It's a busy week of guest posts and this one comes from Maria Rainer, a former human resources manager turned freelance writer. She now regularly contributes to onlinedegrees.org, a website that is dedicated to higher learning as well as an array of other business and career-related blogs. She welcomes your comments. Here is what Maria had to give as advice to new graduates starting out in the workforce:
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So you've finally graduated and landed your first job in human resources—congratulations. While school may have prepared you for some common scenarios you may experience during your first year on the job, instructors most likely didn't tell you everything. After all, there are just some things you must learn through real-life trial and error. However, there are a few tips I can share with you that I learned during my first year as a human resources manager.
It's ok to Occasionally Network/ Socialize
My first dip in to the HR pool was working as the head of Human Resources for a small start-up internet marketing company that was more or less modeled after Google: it was a completely relaxed environment, employees could wear jeans and sneakers, and there was an X-box and pin pong table in the break room. Not to mention everyone (aside from upper management) was under the age of 30, so I transitioned quite nicely coming directly out of college.
A few weeks into the job I quickly learned that my co-workers loved to drink—a lot. Happy hours were the norm. My third week on the job I went to my very first Happy Hour which turned out to be my last. I was just completely terrified of what I saw/heard during my co-workers' drunken states and I wasn't quite sure what I was supposed to report or not.
Shortly after that night I started to distance myself from my co-workers completely, even at lunch— I would eat by myself in my office, always wanting to uphold my image as HR manager. After all, that's what I was told to do in school: you can't fraternize with your subordinates. But in retrospect I was miserable. I didn't make any co-worker "friends." People were afraid to approach me. There's a difference between being respected and feared and I know now that you can still achieve the former and still do your job if you choose to socialize and network every once in a while. It's ok to have lunch with you co-workers! There are boundaries you must still respect, but it's ok to make a friend.
Be Timely/ Organized
Since the company I worked for was so small, technically my title was HR Manager/Accountant. In my opinion I was over worked. I was constantly juggling both duties. When Christmas came around I was exceptionally overwhelmed. Vacation days did not roll over and were not paid out, so during the end of the year I began to get a flood of emails from co-workers requesting confirmation of how many PTOs they had left. To make things easier on me, I asked that I only be emailed on Mondays about PTOs. I never gave them a timeline of when I'd get back to them but said I would as soon as I could. My disorganization got the best of me and there were a few people I never even responded too. I dropped the ball. I got so caught up with other duties that requests and questions weren't getting answered fast enough, and soon people began to lose faith in me and went about other ways to obtain their information.
While it's understandable that you're new and are just learning to adjust, you need to do the opposite of what I did and make responses in a timely manner. If you say you're going to get an employee a needed form, information, or answer by the end of the day—do it!
Don't Discuss Employees' Pay, Even with Friends
This last faux pas didn't happen to me, but to a friend that was working in the same field during her first year in human resources. Coincidentally my former classmate got hired as an HR manager at a company that her best friend's boyfriend was employed at. In HR school were told to never, ever discuss pay with other employees in the office. But to discuss it with someone who doesn’t work there? That was always a little blurry for some students. But my former classmate learned the hard way that even outside of the office discussing an employee's pay it's a huge no-no.
Over dinner my former classmate's best friend started venting that her boyfriend kept complaining he couldn't participate in all these date activities she planned because he was "broke." My former classmate said rather abruptly, "Broke? How so? I put [x] amount of money in his checking account and [x] amount of money in his savings. I wonder where all that money is going?"
The best friend broke up with her boyfriend—tuned out he impregnated another woman and was paying medical expenses—and my former classmate lost her job. The story is scandalous, but you should never ever discuss your employees' salary with anyone. Not even your family. You never know when it can come back to haunt you and get you terminated.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Monday, September 24, 2012
Guest Post: Background Check Errors: Prevention and Negative Consequences
Today we start off the week with a great guest post from Jane Smith, a writer and blogger who regularly offers tips on where to find the best background check service, possesses a great understanding of business and what it takes to find and keep great employees. Email her your questions at janesmith161@gmail.com. Here is what Jane had to say about Background Checks:
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Just recently, the second largest civil penalty for violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (a law that governs use of consumer information) was handed to an Oklahoma-based company that failed to verify the accuracy of their criminal background checks.
HireRight, a business owned by the holding company Altegrity, is based out of Falls Church, Oklahoma, and provides background check services to thousands of firms across the United States. Now, thanks to its failure to take the right steps in obtaining accurate criminal background checks, many people have been denied employment or employment-related benefits for the wrong reason.
This occurrence should raise concerns for anyone applying for a job that requires a criminal background check. This is especially important for people who have had past run-ins with the law, because many of HireRight’s violations involved reporting criminal offenses that had been expunged or reporting the same offense multiple times.
In addition to including the wrong information on reports, HireRight also reported criminal background checks that didn’t even belong to the employees being screened, so this error can affect literally anyone applying for work; a revelation that doesn’t sit so well in an economy where finding a job is already a difficult task.
Although regulators did not disclose how many people were affected by HireRight’s mistakes, we do know that the business was required to pay $2.6 million to the Federal Trade Commission to settle the charges. This indicates that the number of incorrect criminal background checks was certainly large enough to warrant a hefty penalty from the government.
The question any wise consumer and job seeker should ask after hearing this news is, “What can I do to prevent this from happening to me?” Even though there is no information about how the Federal Trade Commission discovered the violations, there are a few common sense ways for employees to find out if their criminal background checks are correct.
First, if you are turned down for a job opportunity or employment benefit that you know you qualify for, ask the employer to give you a detailed reason for the rejection. Second, if you do have a criminal history, let your employer know about this history in your cover letter or through a personal phone call before they do a check. Lastly, ask the employer if you may have a copy of your background check, or if you can at least check it for its accuracy.
Just like with credit reports, anyone can receive a copy of their criminal background check by using a reputable background check service. Many of these services operate online and can email your report directly to your email account. Although there usually is a fee to receive these reports, it can be well worth the cost, if you believe there may be errors.
The negative consequences of incorrect criminal background checks are greater than just a missed job opportunity. Incorrect reports can lead to widespread unemployment, long-term unemployment and loss of well-qualified, knowledgeable workers.
Because you can never know if the company being used for background check reporting is trustworthy, it may be wise to stay alert for any errors when searching for jobs or applying for employment benefits. If you have any questions about an employer’s reason to not hire you or not give you benefits, consider the possibility that your background check could be incorrect.
Reference: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/hireright-to-pay-26million-accused-of-failing-to-verify-background-checks/2012/08/08/5c80b654-e18a-11e1-a25e-15067bb31849_story.html
Just recently, the second largest civil penalty for violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (a law that governs use of consumer information) was handed to an Oklahoma-based company that failed to verify the accuracy of their criminal background checks.
HireRight, a business owned by the holding company Altegrity, is based out of Falls Church, Oklahoma, and provides background check services to thousands of firms across the United States. Now, thanks to its failure to take the right steps in obtaining accurate criminal background checks, many people have been denied employment or employment-related benefits for the wrong reason.
This occurrence should raise concerns for anyone applying for a job that requires a criminal background check. This is especially important for people who have had past run-ins with the law, because many of HireRight’s violations involved reporting criminal offenses that had been expunged or reporting the same offense multiple times.
In addition to including the wrong information on reports, HireRight also reported criminal background checks that didn’t even belong to the employees being screened, so this error can affect literally anyone applying for work; a revelation that doesn’t sit so well in an economy where finding a job is already a difficult task.
Although regulators did not disclose how many people were affected by HireRight’s mistakes, we do know that the business was required to pay $2.6 million to the Federal Trade Commission to settle the charges. This indicates that the number of incorrect criminal background checks was certainly large enough to warrant a hefty penalty from the government.
The question any wise consumer and job seeker should ask after hearing this news is, “What can I do to prevent this from happening to me?” Even though there is no information about how the Federal Trade Commission discovered the violations, there are a few common sense ways for employees to find out if their criminal background checks are correct.
First, if you are turned down for a job opportunity or employment benefit that you know you qualify for, ask the employer to give you a detailed reason for the rejection. Second, if you do have a criminal history, let your employer know about this history in your cover letter or through a personal phone call before they do a check. Lastly, ask the employer if you may have a copy of your background check, or if you can at least check it for its accuracy.
Just like with credit reports, anyone can receive a copy of their criminal background check by using a reputable background check service. Many of these services operate online and can email your report directly to your email account. Although there usually is a fee to receive these reports, it can be well worth the cost, if you believe there may be errors.
The negative consequences of incorrect criminal background checks are greater than just a missed job opportunity. Incorrect reports can lead to widespread unemployment, long-term unemployment and loss of well-qualified, knowledgeable workers.
Because you can never know if the company being used for background check reporting is trustworthy, it may be wise to stay alert for any errors when searching for jobs or applying for employment benefits. If you have any questions about an employer’s reason to not hire you or not give you benefits, consider the possibility that your background check could be incorrect.
Reference: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/hireright-to-pay-26million-accused-of-failing-to-verify-background-checks/2012/08/08/5c80b654-e18a-11e1-a25e-15067bb31849_story.html
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Astronology - Pay Equity in the Workplace - Do Gender Based Disparities Still Exist?
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Sunday, September 09, 2012
How to Build a Startup Team
It's hard enough to build a team in an office but when you're a startup company, with limited resources and time is of the essence, you have to be almost perfect in your hiring. So then the question is do you go with family, friends and former co-workers--having the thought holding over your head that you may not be able to keep them on board if things go poorly--or do you go with talented strangers knowing that your loyalty to them is not as strong (but also knowing that their bond is not as strong as well)? Well here is what Inc. says you need to do to build a start-up team.
You can’t do it all yourself, but resist the urge to hire friends unless those friends have skills in areas critical to your venture’s success that complement your own. I found that the most successful ventures do a great job of dividing up the work that must be done among the most talented people. And they create a culture that binds them all together to focus on shared goals.That last sentence about the "focus on shared goals" is something that every company should strive for and, in that way, these suggestions really could apply to any company. The goal is to find people who complement each other and create a culture where everyone in your company is rowing in the same direction. That's one of the best ways to guarantee success.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Astronology - Attracting and Retaining Organizational Keepers
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Tuesday, August 28, 2012
The History of the Power Lunch
I love "power lunches". I have to admit they come rarely, but they're a rare midday indulgence in a world that demands a constant work schedule and a chew-and-swallow-while-typing lunch is certainly a part of that. But once in a while, I get the chance to relax and indulge on something delicious while sitting back, relaxing, and talking business with colleagues, clients and suppliers. Wonder where the history of these power lunches came from. Wonder no more as The Paris Review tells in amazing detail:
The earliest power lunches likely took place in the 1830s at Delmonico’s, whose culinary wizardry (Lobster Newburg, Baked Alaska) and prime location in the financial district made it popular with well-heeled suits. Apart from the occasional visit from such authors as Charles Dickens or Mark Twain, Delmonico’s remained largely populated by business and finance moguls. Other powerful groups gathered at different locales over the years: playwrights and actors descended upon Sardi’s in the theater district in the forties, while wealthy socialites clustered at Le Cirque, Le Pavillion, and La Grenouille in the fifties and sixties, earning the not-entirely-flattering nickname “ladies who lunched.”Awesome. Just awesome
For literary types, the lunch venue of choice was the Algonquin Hotel on West 44th Street. What would later come to be known as the Algonquin Round Table (or, as its members preferred, “The Vicious Circle,”) began in June of 1919, when Vanity Fair writers Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, and Robert E. Sherwood joined like-minded pals for a midday soiree to welcome back famously sharp-penned New York Times drama critic Alexander Wollcott from a stint as a World War I correspondent overseas. Theater agent John Peter Toohey had organized the lunch as a practical joke, ostensibly as a welcome home, but instead used the opportunity to roast Wollcott for failing to include one of his clients in a column. Legend has it that all attendees—Wollcott included—enjoyed the gathering so much they decided to do it again the next day, and the next, and the one after that.
Dining upon free popovers and celery sticks, or, in flush times, chicken hash with pancakes, the aforementioned writers—along with an ever-evolving cast that included playwrights George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly, columnist Heywood Broun, and author Edna Ferber—bantered and gossiped, played endless games of cribbage and poker, and devised elaborate practical jokes to deceive one another. Conversation was fast, clever and biting—hence the “vicious” nickname, though the Round Table moniker was widely used after a Brooklyn Eagle caricature depicted the group draped in armor around a circular table. (Not all were fans of the club: Groucho Marx, whose brother Harpo occasionally joined the group, distanced himself from the table, claiming “the price of admission is a serpent’s tongue and a half-concealed stiletto.”)
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Quit the Yapping
We recently wrote about how workplace arguments can be bad for the office health, but Inc. writes about how listening to complainers is actually bad for your personal health. That doesn't mean that you can't just tune it out everything that's awry with your company:
But if you're running a company, don't you need to hear about anything that may have gone wrong? "There's a big difference between bringing your attention to something that's awry and a complaint," Blake says. "Typically, people who are complaining don't want a solution; they just want you to join in the indignity of the whole thing. You can almost hear brains clink when six people get together and start saying, 'Isn't it terrible?' This will damage your brain even if you're just passively listening. And if you try to change their behavior, you'll become the target of the complaint."The article doesn't stop there as it goes to give some advice on how to handle the Negative Nancies, including getting some distance and putting your shields up. My favorite piece of advice, though, was one that they describe as letting the complainer fix the problem:
"Try to get the person who's complaining to take responsibility for a solution," Blake says. "I typically respond to a complaint with, 'What are you going to do about it?'" Many complainers walk away huffily at that point, because he hasn't given them what they wanted, Blake reports. But some may actually try to solve the problem.I like it because it doesn't avoid the problem, but, instead, goes head on on how to fix it. The goal isn't to ignore what's going wrong, it's finding a way to fix it. And sometimes the best fixer of issues is the person who yaps the most. So while it's bad for your health to listen to them, find a way to make it a productive yapping.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Astronology - Business Coaching and Mentoring: Are They Worth the Effort?
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Thursday, August 16, 2012
Dealing with Yelling and Not Yelling at Work
We've all been in an office setting where someone was getting chewed out. It may not have been us as the recipient but we heard the yelling and saw the employee fight back the tears as their boss laid it on to them thick after they messed up something big. You duck behind your cubicle and hope that you never have to deal with that wrath. But while yelling bosses like that happen once in a while in the workplace, they're much more prevalent on a television show or YouTube than they are in real life. As the Wall Street Journal explains:
Indeed, the yelling boss appears to be quietly disappearing from the workplace. The new consensus among managers is that yelling alarms people, drives them away rather than inspiring them, and hurts the quality of their work. Some bosses also fear triggering a harassment lawsuit or winding up as the star of a co-worker's cellphone videotape gone viral. While underlings may work hard for difficult bosses, hoping for a shred of praise, few employees do their best work amid yelling.But the article doesn't stop there--it goes on to say that while actual yelling doesn't go on as often, what's taken its place when all that aggression is swept under the rug may actually be worse:
Verbal aggression tends to impair victims' working memory, reducing their ability to understand instructions and perform such basic tasks as operating a computer, according to several studies of cellphone-company employees and engineering students published earlier this year in the Journal of Applied Psychology.
Managers spend about 25% of their time resolving conflicts, research shows. The "not-so-good part" of the no-yelling trend "is that people are pushing things under the carpet," causing frustrations to seep out in other ways, says Jack Lampl, president of the A.K. Rice Institute for the Study of Social Systems in Rainier, Wash. One favorite way of venting, angry email, "serves as a relief valve, but tends to inflame conflict. It takes a very corrosive role in the workplace, for gossiping and undermining others," he says.The way to solve all this behavior, according to The Journal is to have some sort of mediated discussion and air your grievances (in a better way than Festivus, hopefully). Hopefully this allows the two parties to come to a civil understanding which can serve better than angry e-mails, stone-cold stares and that embarrassing yelling that left me cowering in a cubicle years ago.
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
Astronology - 2012 SHRM Annual Conference and Exposition Recap
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Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Astronology - Learning from Mistakes
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