If there’s an overused marketing trope in my industry, it’s the notion of HR heroes. Have you noticed the campaigns and advertisements? Companies celebrate human resources professionals who swoop in and save the day when you need something at work. Here’s the thing about HR heroes: They’re not heroes. HR professionals don’t leap tall buildings…
I can see why people still need HR. On a regular basis, I have people writing and asking about drugs. Mostly marijuana. Questions like, “My employee smells like weed. What can I do?” Part of me sympathizes with business owners and managers. It hardly seems fair that you have to show up to work sober…
I’m obsessed with the movie Cedar Rapids. Have you seen it? Tim Lippe has no idea what he’s in for when he’s sent to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to represent his company at an annual insurance convention, where he soon finds himself under the “guidance” of three convention veterans. This movie is an exact depiction of…
I have attended SHRM’s annual conference since 2008, but I’m sitting this year out. The one thing I love about the event is that I make enduring “SHRM memories.” I thought I’d share some of them with you. Chicago 2008. I applied for a press pass and was accepted as one of the first bloggers to…
I got a call from an HR technology vendor telling me that I’m in this month’s HR Magazine. Then he asked me to do a free webinar for him. Yeah, okay. I must look new. So let’s back up. What is HR Magazine? Well, it’s a monthly publication from SHRM, an HR association. And it’s terrible.…
Most of you know that I’m toiling away at a side project: a software company. It’s going slowly because I’m trying to be deliberate and diligent while also having fun and not taking myself too seriously. It’s amazing and horrible at the same time. Mostly amazing. (Well, ask me how I feel in a few…
My cats are all about monkey-see-monkey-do. Roxy observed how my cats liked to sit on our porch furniture. She went ahead and claimed a spot — just like the big kids. Roxy likes to poop at a particular time of day. Now Jake wants to poop at that same time. Emma uses the scratching post…
Now that it’s summertime, I’m back at the beach. From now until Labor Day, I’ll be at the beach at least once a week. I’ll wake up at the crack of dawn, drive to the ocean, fall asleep, read, eat some snacks, and then drive home in time for dinner. We had some weather, so…
The only HR competency that matters is trustworthiness. Go ahead and earn your SPHR and SHRM-SCP. Add it to a distinguished list of undergraduate and graduate degrees in areas that are directly related to the world of business. That’s fabulous. But when the chips are down, will you do the right thing? If you make…
Last November, I went to Havana with a bunch of HR professionals. We had an excursion to the National Museum of Fine Arts, which houses an impressive collection of Cuban art. Lots of good stuff in there. If you’re in Havana, check it out. I wasn’t there long enough to truly appreciate the accumulation of…
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