Category: HR Laws & Admin

In a recent post over at the Fistful of Talent blog, Paul Herbert discusses the need for HR to play more offense. In the blog, Herbert describes a workplace situation in which an employee made a request and the then got the typical HR blah blah blah about why it couldn’t be done. This is the very reason why HR can be so hated by other employees and departments. We are so often perceived as the roadblock to getting things in other departments. The reason, we don’t play enough offense.

Don’t get me wrong, we are charged with being really good at the defense. Our job descriptions are probably filled with terms like risk mitigation, compliance, and some may swear box checking can be found in there somewhere too. It’s true; we are responsible to protect the company and its “human capital” from risk. But in order to win the game, we have to score a few points once in a while. We have to find a way to say yes. We have to be able to question traditional ways of thinking about our jobs and our defensive roles. We have to consider other options. And it is ok, if the option didn’t come from HR.

Are you the HR person who already has the list of reasons why we can’t formulating in your mind before the question is completely uttered out of the mouth of that manager who is always questioning HR? If you are, try just listening and asking more questions next time before you decide if the answer is no. Help them find a yes and you will take the first step to changing their perception of HR. If you’re not interested in a win and you like being hated, keep doing what you’re doing.

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For more resources, See the Human Resources library.

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Sheri Mazurek is a training and human resource professional with over 16 years of management experience, and is skilled in all areas of employee management and human resource functions, with a specialty in learning and development. She is available to help you with your Human Resources and Training needs on a contract basis. For more information send an email to smazurek0615@gmail.com or visit www.sherimazurek.com. Follow me on twitter @Sherimaz.

The KnowHR blog has a posted what they titled Good F’ing HR Advice on October 25, 2010. The advice is to skip the teambuilding retreats. What outstanding advice! Think for a moment about the teambuilding retreats you have attended. They can often be filled with dreaded activities and motivating speeches that might spark some immediate motivation, but what happens after the speech. Often, the evenings are filled drinking with fellow participants some of who can kill your motivational buzz in a matter of minutes. And if you make it back to the workplace still riding the high of the event, how long does it take for the pressures of the daily grind to kill your buzz?

While there are numerous reasons why these events fail to show long term results, one of most overlooked is the workplace application. If the purpose of the teambuilding is to form relationships and build collaboration, how is that supported once you return to the workplace and what impact does it have on bottom line? If you want to build collaboration among peers or across work teams and groups, bring them together and give them a workplace problem to solve. If you want to provide them some techniques to learn collaboration and teamwork, provide the usable, applicable techniques then give them an opportunity to apply them in a real world work setting with clear goals and objectives provided for the team to accomplish.

The problem with application is fairly common with many different types of trainings. A few minutes of role play may help demonstrate the techniques taught in a course or in a training session, but if you fail to provide applicable practice in the workplace or fail to provide support after the training, it is sure to fail long term. The challenge is to figure out how to create application and support outside of the training department.

What ideas do you have to create application and support? Your comments are always encouraged!

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For more resources, See the Human Resources library.

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Sheri Mazurek is a training and human resource professional with over 16 years of management experience, and is skilled in all areas of employee management and human resource functions, with a specialty in learning and development. She is available to help you with your Human Resources and Training needs on a contract basis. For more information send an email to smazurek0615@gmail.com or visit www.sherimazurek.com. Follow me on twitter @Sherimaz.

Office gossip is a term recognized by many. Just hearing this term will most likely result in recollections of conversations you have had or overheard at work. It may even bring a picture of the “known office gossip” into your mind’s eye. While there is debate as to whether office gossip is all bad, if you are listening to it and taking action on what is heard, you may just be well ahead of the game. During a keynote address during the ASTD ALC conference this past weekend, Anne Bruce made the following statement.

“Gossip is a symptom of unmet needs and expectations.”

If you consider for just a moment the topic of office gossip conversations, it may become very apparent to you that no one whispers around the water cooler about things that went well or met their expectations. Instead employees seek out trusted colleagues who may share their viewpoint or their frustrations. Often it is only with these colleagues that employees feel safe enough to give their true feedback.

As HR professionals you need to become a trusted colleague for employees. Doing so will help you find the cause of problem so you can treat more than the symptom. As any good doctor or HR professional should know, treating just the symptom will not cure the disease.

What have you tried in your organization to be more trusted? Your comments are always encouraged.

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For more resources, See the Human Resources library.

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Sheri Mazurek is a training and human resource professional with over 16 years of management experience, and is skilled in all areas of employee management and human resource functions, with a specialty in learning and development. She is available to help you with your Human Resources and Training needs on a contract basis. For more information send an email to smazurek0615@gmail.com or visit www.sherimazurek.com.

Smart Social Media Policies

Progressive businesses now embrace social media to broaden their marketing and increase revenues. They’re eager to reach out to their customers online and engage them in meaningful ways. So;

• What social media guidelines should employees follow?
• How can management weigh social media risks vs. opportunities?

Companies Need Two Social Media Policies

Overall, B2B, B2C, nonprofits and governments find that they need TWO social media policies.

Policy #1: Personal conduct codes for all employees’ access to, and use of, any social media while on company time or computer systems.

Policy #2: Guidelines for employees with any responsibilities that involve social media use.

Social Media Policies Must be SPECIFIC

Management must be thoughtful about clarifying their values and intended use of social media, then translate that into specific authorities and boundaries. For instance, are employees permitted to:

1. Access their PERSONAL social networking accounts while on the job?
2. Use the organization’s trademarks, such as a logo, when posting content on their social media sites?
3. Voice personal opinions on company social media accounts?
4. Post without first obtaining permission and/or approval?

Management should clearly define company objectives, conduct codes, usage guidelines, and authorities, then treat these policies similarly to all other HR policies. Have these written policies reviewed by legal counsel, discuss them with employees, give employees a chance to give feedback and ask questions, and be sure to obtain signatures on an agreement page.

Post these policies in places that are easily accessible to employees, and review the policies often. The internet, and social media, change fast. Be sure that your policies do, too.

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For more resources, see our Library topics Marketing and Social Networking.

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ABOUT Lisa M. Chapman: With offices in Nashville Tennessee, but working virtually with international clients, Lisa M. Chapman serves her clients as a business and marketing coach, business planning consultant and social media consultant. As a Founder of iBrand Masters, a social media consulting firm, Lisa Chapman helps clients to establish and enhance their online brand, attract their target market, engage them in meaningful social media conversations, and convert online traffic into revenues. Email: Lisa @ LisaChapman.com

The workplace today is filled with its own set of politics and “workplace dynamics” as it sometimes called. There are power structures within the organization both formal and informal. Often times the informal leader has the strongest voice while the formal leader struggles with the very concept of guiding others or having them “follow them.” I have witnessed position power be overruled across industries and within multiple organizations by those persons in organizations that people follow despite their title or position. It is very likely that if you are an HR professional or employee anywhere that you too have witnessed this in your own organization.

Another question that is often asked that is also dictated by these power structures is, “who do you serve?” Many HR professionals believe they are working for their internal customers. Many claim to have gotten into the profession because they like helping people. (No judgment on that answer, I myself initially chose this profession due to the “human” aspect.) However, I wonder how many HR professionals out there are serving “the people” or “their internal customers?” At the end of the day, is that really the job of HR?

If you are and HR professional, what do you see as your “job”? Who are serving? Is it you job to serve the business or the people?

Your thoughts are encouraged!!

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For more resources, See the Human Resources library.

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Sheri Mazurek is a training and human resource professional with over 16 years of management experience, and is skilled in all areas of employee management and human resource functions, with a specialty in learning and development. She is available to help you with your Human Resources and Training needs on a contract basis. For more information send an email to smazurek0615@gmail.com or visit www.sherimazurek.com.

Being an HR professional seems to bring a number of questions from friends, family, and new acquaintances. These questions cover the gamut of all things that fall in the broad spectrum of HR responsibilities and often involve actual scenarios from workplace situations in which the asker is questioning the handling of the situation by the HR department or manager involved within. A common response to those specific questions is, “well, it depends,” usually followed by a few disclaimers that go something like this:

“My view is just an opinion. I need to know more about the company policy and the specific situation to really give a fair opinion and I am not an attorney and do not provide legal advice.”
Over the next few weeks, I will be discussing some of those questions and hopefully debunking the myth that the purpose of HR departments everywhere is to make things difficult.
I would also like to encourage you to provide me with your own questions to add to this series. You can forward them to me via email at smazurek0615@gmail.com or through my Linkedin Profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/sherimazurek (ask me to connect, I will) or through the comments in this blog.

Below is a common question that seems to be widely misunderstood by employees in organizations everywhere.

Why can’t I sell my kid’s__________ (insert any random funding item) in the office? I won’t disturb anyone from working and will simply just post the sheet in the break room?
Non-Solicitation, Non-Distribution policies are in place in most organizations to keep them union free. As with all policies in the handbook, they need to be enforced consistently (see a future post for more on enforcing policies). Companies that have inconsistently enforced these policies have lost the right to in court to use the policy to prevent the solicitation and distribution of union membership in the workplace. So while employees (and unfortunately some HR folks) may perceive that this policy was created to prevent the workplace from turning into a flea market, its roots are mostly likely grounded in union prevention. Building credibility requires explaining the whys sometimes. It helps employees understand that you are not there to police the rules.

What do you think?

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For more resources, See the Human Resources library.

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Sheri Mazurek is a training and human resource professional with over 16 years of management experience, and is skilled in all areas of employee management and human resource functions, with a specialty in learning and development. She is currently employed as the Human Resource Manager at EmployeeScreenIQ, a global leader in pre-employment background screening.

I have spent a great deal of time writing about the paper trail. My previous two posts discuss steps in overcoming it and building a culture of performance. So often, Human Resource (HR) professionals must provide the legal voice concerning employee issues in the organization. This duty of being the legal voice is often times seen as the most important function of the HR department by not only the department members, but by the entire company including senior leadership. With an increase in cases being filed against managers and companies and with the high costs of litigation, its importance is definitely clear. There is no question that organizations need to take necessary steps to mitigate these risks.

The following two blogs also discuss the idea of the paper trail:

Creating a Paper Trail Supports Discipline and Discharge Decisions written by Devora Lindeman

The Paper Trail: The Strongest Defense against Wrongful Termination Suits written by K. Lerner

Both blogs discuss the paper trail from the legal standpoint. (Again, this is the voice most often heard by the HR department.) Despite the fact that these blog posts are supporting creating a paper trail, while I am discussing overcoming it, the advise held within is very similar. Documentation is important. Let me rephrase, accurate, fair, unbiased documentation is important. But making performance management all about the document and not about the employee and their role in meeting organizational objectives clouds the very purpose of performance management.

What do you think? What is the purpose of performance management? What tips do you have for building a performance culture? Do you work in a performance culture or a paper trail culture?

Your thoughts and comments are encouraged! Subscribe to the blog to hear further tips on overcoming the paper trail. What other topics of interest do you have for future blogs?

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For more resources, See the Human Resources library.

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Sheri Mazurek is a training and human resource professional with over 16 years of management experience, and is skilled in all areas of employee management and human resource functions, with a specialty in learning and development. She is currently employed as the Human Resource Manager at EmployeeScreenIQ, a global leader in pre-employment background screening.

As mentioned previously, overcoming the myth of the “paper trail” requires building a performance culture. In my last post, I discussed some first steps in creating the culture. Setting the stage requires involving employees by engaging in two-way communication and involving them in achieving company and department goals. Another step in creating this culture is by providing constant feedback to employees while encouraging them to share ideas and engage actively in this process as well.

Below are some suggestions for providing feedback. Organizations that have successfully created a performance culture easily communicate and provide feedback. These organizations are also usually very open to the feedback of their employees. Further, they typically focus on the individual development of their employees.

What other ideas can you add?

Ongoing Performance Management

Give Feedback Often

• Hold periodic update meetings to discuss performance. This can be in the form of weekly, bi-weekly or monthly touch base meetings. (Be sure to document these discussions)
• Provide positive feedback and developmental feedback.
• Have a two-way conversation with the employee. Ask them for ideas on improving areas of opportunity and development areas.
• Seek out the employee’s career goals. Incorporate those into their personal development plan.
• Address performance as it happens. Give the feedback that explains both the facts of the situation and the results achieved whether negative or positive. Record this feedback on the appropriate company form and keep a copy to use for the formal review meeting
• Keep a log or journal of each feedback
• Focus on behaviors (Instead of saying, “you’ve been lazy lately. Say “You’ve missed the last two deadlines.”)
• Don’t jump to conclusions about poor performance. Examine facts and engage the employee in questions. Ask their input on correcting issues. For example, instead of saying, “I can’t accept any more reports with errors.” Ask, “What steps are you going to take to ensure your work is free of errors?”
• Feedback should be specific and sincere
• Avoid overwhelming the employee with too much feedback. Focus on the most relevant and important observations
• Keep your emotions in check
• Clearly identify the payoff of the positive behavior change (even if this is developmental or positive feedback).

Your comments are always encouraged!

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For more resources, See the Human Resources library.

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Sheri Mazurek is a training and human resource professional with over 16 years of management experience, and is skilled in all areas of employee management and human resource functions, with a specialty in learning and development. She is currently employed as the Human Resource Manager at EmployeeScreenIQ, a global leader in pre-employment background screening.

As mentioned in two previous posts, the paper trail seems to be a concept widely understood by individuals in multiple organizations. The concept is a reality for many and represents how the competing interests in organizations can work against the common goal of the company and its employees. Overcoming this competition of interests is required for the dissolution of the this mythical paper trail. If the paper trail continues to exist in the organization as tool for termination, then the conflict between managers, HR and employees will continue to take precedence over the organization’s goals.

Overcoming the Myth

Overcoming the myth of the paper trail can be very difficult for many organizations. HR departments often put great amounts of effort into developing performance management systems to include a myriad of forms and steps. Many companies even spend thousands of dollars training managers on the use of these forms and completing the steps. Despite these efforts, the paper trail still develops. The issue in many cases is not necessarily the failure to create great systems and useful forms; it is however, the failure to create a performance culture.

The culture in the organization can’t usually be found in the rule book, policy statement, or SOP. It is something that you see in the behaviors of the people in the organization. Their norms and customs become the example, therefore setting the “real” rules of behavior. For example, the handbook may dictate a professional dress code. However, everyone knows that the CEO wears jeans every day. Eventually others begin to follow the example until jeans become the dress code despite what the handbook says.

Creating this culture is not always easy. However, research continues to show a positive correlation to it and business success. Below is a list of the first steps to get you started. What others do you have to share as beginning stages? We will discuss this in the next two to three posts.

SET THE STAGE

Ensure the employee knows the expectations

• Clearly define team roles
• Discuss how goals and expectations relate to company mission
• Review the job description and expectations with each new employee on their first day (provide a copy of the 30, 60, 90 day and annual reviews and explain what is required to meet and exceed expectations)
• Meet at least weekly with new hires during their first 90 days and bi-weekly during the first six months
• During performance meetings, refer back to the mission often

Involve the Team in Setting Goals and Expectations

• Work with your staff to set team and individual goals and objectives that will meet the mission of the company
• Discuss results with your team. Share the stats. Let them know how the department contributes to the goals of the organization
• Post the goals of the department and the department’s mission (have the team work together to create the mission)

As always, your comments are encouraged!

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For more resources, See the Human Resources library.

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Sheri Mazurek is a training and human resource professional with over 16 years of management experience, and is skilled in all areas of employee management and human resource functions, with a specialty in learning and development. She is currently employed as the Human Resource Manager at EmployeeScreenIQ, a global leader in pre-employment background screening.

In a previous post, I mentioned the concept of the “paper trail” in organizations. Regardless of your position in your organization, the likelihood that you understood this term is high. The cited conversation in that blog post between the manager and HR professional is also very familiar to both managers and HR professionals. At some point in their career, most supervisors and HR pros have probability participated in a similar dialogue and it most likely ended in a feeling of frustration for both parties.

What about Bob?

In the fictitious dialogue in my previous post, Bob is the employee. According to Bob’s manger, he is not performing to expectations. However, despite the fact that he feels like he has had multiple conversations with him, Bob most likely feels like is his doing a good job. His feeling is probably not the result of an oversized ego; but rather, it comes from a lack of consistent honest performance feedback.

So what happens when Bob’s supervising manager finally decides to give him a corrective action document? Bob sees it as the beginning of the “paper trail.” The “paper trail” is something that Bob has heard about. For him, it’s the beginning of the end. It is what mangers give employees when they are trying to get rid of them. Bob’s emotions at this point could vary depending on multiple factors, but most likely include one or all of the following: frustration, anger, defensiveness, or sadness. Ultimately, most of the parties involved want the same result. The supervising manager wants Bob to do a good job. The HR manager wants Bob to do a good job. Bob wants to do a good job. Further, the company wants Bob to do a good job. The solution is finding a way to help everyone get what they want.
I will discuss this further in my next post. What ideas do you have to accomplish this? What has worked in your organization? Does your organization have a performance culture or does it resemble the
fictitious scenario discussed here?

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For more resources, See the Human Resources library.

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Sheri Mazurek is a training and human resource professional with over 16 years of management experience, and is skilled in all areas of employee management and human resource functions, with a specialty in learning and development. She is currently employed as the Human Resource Manager at EmployeeScreenIQ, a global leader in pre-employment background screening.