Every blog post is a letter, every sentence is a missive, and I just wanted to take a moment and thank you for always coming back to my blog. I don’t deserve it. I’ve been super busy. Feels like the only thing I’m good at is ignoring this blog. I know that’s not true. When it comes to HR, people still call me. Can’t seem to shake it from my personal brand. I’m hashtag-blessed that way.
Some of you know that I started a consulting gig at the end of the summer for an HR company named Zenefits. It was fun, but it’s over. We’re ending on a high note with the Employee Experience 2020 Summit. You should go check it out — it’s a free event for HR professionals and leaders who want to improve the work experience for their employees.
(How timely!)
I’m also speaking at the Recruiters’ Hub Conference in New Zealand. Will you be there? Want to come with? Total travel time is 20 hours and 58 minutes from North Carolina. I’m booked in an economy seat but, thankfully, on the upgrade list. Fingers crossed that the algorithmic gods love me.
(I’m ready for that long-ass flight. Downloaded a bunch of books. Let’s do this!)
Finally, I’ve been all over the media talking on and off the record about sexual harassment. Feels like we’re at the very beginning of a long process where employees will tell stories and employers, brands and leaders will be forced to listen via a mechanism as old as time itself: public shaming.
Telling stories on the internet isn’t enough, though. Victims need a place to get some answers and help. So, I’m thinking about creating a podcast series and a community where people tell true stories about work — for good or bad — and employers listen. I would interview people with work problems. Then I’d talk to leaders, managers, and experts who can help employees solve their job-related problems. I’d also like to build a platform (community, forum, TBD) to I help people resolve their issues without going to HR.
Does something like that interest you? Worried that all people are awful and this podcast-slash-destination becomes a boring complainathon? Yeah, me too. Doing some research on this right now.
(Let me know what you think.)
Thanks for sticking around and reading my blog. I’ll get back to my regular publication schedule soon (or never), but stay connected with me on Twitter or find me on LinkedIn if you want to talk about work. I’ll catch up with you when I’m back from New Zealand!
Please create a podcast!! That would be epic!
Yes, please start a podcast! I think it would be so valuable for employees and employers. I’d be willing to bet you’d cut through the complainers and find the legitimate issues and problems that need thoughtful discussion and debate.
Laurie – I think this is a great idea! I’ve thought a lot about doing some sort of podcast specific to the Pre-Hire stage (Recruiting), similar to a verbal version of what you’d find on Glassdoor. But pairing Pre-Hire with Post-Hire could ultimately enhance your goal when thinking about the total disconnect between human resources (and their idea of the company values/morals) and what actually happens once an employee is working within the business. Obviously, that’s when a lot of the challenges become clear and the issues arise. Looking at it from the entire lifecycle perspective may be helpful not only for employees, but also for employers who are trying to figure out how to solve some of these challenges on their end. I’d be very interested in getting involved in this sort of project.