Last year, a friend confided that his severe adult acne caused depression and anxiety in his 20s and early 30s. He withdrew from social situations, struggled to date, and was never quite sure if his looks were a negative factor while looking for a job. “Interviewing caused me a ton of anxiety,” he confided in…
I have a rule that I don’t run if it’s 25 degrees Fahrenheit or colder. I am not built to run in the wintertime. The cold stress is tough on my body. I have trouble speaking and enunciating in cold air. My facial muscles freeze up, and I slur my words together. I sound drunk…
Several years ago, my friends and I started a meme called #timsackettday to honor unsung heroes in the field of human resources who hustle but don’t receive any press. We’ve honored good folks like Tim Sackett, Paul Hebert and Kelly Dingee. When I asked for nominees for this year’s Tim Sackett Day, someone sent me…
Back in 2004, I used to have a real job. I lived in Michigan and worked for Pfizer. My territory was global. My job started off as a normal HR job until I had to lay people off. A lot of them. I traveled to fun places like New York City, London, France and Puerto…
We all know women who don’t help other women. I use some of these women as examples during coaching sessions. With great specificity, I talk about dysfunctional professional behaviors and wrecked work-relationships. I try to debunk gender stereotypes while simultaneously acknowledging that the woman-who-doesn’t-help-other-women imbues some of those stereotypes. This woman is complicated. She is privately and pervasively negative.…
I just told a reporter that I might still have a job in human resources if I had friends at work. That feels true, on the surface, because I always had more enemies than buddies. Work was a hassle, and nobody liked me. I came back from getting married, and only one person congratulated me.…
HR always organizes the summer picnic, the holiday party , and the company 5K. If they are sharp, your HR lady asks the local admins for help. (This is why the admins think they work in HR, by the way.) Organizing a company event is a pain because people always ask the same questions. Do…
I vowed that 2014 would be the year that I started to live a big life. I sent out a note and told friends and acquaintances that I would be interested in doing new and different things. I asked people to keep me in mind if they had any projects that required a different type…
One of my very best friends told me that my blog is boring when I write about human resources. “Where is the human in human resources? I go there for you. You are at your best when you write about politics, cats and running. I don’t want to read about HR technology or employee engagement.…
It’s a beautiful day. #NSW A photo posted by LFR (@lruettimann) on Nov 11, 2014 at 8:36pm PST I’m headed home from Australia. I had a great trip. At one point, my husband and I took a semi-private tour of a secluded island. We did some snorkeling and hiking. We knew we were in trouble…