The Punk Rock HR podcast is a fun project and has opened up many new relationships in my life. The podcast began as Let’s Fix Work, and doing these episodes has left me more convinced than ever that the modern world of work is broken. Some people disagree with me, which makes for interesting discussions.…
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Does it feel like nobody is listening to you at work? The truth is, sometimes people don’t. Meaningful conversations never happen, great ideas go by the wayside, and people who do great things get overlooked and ignored. It is hard to even want to express ourselves when we feel like we’re talking to a brick…
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Of course they can. People get fired for all sorts of reasons everyday, and most people in America don’t have any recourse when it happens. But human resources rarely leads the way in firing someone. The decision to terminate an employee nearly always comes from their manager or supervisor. HR’s role is to coordinate the…
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The words “I love you” mean a million different things. However, it always, always is a way to strengthen bonds and demonstrate affection without having to physically show affection. Even when we say we love food or a book, we are affirming and establishing an emotional connection. The feeling of love can be romantic or…
DetailsLooking for good HR books to read that will help you take control of your career and won’t put you to sleep? Here are my top 25. 1. “Career Rehab” by Kanika Tolver Kanika Tolver wrote “Career Rehab” for people just like you — someone who isn’t in love with their job or the daily…
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There is a universal force that unites all successful and happy business professionals: a love of animals. Some people like dogs, others like cats, but everybody likes animals except for a few cranky people in the office. In fact, I can go through my career and identify a half-dozen miserable people. They had delusions of…
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Most days, I feel like my work in HR is slowly sucking the life out of me. Can you offer suggestions or enlightenment on how to get past these feelings of drudgery towards this career path I’ve chosen or how to jump into something else. This is not the place that I can see myself…
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There’s nothing more challenging for an author than writing a book — except creating a marketing campaign, grappling with the nuances of public relations, and asking people to buy the damn thing. Do you know how many authors like to talk about themselves or ask for a favor? None. As a recent author, I can…
DetailsLet’s pretend you’re a CEO and you’ve been asked to mediate a conflict at your local office. An employee who embraces internet conspiracy theories and carries guns to work is stalking her colleague. You might wonder — How bad is it? Is this overblown? You ask HR to pull the security footage and see that…
DetailsOrganizational psychologists, workplace gurus, and leadership consultants are weaponizing our suffering. They want to fool us into believing that there’s something noble and courageous about being resilient. Here are some examples of things they earnestly said and wrote in 2020: ∙ Frontline workers demonstrated incredible resiliency during the pandemic. ∙ Doctors and nurses who worked…
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