Tomorrow should be fun day. Salary increase (or lack there of) letters will be distributed to the employees.
This is where the strong managers will be separated from the weak.
Sure it’s nice to find out you are getting an increase this year, but how much does it really mean when it’s communicated via your manager handing you a piece of paper and saying “Good year”.
Sure it sucks to find out you are not getting an increase, but the sting can be reduced if your manager takes the extra time to explain why…whether it’s a business decision or a performance issue.
For me, it’s not the initial meetings that causes me work – it’s the reverberations of when the employees start to share (and oh boy do they share in my company...people...let's put the "personal" back in personnel)and discover first hand that fair does not mean equal.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Monday, December 07, 2009
Lack of coordination
There are hunters. There are gatherers. And then there are coordinators.
I’m in the third group.
This does not mean I like to organize potlucks or game nights for the neighbourhood. Nor does it mean that I like to make travel arrangements for executives. It means that I like to take all the information and processes that I have and make order of it – in a way that makes things more productive and efficient.
I do this at work - it’s my job. I coordinate recruiting. I coordinate employee sessions. I coordinate the parking passes, the payroll, and pension planning.
I do this at home. I have kids: 9, 13, and 39. I coordinate evening routines. I coordinate family outings. I coordinate household expenses.
However, I’ve come to realize that my need to coordinate is like kryptonite to many.
To every supervisor, manager, and family member that asks me to do something or be somewhere – THEY are priority number one. They either fail to realize (or cease to care) that others may have similar requests.
My reaction is to sit back, take in the requests/ invites, lay them out like cards, and then sort through by priority and urgency. When pressed to commit to multiple meetings, projects, or Christmas dinners…my typical response is: I will have to get back to you. (And I do.)
Apparently this drives people mental.
I’ve been accused of waiting to see if I get a better offer, looking to cherry-pick work, or even procrastinate. I can make decisions quickly. In fact, once I know what the options are – I’m very quick to put things in order and make a call. And sometimes this means saying no.
What irks me, is that I don’t recall anyone complaining when the Bionic Woman stopped in mid-chase and asked those around her to wait a minute while she used her super-hearing to listen in to evil plots. So, why is it a big deal when I ask for the same so that I can employ my “super-power” to disseminate the chaos that is thrown my way?
I tell you, we superheroes...ummm...coordinators are seriously misunderstood.
I’m in the third group.
This does not mean I like to organize potlucks or game nights for the neighbourhood. Nor does it mean that I like to make travel arrangements for executives. It means that I like to take all the information and processes that I have and make order of it – in a way that makes things more productive and efficient.
I do this at work - it’s my job. I coordinate recruiting. I coordinate employee sessions. I coordinate the parking passes, the payroll, and pension planning.
I do this at home. I have kids: 9, 13, and 39. I coordinate evening routines. I coordinate family outings. I coordinate household expenses.
However, I’ve come to realize that my need to coordinate is like kryptonite to many.
To every supervisor, manager, and family member that asks me to do something or be somewhere – THEY are priority number one. They either fail to realize (or cease to care) that others may have similar requests.
My reaction is to sit back, take in the requests/ invites, lay them out like cards, and then sort through by priority and urgency. When pressed to commit to multiple meetings, projects, or Christmas dinners…my typical response is: I will have to get back to you. (And I do.)
Apparently this drives people mental.
I’ve been accused of waiting to see if I get a better offer, looking to cherry-pick work, or even procrastinate. I can make decisions quickly. In fact, once I know what the options are – I’m very quick to put things in order and make a call. And sometimes this means saying no.
What irks me, is that I don’t recall anyone complaining when the Bionic Woman stopped in mid-chase and asked those around her to wait a minute while she used her super-hearing to listen in to evil plots. So, why is it a big deal when I ask for the same so that I can employ my “super-power” to disseminate the chaos that is thrown my way?
I tell you, we superheroes...ummm...coordinators are seriously misunderstood.
Friday, December 04, 2009
Ridiculous and petty work-related vent
To the person who took my lunch from the fridge today.
I hope it sucked.
I say this because I don’t know how it was going to taste. I was determined to bring my lunch in today, but was running low on staples, but high on inspiration. So you were a guinea pig my dear friend. The rice/ spinach/onion concoction was a mash-up of what I thought might be good.
I have to admit that I wasn’t looking forward to eating it. It didn’t look that appealing, but I balanced this against the nutritional value and my reluctance to pay ridiculous cafeteria prices.
Still, I cannot imagine that your lunch and hunger were that desperate. I saw much more appealing lunches that you could have taken. I considered it myself when I saw that I was Tupperware-less.
Pray that you don’t have spinach stuck in your teeth, because I will not hesitate to point it out.
I hope it sucked.
I say this because I don’t know how it was going to taste. I was determined to bring my lunch in today, but was running low on staples, but high on inspiration. So you were a guinea pig my dear friend. The rice/ spinach/onion concoction was a mash-up of what I thought might be good.
I have to admit that I wasn’t looking forward to eating it. It didn’t look that appealing, but I balanced this against the nutritional value and my reluctance to pay ridiculous cafeteria prices.
Still, I cannot imagine that your lunch and hunger were that desperate. I saw much more appealing lunches that you could have taken. I considered it myself when I saw that I was Tupperware-less.
Pray that you don’t have spinach stuck in your teeth, because I will not hesitate to point it out.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Giving the little black dress a new meaning…
I had the unpleasant task of conducting a termination today. I don’t enjoy them, but it needed to be done.
Shortly afterwards an employee stopped me in the hallway and asked, “Why do you always wear black on days when you do terminations?”
I answered, “Why do people always notice what I’m wearing only on days that I do terminations?”
For the record, I wear black every single day.
Based on the employee’s comment, this is not going to change anytime soon…maybe it will keep them guessing.
Shortly afterwards an employee stopped me in the hallway and asked, “Why do you always wear black on days when you do terminations?”
I answered, “Why do people always notice what I’m wearing only on days that I do terminations?”
For the record, I wear black every single day.
Based on the employee’s comment, this is not going to change anytime soon…maybe it will keep them guessing.
Potential confrontation averted
Yesterday a manager sat with me to go over a plan of action that he had put together regarding a difficult female employee. He knew what he wanted to achieve, had a good approach, and even had planned for follow-up.
He just needed a sounding board and I was happy to provide this. It’s part of my role. It’s what I’m trained to do.
At the end of our meeting, he said that he appreciated my insight as he wasn’t exactly sure how to approach this particular situation and that it would be good to get my perspective…as a woman.
I have to admit that I was stunned. The thoughts running through my head were something along the line of: “I did not work my ass off to get my education and then go through the incredibly painful and stress-inducing process of achieving my HR certification, not to mention trying to soak up and learn all I can about HR, only to have someone thank me for being a woman”. I mean, it’s not like he asked me what kind of flowers I should get her.
I went home that night and vented to my husband about this. It’s insulting I told him. Why couldn’t he say he appreciated my HR perspective? What an ass.
Now, I should add that the manager’s comment was sincere (or sounded that way) and I believe he meant it as a compliment. But it was still a slap.
I asked my husband, who has a female work partner. Would you ever tell her that she does her job well because she is woman and not because of abilities or training?
His answer: yes.
Really?!
Well yes, he explained. In some cases, the medical calls they deal with involve situations/ people that it makes much more sense to have a woman deal with (if forced to choose better a male or female), such as pregnant and/or distressed women. He then added that he handles the calls involving children, since he has two and his partner has none…he can relate better.
Oh.
This made me sit back and realize that the manager likely didn’t mean to disregard my other abilities, but just to say that he valued my perspective on a situation where he was concerned that he might not handle properly – me having the advantage of being a female. And he didn’t go to any other female manager/co-worker; he did come to HR.
I realized that I was being way too sensitive about the situation. But that’s probably because I’m in HR.
He just needed a sounding board and I was happy to provide this. It’s part of my role. It’s what I’m trained to do.
At the end of our meeting, he said that he appreciated my insight as he wasn’t exactly sure how to approach this particular situation and that it would be good to get my perspective…as a woman.
I have to admit that I was stunned. The thoughts running through my head were something along the line of: “I did not work my ass off to get my education and then go through the incredibly painful and stress-inducing process of achieving my HR certification, not to mention trying to soak up and learn all I can about HR, only to have someone thank me for being a woman”. I mean, it’s not like he asked me what kind of flowers I should get her.
I went home that night and vented to my husband about this. It’s insulting I told him. Why couldn’t he say he appreciated my HR perspective? What an ass.
Now, I should add that the manager’s comment was sincere (or sounded that way) and I believe he meant it as a compliment. But it was still a slap.
I asked my husband, who has a female work partner. Would you ever tell her that she does her job well because she is woman and not because of abilities or training?
His answer: yes.
Really?!
Well yes, he explained. In some cases, the medical calls they deal with involve situations/ people that it makes much more sense to have a woman deal with (if forced to choose better a male or female), such as pregnant and/or distressed women. He then added that he handles the calls involving children, since he has two and his partner has none…he can relate better.
Oh.
This made me sit back and realize that the manager likely didn’t mean to disregard my other abilities, but just to say that he valued my perspective on a situation where he was concerned that he might not handle properly – me having the advantage of being a female. And he didn’t go to any other female manager/co-worker; he did come to HR.
I realized that I was being way too sensitive about the situation. But that’s probably because I’m in HR.
Friday, October 16, 2009
The plight of the serial applicant
Although not unique to my organization, we have a number of what I lovingly call “serial applicants”. These are the employees that apply to every internal job posting regardless of whether they are qualified or, quite frankly, interested in the job.
My observations:
If your sole modus operandi is the burning need to get the hell out of your current role because you hate the job/ your supervisor/ your co-workers and you are fixated to the point of paralysis on this fact – don’t bother - no one wants to take on someone else’s problem.
If you cannot be discrete and have made it your personal mission to tell anyone and everyone about your unhappiness and that you are planning on applying to any and all jobs – don’t bother – your lack of professionalism and productivity will have you blacklisted before you even walk into the interview room.
If you cannot bother to come into work on a regular basis, have had multiple performance-related discussion with your supervisor, and public spats with your co-workers – don’t bother, everyone knows about these issues….and you are probably the one who told them.
There are certain advantages to hiring an internal candidate. They know they company, reduced training needs, employee recognition, improved morale, and they are a known entity.
The disadvantage of being an internal candidate – you are a known entity. If you think that supervisors and/or managers are not comparing notes on who has the most challenging employee…think again. It’s a fact.
I struggle with the concept of interviewing all internal candidate when it is obvious that they are either not qualified to do the job (and qualifications are more than just technical skills) or will not be hired because of some of the reasons listed above.
Providing employees with the chance to apply to other internal opportunities is a good philosophy. Wasting everyone’s time when it’s just not going to happen…that’s not.
My observations:
If your sole modus operandi is the burning need to get the hell out of your current role because you hate the job/ your supervisor/ your co-workers and you are fixated to the point of paralysis on this fact – don’t bother - no one wants to take on someone else’s problem.
If you cannot be discrete and have made it your personal mission to tell anyone and everyone about your unhappiness and that you are planning on applying to any and all jobs – don’t bother – your lack of professionalism and productivity will have you blacklisted before you even walk into the interview room.
If you cannot bother to come into work on a regular basis, have had multiple performance-related discussion with your supervisor, and public spats with your co-workers – don’t bother, everyone knows about these issues….and you are probably the one who told them.
There are certain advantages to hiring an internal candidate. They know they company, reduced training needs, employee recognition, improved morale, and they are a known entity.
The disadvantage of being an internal candidate – you are a known entity. If you think that supervisors and/or managers are not comparing notes on who has the most challenging employee…think again. It’s a fact.
I struggle with the concept of interviewing all internal candidate when it is obvious that they are either not qualified to do the job (and qualifications are more than just technical skills) or will not be hired because of some of the reasons listed above.
Providing employees with the chance to apply to other internal opportunities is a good philosophy. Wasting everyone’s time when it’s just not going to happen…that’s not.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
A rose by any other name...
I was visiting family over the Thanksgiving weekend (no I don’t have my dates wrong, in Canada it’s in October…shockers) and got to spend time with my teenage nephews.
This was incredibly entertaining. And when I say entertaining, I mean it in the way that you have wandered into a previously undiscovered jungle tribe and you are overwhelmed the absolute strangeness of it.
I was originally going to go off on a bit of a generational rant, but I won't because
a) it makes me sound ridiculously old and
b) I’m sure in my own way, during my own youth, I did the same damn thing.
Instead, after mulling it over a bit, it’s quite the opposite of a rant; I realize now that I've learned a whole new way to give a compliment.
It's true. The whole visit was mad sick.
Not just sick, but mad sick.
The experience was so inspiring that I'm considering infusing some of these terms into manager communications with their employees.
Imagine this as a snippet from a performance review:
Manager: Alright, we are going re-hash 2009
Employee: k
Manager: First off, you have mad skills when it comes to analyzing the issues. I’m serious. It’s sick the way you are able to meet all your targets for the year and not do any OT.
Employee: nice
Manager: And during the audits this year…it was completely stupid how you handled it. Bang on.
Employee: Thanks.
Manager: I’m serious – it was retarded.
Employee: wow - thanks.
Obviously this wouldn’t work for everyone, but I would love to for it to happen - just to see the look on the twenty-something’s face when his/her boss decides to ‘relate’.
I’m guessing that the look would be similar to the one that my nephews (and my own kids) gave me when I complimented my sister-in-law on the mad sick turkey dinner.
This was incredibly entertaining. And when I say entertaining, I mean it in the way that you have wandered into a previously undiscovered jungle tribe and you are overwhelmed the absolute strangeness of it.
I was originally going to go off on a bit of a generational rant, but I won't because
a) it makes me sound ridiculously old and
b) I’m sure in my own way, during my own youth, I did the same damn thing.
Instead, after mulling it over a bit, it’s quite the opposite of a rant; I realize now that I've learned a whole new way to give a compliment.
It's true. The whole visit was mad sick.
Not just sick, but mad sick.
The experience was so inspiring that I'm considering infusing some of these terms into manager communications with their employees.
Imagine this as a snippet from a performance review:
Manager: Alright, we are going re-hash 2009
Employee: k
Manager: First off, you have mad skills when it comes to analyzing the issues. I’m serious. It’s sick the way you are able to meet all your targets for the year and not do any OT.
Employee: nice
Manager: And during the audits this year…it was completely stupid how you handled it. Bang on.
Employee: Thanks.
Manager: I’m serious – it was retarded.
Employee: wow - thanks.
Obviously this wouldn’t work for everyone, but I would love to for it to happen - just to see the look on the twenty-something’s face when his/her boss decides to ‘relate’.
I’m guessing that the look would be similar to the one that my nephews (and my own kids) gave me when I complimented my sister-in-law on the mad sick turkey dinner.
Sunday, October 04, 2009
Catching up
this past weekend was a productive one, but not in the traditional sense. The laundry is still behind, I did very little cleaning, and although I now know how many weeds there are in the garden - I did nothing to fix the problem.
It was productive in the sense that I did some catching up with people. Friday evening I went to a movie with my sister-in-law...something I've been wanting to do for awhile. Saturday, the kiddies and I visited my grandma for the afternoon. Sunday, I had friends over and we calculated that it had been one full year since we last saw each other in person.
I am willing to admit that before each of the events I wanted to bail out. I have been very tired lately, and I was not in the mood to "socialize". Now, having completed them all, I am so glad that I hung in there.
I like "To Do" lists at work. I love crossing off items to know I've accomplished something. I realized that I need to carry over this attitude towards seeing people. Not making it an item on a "To See" list, but so I will have the satisfaction having made the effort to catch up with them.
Although these get-togethers were arranged about a week and a half ago, the timing could not have been better. This past week I attended a funeral for a former colleague of mine. He was 42 years and died completely unexpectedly. I won't create a false post-mortem relationship. He was a very nice person who tried very hard to please everyone around him - he would do anything to help people - sometimes to a fault. We were friends in the workplace and he did things that drove me mental; however, that is worst thing I can say about him. It goes without saying that he will be missed, by me and many others.
As is want to happen with tragic circumstances, I took stock of my relationships and realized that while I'm not about to change how and who I interact with, I did think twice about postponing my next get-together...you just never know.
It was productive in the sense that I did some catching up with people. Friday evening I went to a movie with my sister-in-law...something I've been wanting to do for awhile. Saturday, the kiddies and I visited my grandma for the afternoon. Sunday, I had friends over and we calculated that it had been one full year since we last saw each other in person.
I am willing to admit that before each of the events I wanted to bail out. I have been very tired lately, and I was not in the mood to "socialize". Now, having completed them all, I am so glad that I hung in there.
I like "To Do" lists at work. I love crossing off items to know I've accomplished something. I realized that I need to carry over this attitude towards seeing people. Not making it an item on a "To See" list, but so I will have the satisfaction having made the effort to catch up with them.
Although these get-togethers were arranged about a week and a half ago, the timing could not have been better. This past week I attended a funeral for a former colleague of mine. He was 42 years and died completely unexpectedly. I won't create a false post-mortem relationship. He was a very nice person who tried very hard to please everyone around him - he would do anything to help people - sometimes to a fault. We were friends in the workplace and he did things that drove me mental; however, that is worst thing I can say about him. It goes without saying that he will be missed, by me and many others.
As is want to happen with tragic circumstances, I took stock of my relationships and realized that while I'm not about to change how and who I interact with, I did think twice about postponing my next get-together...you just never know.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Do as I say?!
At the moment, attendance management is a big issue at work. The key issue is that it is not being managed. It is tolerated, ignored, and then complained about by the managers. The employees - well, they are doing what they feel they are allowed to (or can get away with, in some cases).
As a result, the managers are living with the consequence of not having communicated clear expectations to the employees. They cannot very well follow-up or dole out reprimands when they never set our expectations. I can just imagine what the first employee that will be hauled into his or her manager’s office will say…”I didn’t realize….you never said anything…I thought you meant…”
This morning I was a witness to this very kind of phenomenon.
We have a trampoline and my son has a tendency to run outside in bare feet or socks, jump around, and then run back in. You can imagine the state of his feet when he returns into the house.
To preempt dirty footprints on the floor, my husband called out to my son - “make sure you are not running out with anything other than shoes on your feet to go to the trampoline”.
My son is no dummy, but he stood frozen at the door. After an awkward few seconds, I quietly added, “Please wear shoes when you go to the trampoline”. Comprehension showed on his face, he put on his shoes and he ran outside.
We essentially said the same thing, but I made it perfectly clear what I expected him to do in a way that he understood.
How much of our “employee communications” can say the same?
As a result, the managers are living with the consequence of not having communicated clear expectations to the employees. They cannot very well follow-up or dole out reprimands when they never set our expectations. I can just imagine what the first employee that will be hauled into his or her manager’s office will say…”I didn’t realize….you never said anything…I thought you meant…”
This morning I was a witness to this very kind of phenomenon.
We have a trampoline and my son has a tendency to run outside in bare feet or socks, jump around, and then run back in. You can imagine the state of his feet when he returns into the house.
To preempt dirty footprints on the floor, my husband called out to my son - “make sure you are not running out with anything other than shoes on your feet to go to the trampoline”.
My son is no dummy, but he stood frozen at the door. After an awkward few seconds, I quietly added, “Please wear shoes when you go to the trampoline”. Comprehension showed on his face, he put on his shoes and he ran outside.
We essentially said the same thing, but I made it perfectly clear what I expected him to do in a way that he understood.
How much of our “employee communications” can say the same?
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
What's in a name?
I’ve recently been inspired by a 101 Things in 1001 days initiative that a local woman has put together for herself. She is trying to try/do 101 things in (can you guess) 1001 days.
Personally, I like this because these things can be anything, not just big inspirational moves like solve world hunger or single-handedly sew up the hole in the ozone layer. We are talking every day things like, “make home-made pasta”, “learn to knit”, and other such things. And yes, these are two of my 101s.
I figured it would be fairly easy to get a good list going. After two days, I’ve hit 20 items. 20. Only twenty. Well, make that 21 since making a list of 101 things is now one of my goals.
I was amazed at my lack of imagination and ambition. Hmmm… #22 – Improved imagination, #23 – Increase motivation.
Seriously though, one of my goals was to become even more techno-savy than I am. I know, after all my experience blogging, twittering, and updating a status on my Facebook account every 2 months, you would think there wasn’t much more for me to learn, but there is. And so, I have blindly agreed to be the webmaster for my community association.
Do I have any experience mastering a web? No.
So why do it? Well, first…because I never have. And I need to get out there and do things I never have. My lack of items on my list is evidence of this.
The second reason for taking on this challenge….because it sounds so damn cool to say I’m a webmaster. Honestly, it has to be one level below overlord, isn’t it?
BTW - #5...blog at least once a week...
Personally, I like this because these things can be anything, not just big inspirational moves like solve world hunger or single-handedly sew up the hole in the ozone layer. We are talking every day things like, “make home-made pasta”, “learn to knit”, and other such things. And yes, these are two of my 101s.
I figured it would be fairly easy to get a good list going. After two days, I’ve hit 20 items. 20. Only twenty. Well, make that 21 since making a list of 101 things is now one of my goals.
I was amazed at my lack of imagination and ambition. Hmmm… #22 – Improved imagination, #23 – Increase motivation.
Seriously though, one of my goals was to become even more techno-savy than I am. I know, after all my experience blogging, twittering, and updating a status on my Facebook account every 2 months, you would think there wasn’t much more for me to learn, but there is. And so, I have blindly agreed to be the webmaster for my community association.
Do I have any experience mastering a web? No.
So why do it? Well, first…because I never have. And I need to get out there and do things I never have. My lack of items on my list is evidence of this.
The second reason for taking on this challenge….because it sounds so damn cool to say I’m a webmaster. Honestly, it has to be one level below overlord, isn’t it?
BTW - #5...blog at least once a week...
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
HR Anonymous
Hello, my blogger name is Corporate Daycare and I’m a HR Professional. I have a confession to make. I hate recruiting.
There.
I’ve said it.
This admission was inspired by another HR individual who recently stated as much. It was such a relief though to hear someone else say this because I had this sneaking suspicion that I was slowly becoming an imposter in the HR role.
There seems to be a big plug that HR is ALL about recruiting. It is your raison d’être, your mission, your purpose. Everything else is just administrative work or should be outsourced.
Of course if your role is a recruiter – well, you better like it. However, when it’s only an aspect of your role though, not so much.
Do I do recruiting? Yes, of course – it’s part of my job. So is filing. So is showing up every day at 7:30am. Ask me how I feel about those aspects…
I consider myself a good parent. I love my kids. I take their health and happiness very seriously – it’s one of my greatest pleasures to know they have had a great start in life. I did most of what I could to provide for them – good foods, lots of sleep, reading to them, spend time with them. And to start off this process, I chose to breastfeed them.
And I hated it.
Yes, I am willing to admit that this parental raison d’être, this motherly mission, this natural purpose… well, it sucked (sorry). I am not proud of this, but neither am I ashamed. I would not deter anyone from trying, but I will not pretend I liked it either.
So, does this make me less of a parent? Of course not.
So, why would I be considered less of an HR for not liking an aspect of my role?
In my mind, I’m not.
There.
I’ve said it.
This admission was inspired by another HR individual who recently stated as much. It was such a relief though to hear someone else say this because I had this sneaking suspicion that I was slowly becoming an imposter in the HR role.
There seems to be a big plug that HR is ALL about recruiting. It is your raison d’être, your mission, your purpose. Everything else is just administrative work or should be outsourced.
Of course if your role is a recruiter – well, you better like it. However, when it’s only an aspect of your role though, not so much.
Do I do recruiting? Yes, of course – it’s part of my job. So is filing. So is showing up every day at 7:30am. Ask me how I feel about those aspects…
I consider myself a good parent. I love my kids. I take their health and happiness very seriously – it’s one of my greatest pleasures to know they have had a great start in life. I did most of what I could to provide for them – good foods, lots of sleep, reading to them, spend time with them. And to start off this process, I chose to breastfeed them.
And I hated it.
Yes, I am willing to admit that this parental raison d’être, this motherly mission, this natural purpose… well, it sucked (sorry). I am not proud of this, but neither am I ashamed. I would not deter anyone from trying, but I will not pretend I liked it either.
So, does this make me less of a parent? Of course not.
So, why would I be considered less of an HR for not liking an aspect of my role?
In my mind, I’m not.
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