused a man with a 20-year career in customer service to end it as dramatically and unexpectedly as he did, at great cost to his employer. In this edition of Astronology, we take a look at the customer-based frustrations employees face....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

 

What the JetBlue Story Can Teach Us

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

Be First Class in Your Response

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

Make Sure This Is Not Something People Feel Is OK

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

Manage Your Employees' Workplace Stress

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

Astronology - Finding the Right Fit: A Leadership Selection Model for the Redesigned Organization

Astronology Volume XI Issue 12   August 10, 2010 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.   Readers Write...Again! In our last issue of Astronology, our e-mail distribution service inadvertently cut off the initial part of our "Readers Write" feature. As such, we are reprinting it here in its entirety for you. Our query in the last issue of Astronology regarding favorite board games solicited a number of responses! Here we'd like to share two with you. First, Mark Silverstein from New York told us about two games - "Apples to Apples" and "Elfenland." "Apples to Apples," published originally by Out of the Box Publishing, and now by Mattel, is a card game suitable for groups and parties, ages 12 and up. During the game, the judge selects a "green apple" card containing an adjective. The remaining players then select from their "red apple" cards which noun is the best match for that adjective. The judge makes the decision, often selecting the noun that is the "most creative, humorous or interesting." With an average playing time of 30 - 60 minutes, "Apples to Apples" can be creative fun at home or on the road. Mensa International chose "Apples to Apples" as a 1999 Mensa Select prizewinner, an award given to only five games each year. "Elfenland," published by Rio Grande Games, is a German-style board game suitable for individuals ages 10 and up. The game takes approximately 1 hour to play, ideally with 2 - 6 players. During the board game, which also uses cards and tiles, each player tries to reach as many cities as possible before returning to his / her "home city." Jeffrey Bassman of New Jersey also wrote in regarding his favorite game: "My favorite summertime board game was always Sorry!There's nothing like sending the competition back to 'Start'." Thank you for sharing your favorite board games with the Astronology community!   Fact or Fiction August is a month for meteor showers. FACT! Between July 23 and August 24 2010, The Perseids Meteor Shower can be seen. The International Meteor Organization suggests that the best time to see them will be August 12-13, 2010 at 18 h and 7 h Universal Time. For those wondering what the time zone conversion for Eastern, Western Pacific or Mountain Daylight Savings Time from Universal Time, take a look at NASA's webpage! If you catch a glimpse of the Meteor Shower, we'd love to see your pictures! Please send them to National Director Jennifer Loftus, and we may reprint them in an upcoming issue of Astronology!   Finding the Right Fit: A Leadership Selection Model for the Redesigned Organization Kenneth R. Cohen, Ph.D. Over the past several years, companies across every industry have sought ways to improve profitability and service while decreasing costs. As labor expenses usually account for the single largest segment of the company's budget, downsizings are one of the first options that senior executives consider when trying to cut costs....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

 

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

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

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

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

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

This isn't a process without problems, however.

New Technology and the Job World

Face it, if you're looking for a job, working in a job, or hiring for a job in 2010, you're going to have to be up-to-date on new technology. Most of that is just social media but other things like the Microsoft Office suite, VPN access, and other technical skills are necessary for many jobs today. Let's take a look at a few articles to keep you on top of things:

First from Career Solvers, we have the results of the Jobvite survey which reveals that social networking is a top recruiting strategy. So head off of the regular job boards and to LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

But before you go making a Facebook profile, read this article from FINS about the fact that Facebook is not always the job seeker's best friend (H/T Wendy).

And before you head onto Twitter, you should check out Business Insider's Twitter abbreviations you need to know. At least IMHO.

Lastly, this CNN piece about a robot visiting your cubicle may not be a technology you will have to worry about for a while, but just so you know that it's out there...

Have a great weekend!!!

Making the Workplace Uncomfortable

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

A few articles on the subject:

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

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

Astronology - Leaders and Supervisors and Managers, Oh My!

Astronology Volume XI Issue 11   July 27, 2010 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.   Readers Write... Our query in the last issue of Astronology regarding favorite board games solicited a number of responses! Here we'd like to share two with you. "Elfenland," published by Rio Grande Games, is a German-style board game suitable for individuals ages 10 and up. The game takes approximately 1 hour to play, ideally with 2 - 6 players. During the board game, which also uses cards and tiles, each player tries to reach as many cities as possible before returning to his / her "home city." Jeffrey Bassman of New Jersey also wrote in regarding his favorite game: "My favorite summertime board game was always Sorry!There's nothing like sending the competition back to 'Start'." Thank you for sharing your favorite board games with the Astronology community!   Leaders and Supervisors and Managers, Oh My! By Rich Virgilio The President of your company drops in and asks you to put together a position description for one of his direct reports (who evolved into his job) to get ahead on the succession plan you've been working on. To help you out, he's given you some phrases to use:....more   2010 SHRM Annual Conference and Exposition Recap Under a cool and cloud-filled sky, thousands of HR professionals from around the globe converged on San Diego last month.  The SHRM 2010 Annual Conference and Exposition delivered on its promise of 4 days of great learning experiences and good times, despite the unseasonable weather....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

 

"No" Doesn't Always Sound The Same Way

We've all been rejected. Whether it be in high school on the person we had a crush on, when we were applying to college, when we've interviewed for jobs, or even when some of us have been let go from that a job that we've all been told, at one point or another: "no". But there's many different ways to say no and doing it in the right way in both the hiring and firing process, a company can help candidates and former employees as well as helping their own self-image. Let's take a look at the three types of candidates and how is a bad and a good way to say N-O.

External Job Candidate

These are the easiest people to say no to out of the three groups we'll talk about, but there are still proper ways to go about this. I know one former classmate who was told they had a prestigious position at an investment bank coming out of business school only to have that invitation revoked once the company hit some skids. How did this person find out they weren't going to be employed at this large bank? The news. Seriously. Instead of calling/e-mailing/writing the candidates to let them know their signed offers were not going to be honored, they instead let the news organizations reporting the story know and the classmate found out by reading about the company online. That's rough--and wrong.

The best way to go about it was done a few years back for me. I applied for a job that was I pretty sure I was under-qualified for--but I really liked the company, job, pay, and thought it would be worth it to apply. After speaking with the Human Resources representative for a few minutes on the phone the day I applied, she told me they were sifting through applications and she would get back to me. She did get back to me--later that evening and told me that they were not going any further with my application. Instead of just not calling me back (which is happened to many people I know plenty of times recently), she called me on her drive home to discuss why they were going elsewhere. She talked me through the strong points in my resume and where they felt I may not fit for the job. She also told me they would keep my resume on file and I shouldn't hesitate to reapply in the future. I was shocked by this phone call and certainly appreciated it. "No" didn't sound like "no" that time.

Internal Job Candidate

Running a Business Like George Steinbrenner

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

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

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

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

Wall Street Hiring, Vacation Time, The White House and Chris Rock

Some Friday links before you start your weekend.

From the New York Times via MSNBC, come word that Wall Street is starting to anticipate a recovery--and hiring has started with it. This is not news Main Street wants to hear about Wall Street:

The increase in hiring and cautious optimism stand in sharp contrast to the mood among workers in other fields, where jobs have been slow to return or are disappearing altogether. Since June 2008 the number of jobs has shrunk by nearly 14 percent in manufacturing and by 22 percent in construction, but only by 8.5 percent in the financial industry nationwide.

It is also the opposite of what is going in other highly paid, white-collar professions like law, where employment nationwide in June was the lowest since late 2001, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The financial work force in New York has shrunk by more than 28,000 since its peak in January 2008, but is still slightly above its level in 2003 after the tech bubble burst, meaning it actually weathered this recession — the worst since the Depression — better than the previous one. Nationally, staffing is back to where it was in late 2005, while employment in the overall economy is near 2004 levels.

Next, Monster has some advice about being smart about vacation time. The big advice they give is to be aware of your benefits, prepare before you go, and to have set rules about contact while you're gone.

Astronology - Eliminating Workplace Negativity

Astronology Volume XI Issue 10   July 13, 2010 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.   News and Notes from Astron We're excited to announce that our own National Director, Jennifer Loftus, is the newest President of HR/NY! Jennifer started her term on July 1, 2010. HR/NY is the New York City chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). You can learn more about HR/NY at www.hrny.org. Jennifer says, "I hope to see our local Astronology readers at an HR/NY meeting soon, and if you're not a member, please join us! The ROI of an HR/NY membership is 85 times. You can't afford to miss out on annual benefits worth over $8,000!" We're also excited to announce that Astron's Brendan Williams is continuing for another year in his role as HR/NY Vice President of Finance and Treasurer. Congratulations, Brendan!   Fact or Fiction The popular game Monopoly has a misspelling on its board. FACT! The yellow-colored property "Marvin Gardens" was originally named after Marven Gardens, a neighborhood just outside of Atlantic City, New Jersey. In 1995, Parker Brothers formally apologized to the neighborhood of Marven Gardens for the error. What's your favorite board game for summertime fun? We'd love to hear from you! Please share your stories with us.   Eliminating Workplace Negativity As humans, each of us is bound to make mistakes, such as saying things that others may not perceive favorably, or making a decision that inadvertently affects ourselves and others negatively. Unfortunately, a culture of workplace negativity can turn these small issues, if not handled appropriately, into larger organizational concerns. You can avoid the extra time and effort spent to correct a festering negative environment by making targeted efforts to identify and eliminate concerns when they're small. In this Astronology article, we will explore the identifying marks of and list several ways organizations can overcome a negative culture....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

 

A New Generation Chasing the American Dream

On Tuesday the New York Times posted a column about a new generation of Americans who are finding the "American Dream" elusive in the current economic environment. The article is still the most e-mailed piece on the New York Times website, and rightfully so. As the article talks about "an age group — the so-called millennials, 18 to 29 — whose unemployment rate of nearly 14 percent approaches the levels of that group in the Great Depression." The rest of the article is equally bleak for the millennials:

For young adults, the prospects in the workplace, even for the college-educated, have rarely been so bleak. Apart from the 14 percent who are unemployed and seeking work, as Scott Nicholson is, 23 percent are not even seeking a job, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The total, 37 percent, is the highest in more than three decades and a rate reminiscent of the 1930s. 

The college-educated among these young adults are better off. But nearly 17 percent are either unemployed or not seeking work, a record level (although some are in graduate school). The unemployment rate for college-educated young adults, 5.5 percent, is nearly double what it was on the eve of the Great Recession, in 2007, and the highest level — by almost two percentage points — since the bureau started to keep records in 1994 for those with at least four years of college.

Yet surveys show that the majority of the nation’s millennials remain confident, as Scott Nicholson is, that they will have satisfactory careers. They have a lot going for them.

“They are better educated than previous generations and they were raised by baby boomers who lavished a lot of attention on their children,” said Andrew Kohut, the Pew Research Center’s director. That helps to explain their persistent optimism, even as they struggle to succeed.

Self-Policing In Your Organization

The Tampa Bay Rays baseball team has hit a rough patch. Although they held on to first place in the toughest division in baseball throughout the first few months of the season, they've been no-hit twice and lost their grip on the division. This past week their centerfielder, B.J. Upton lollygagged his way to the ball. For a team struggling to score runs, this was not the effort you want to see. Upton has been benched before for not hustling and this seemed to be another case of him just giving up on a play. When he got back to the dugout, 24-year-old Evan Longoria approached him about his behavior and the two went face-to-face and had to be separated by teammates. I wrote on a sports blog I post on regularly about this incident and about how it brings back memories to one sports writer of a young Derek Jeter, who had, at 24, called out one of his veteran teammates for showing up another teammate. This is seen as a great leadership skill in an organization--self-policing.

I bring this up because while this type of approach may work in baseball, it most likely has no place in an organization. If a co-worker is not pulling his weight or is trying to show up another co-worker, it should not be left to self-policing. Although a good measure of "that is not right" should come from everyone involved and whistleblowing is encouraged at times, the problem itself should be handled by upper-management and Human Resources. Employees can become embarrassed on confrontational when they are publicly called out. Instead, a manager should be doing the discipline--and doing it in a private environment. Publicly calling out a co-worker for a mistake or leaving an office to be self-policed may work in baseball but it is not a good way to handle an office.