Let’s Fix Work

I’ve been working on a podcast idea. I’m calling it “Let’s Fix Work.” I’ll talk to people who have ideas on how to fix work. It’s not a super-complicated concept. Work sucks for most of us. The people closest to a problem are the ones well-equipped to solve it. Let’s talk to normal people in…

SHRM Leaders and the HR Archetypes

Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., the CEO of SHRM, wants to strengthen the relationship between education and employers. He accepted a volunteer advisory appointment from President Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos to the White House Initiative on HBCUs. You might say, “That’s not much of a story, Laurie. Slow down if you’re about to go off…

Healthy Rituals

I believe in healthy, soothing rituals. I’m talking about behaviors and practices meant to achieve physical, spiritual or emotional comfort. For example, my husband and I try to have dinner on Friday night and then see a movie. Then there’s my grandmother, who had a cup of hot English breakfast tea daily and savored the…

The Internet

Things I like on the internet. – Myself – My retweets – Mentions of me – Photos of my good side – When you share my blog posts – Looking at your followers – Loud bands that shred – Baby animal videos – TSA’s Instagram – Yo mama jokes – Travel snaps I need to…

People and Talent

Middle-aged HR ladies are something else. Being middle-aged myself, I know we fall in one of two categories: Oprah Winfrey or Joan Collins from Dynasty. I recently met the Joan Collins of HR at a networking event, which sucks because I’m Joan Collins. Here’s the story as I test my new microphone. It’s a Shure…

Email Marketing Works

Email marketing works. It might not apply to every segment of the marketplace. But, if you want middle-aged people to buy your goods or services, send them an email. Here’s why. I’m trying to add more fun back into my marriage, which is going about as well as “forced fun” always goes. I can’t shake my…

Carnival of HR: February 2018 Edition

Today is the Carnival of HR, a glorious celebration of writers and thinkers who create fabulous HR and recruiting content. It’s an excellent list of reading, but it’s long. My advice? Bookmark this page. Come back when you catch yourself mindlessly scrolling on Facebook. Joey Price interviewed Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM President and CEO.…

What’s Next for #MeToo

I’ve been trying to write a follow-up on the #MeToo movement for Vox. It’s been a struggle to write about what’s next because I don’t know what will happen. I’m not optimistic. In my original article on Vox, I called out Uber’s HR department for its mistreatment of Susan Fowler. It’s a year old. We updated…

Workaholics Anonymous

I met a woman who’s in recovery from working too much. She attends a twelve-step program called Workaholics Anonymous. At first, I was incredulous. Workaholics Anonymous? Come on, give me a break. I’m sure these meetings are filled with people who say things like, “I can’t help it, I care too much.” Her story is…