All Aboard!

Phew! You have FINALLY hired someone for that open position. Think about how long tha took. How many resumes you screened, how many interviews you had, and YES! Finally - a good candidate! Everyone is excited for the new person to start. People have been waiting months. Now don't blow it!

Onboarding is THE MOST IMPORTANT thing for a new employee. I can't stress this enough. Screw up a new employee's first few days, and they won't come back. Make sure your new colleague meets everyone. Make sure they have a working computer. At the very least, make sure someone takes them to lunch! You are all so thrilled to have this person, don't let the excitement fizzle out on the first day, your new teammate doesn't know that you are excited if you ignore them.

Here is a checklist and a guide to assure your effectiveness and a reminder of why it is so important to welcome someone with open arms.

Facebook Frenzy

OK - so I know I am about 3 years behind on posting this, but I think FaceBook gets a bad rap. So here is why I LOVE it!

I LOVE to reconnect with old friends, I love to get together with people I haven't seen in decades, as a matter of fact, I ran into my high school boyfriend at a park in Arlington (we did not grow up here, and I haven't seen him since I was 17) and the first thing my best friend said when I told her was "Let me know when he and his wife come over for dinner!"

FaceBook has given me the opportunity to re-connect with old friends (I went to elementary school in State College, PA - left after 4th grade) - what a hoot it has been to talk with these people, one of them lives in Africa - I never would have found her if not for FB! I went to an overnight camp most of my childhood, I was then a counselor there, my campers (then 13 year old girls) have turned into these magnificent women, again, thanks FB!

FaceBook gives us an opportunity to cheer each other on (who knew my friend Robin could run marathons?!?!?); Celebrate each other's accomplishments (babies, weddings, way to go on getting that new job Elissa!); Comfort each other in upsetting times (cancer, deaths, divorce); support each other's new job ventures (Plant It Water, Kit Order), the list goes on and on.

I have found FaceBook to make me MORE social as opposed to less (I hear you tsking mom!) It's been so amazing to catch up with people I thought I would never talk to again and plan get togethers with them, meet their spouses, their children and most importantly, fall right back into where we were when we left off decades ago. So, for those of you who say that social networking is taking the social out of being a person, I have to disagree!

I need a promotion!

A majority of companies are just wrapping up their year end performance reviews, I know - they should have been by the end of the year - but hey - the end of Q1 is progress! During the review process, the questions on everyone's minds are "How much of a raise will I get?" and "When will I be promoted?" News flash folks - you don't get a raise and a promotion just for showing up at work! In these trying economic times - there are at least 10 people out there who can do you job and they are probably more qualified then you, harder working then you, and want the job more then you. So, now that you know you have to actually do your job - well to get promoted, here are some tips to help get you on the right track!

9 tips to get promoted

How to get promoted

Moving up the ladder

It's just a J O B

When I was a senior in college, I COULD NOT WAIT to get a job and walk to work in my suit and sneakers a la Melanie Griffith. Yeah - I soon got over that.

Fast forward 16 years.

This morning I took the metro to downtown DC during rush hour, I haven't done that in a long time, but I was overcome by how miserable everyone is on their way to work. This made me wonder why? Why does everyone get up early, drag themselves to the the metro with thousands of other miserable people, sit at their desks counting down until quitting time and then do it all again? I know, it's easy for me to say that you should just quit if work is making you so miserable, I happen to have a wonderful boss and amazing co-workers (the joy of working as a sole practitioner) but the truth is, it is just not that easy. So, try to make work a little more enjoyable. Conceivably, when you started this job, you thought it would be great. The people were nice, they offer good benefits, there is work life balance, the pay was right . . . but then the honeymoon phase was over.

Some of this is your fault, you let the toxic people influence you. Some of this is your horrible boss. But, since you have to spend more waking time here than anywhere else, try to understand the different types of people with whom we all work. For many, it is just a J O B. Go in, do work, get paid, go home. There are many of us who are passionate about what we do and get frustrated by the people who are not as passionate as we are. But here is my challenge for all the people I saw on the metro this morning: try to make work fun! Make your company the BEST place to work. Don't look back on your career with sadness and anger. Life is too short!

Life Is Good

I am not usually a person who goes around telling people they have to give back - that is a personal decision, but I spent Valentine's day not as a star struck lover, but rather a love struck friend.

I have an amazing friend, Ellen, she and her husband Evan have a beautiful 4 year old daughter. Ellen was on bed rest while she was pregnant and had complications during delivery. Bottom line, Ellen & Evan were told not to have another baby. OK. They decided to adopt. After MANY almost adoptions (birth mothers reneging at the last minute) they FINALLY adopted a beautiful little girl. 3 months after the adoption, this sweet little baby girl was diagnosed with cancer. This is where I would put my head under my pillow and stay there . . .forever.

Not Ellen & Evan! Nope they truly believe that Life Is Good - that they were dealt this hand because they can handle it.

Their sweet little baby has been through 2 rounds of chemo - 2 more to go - and on Valentine's day, people from their church and community pulled together and planned a blood drive since she needs blood. I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of the community. There were hundreds of people gathered at the blood drive to donate and show support, and right in the midst of it all were 4 laughing jovial people. Yep. Ellen, Evan and their 2 amazing kids. I left there feeling like it took me all of an hour to help out this family that goes with the flow. I came home and immediately looked up our president's call to service I want to see what else I can do, maybe I can be more like Ellen & Evan.

I am not telling you this to make you sad about this little baby, but rather to reiterate President Obama and ask you all to get out and serve. I am so thankful for everything I have, and I often forget how lucky I am. Valentine's day reminded me that Life Is Good and we should all take a minute to remember that!

No One Likes a Bully

We have all had amazing bosses and lousy bosses, lord knows I have had quite a few bosses in my career. Some I have loved, some I have had no feeling on either way, but one in particular was a bully. I wish this on NO ONE.

Now, I am not going to use this as a place to rant about a bad boss, but rather as a learning opportunity for all of us, managers and non-mangers alike. My bully boss led me to do a little research on the bully boss and thought I would compile it all here in one place. The bottom line is, there really isn't much you can do, there are no laws against a bully boss, so I just encourage all of us to think twice before acting. Below is what I found. Both for the bully and the recipient. May you never have to do more than read this!

For Both:

• Why is your boss a bully?

For the recipient of bullying:

• When the boss is a bully
• Is your boss a bully? Stop being the target
• Beating a bulllying boss

Can you refer me . . .on LinkedIn?

I like to think that the internet has opened up amazing new doors for recruiting. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn gives the people doing the hiring an opportunity to get a glimpse into our candidates' lives before we hire them. The good, the bad, the ugly. I personally would never use information on any of these social media sites as reasons to not hire someone, but I like to use them to learn more about a candidate, get to know their personality. One thing I love in particular is the reference section on LinkedIn. This is a chance for me to read references I may not typically get. It also serves as a great referral tool. Typically when you write a reference for someone on LinkedIn, it is customary to return the favor. Should companies have policies about writing references for current and past employees on LinkedIn? I say no.

Hypothetical situation:

I write a reference for a former employee on LinkedIn - I see that he is job hunting and I want to write something for him since he was a stellar member of my team. He thanks me for the reference, and seeing that I have recently started my own business, surprises me and writes a nice reference about my skills as an HR professional (very sweet of him and unnecessary). Someone high ranking (and his manager) at the company where we worked together, decided to tell other folks that this is unacceptable - you MAY NOT serve as a reference for someone, that this is against policy.

Hmmmm . . .first of all, there is no policy at the company regarding referrals on LinkedIn: a free-speech, 3rd party, web based, social networking application. Second of all, he wasn't serving as a reference for anything in particular, but rather as a general reference of our time working together. BUT, most disturbing, he got fired 2 days later, for apparently "not fitting in." Ummm . . .he has worked there for 2 years, now you think he doesn't fit it? A little too coincidental for me.

Am I the only one who finds this disturbing? Should there be a policy about referring people on LinkedIn?

You are replacable

Never underestimate the power of cross training. As much as we all like to think we are the best thing to happen to a company - let's face it, as soon as we announce our resignation, the recruiting to replace us begins.

As a manger or an HR professional, it is our responsibility to ensure that there is a not a day of work lost because someone leaves our organization. Enter cross training. Every position at your organization should have at least one other person who can perform someone else's duties. Not only does cross training help when people leave or take vacation days, but it also helps develop your staff. For all you know, your payroll clerk is interested in benefits management- no better way to teach then hands on experience!

Why companies need an HR presence

I am in a state of shock!

I just got off the phone with a very nice woman who works as an office manager for a small company in PA. Her husband (lets call him Dan) is a regional sales representative for a marble and tile company. She called me looking for advice. Dan has been the sales representative for PA, NY & NJ for 25 years, and he is EXCEPTIONAL at his job. The clients love him and his income proves the point. At the beginning of 2010, the company decided to take NJ out of Dan's territory. Hard pill to swallow. NJ makes up 1/3 of his income, but OK - he'd rather have a job then not. Last week the company received a letter from one of Dan's former clients in NJ asking after Dan. The client was disappointed that Dan was no longer their contact. They wanted to know why this happened. The client received a letter back from the company stating "Dan will no longer be your sales contact as we are managing him towards retirement."

WHAT!?!?!? Am I the only in a state of shock? Let me know your thoughts!

High School Principal or HR Professional?

As an HR professional, I am finding it to be challenging that some professionals are forgetting that we are a resource for HUMANS.

I am a member of a few HR networking and educational groups and I recently attended a meeting and discovered that I was disappointed in my colleagues - a majority of the meeting was spent talking about how important saving money and following the rules is. Everyone was talking about money and focussing on the bottom line; making sure the employees were signing forms and not asking too many "silly" questions. I was silent - and quite honestly shocked.

Ummm . . .what about the people?

Don't get me wrong, I fully believe rules are important (and keep companies legal), and saving money is great too, as a matter of fact, when we HR professionals do it, we feel like we are finally being heard by the rest of the staff . . . but companies can't exist without people!

Yes, the bottom line is important. Yes, rules are in place for a reason, but as HR professionals, we aren't the high school principal. I find the most important aspect of my profession is to retain staff and to make sure they enjoy their job. I am well aware that people don't stay in one job forever, and I want everyone who leaves a company where I was the HR professional to refer others to work there, and tell people "this was an amazing company that really cared about it's people!"

As HR professionals, it is a challenge to do it all: keep companies compliant, help manage poor performers, train staff, interview, make sure payroll is error free - every time, manage benefits, retain staff, save the company money, have a seat at the table, I can go on for pages . . .but let's not forget the best and most important resource we have is the humans!

Six degrees of Kevin Bacon

I truly believe that I am six degrees from Kevin Bacon. One summer during college, I worked on a movie set with Joe Mantegna. He was in Queen's Logic with Kevin Bacon. OK, now all I need is for Joe Mantegna to introduce me to Kevin Bacon. Yeah, right. Enter . . . networking. If I wanted to pursue a career in the movie industry, I never would let that connection go. I would network until I got a meeting with someone who could help me start out in the movie world.

I have had many people ask me how to network (believe me I am no guru), and I find it is hard for me to "teach" good networking. The best I can do is offer some tips. Networking is like a job interview, only the relationship will last MUCH longer then the one you will have with a hiring manager. So . . . here goes:

Follow Up:

When you are reaching out to someone (because you want to meet them, learn from them, meet someone with whom they work) don't reach out just once. It is not someone else's responsibility to make sure you get connected.

Quid Pro Quo:

I would love to believe that there are people out there who are genuinely big hearted and want to help just out of the kindness of their heart (aside from my husband, I really don't know many people like this) so, when you are networking, remember - KARMA! Help someone now, you may need them in 1 month, 6 months, 5 years, and vice-a-versa; someone helping you now may reach out to you at some point for assistance. Don't mess with your network, reputation is powerful!

Be Prepared:

Don't reach out to someone for an introduction; for information about a company; help of any kind; without being prepared. Enter the conversation with a list of questions. Pet peeve of mine: someone calls me, says "Kevin Bacon suggested I get in touch with you" and then S I L E N C E.

Talk:

Social networking IS NOT the last step in networking - it is the first! Email, tweeting, facebook status DOES NOT replace human interaction. Yes, start with following someone on twitter; friend them on facebook; connect on linkedin - but then talk. This is the only way that people can get to know you. To understand your personality. Pick up the phone, go out for coffee, remember the afore mentioned tip and do a little research on the person you are meeting. Don't leave your chat without at least 2 other contacts.

Say Thank You:

Remember Quid Pro Quo? Thank the person for taking the time to meet with you, you never know when they will remember you and recommend you for something.

Everyone has a network, you need to know how to use it. Interested in politics? Don't you have a friend who has a friend that works on the hill? Ask for an intro! Want to be a journalist? Doesn't your sister's boyfriend's roommate work for the Arlington Gazette? Take him out for coffee!

See, it's not that hard to network, you just have to sit down and think about who you know . . . and who they know. Hey, you may be six degrees from Kevin Bacon!

New Year . . .New Thoughts

I NEVER thought I would be a person who sat down and wrote my random thoughts for others to read (or not), but today I met someone who convinced me otherwise. If nothing else, this is a great place to put it all in writing, makes me feel more accountable.

After much thought; tears; discussions with my husband; thought; and tears; I have decided to bite the bullet and make 2010 a year to remember! I have decided to hang my own shingle and start my own consulting/coaching biz.

I find that the hardest thing I have ever done in my life is have children. Don't get me wrong, this is also the best thing I have ever done in my life; but I was not at all prepared to have to re-adjust my life for these amazing little people who turn to me for everything. I tell you this, because it brought me to the decision to start my own business. I want to make my schedule. I want to work, be a mom, be a wife, be a friend, go on field trips, attend class holiday parties and still contribute financially to my family.

I love working with people, speaking my mind, giving my (not always asked for) opinion, so I figured I will try to make a living out of these talents - enter the birth of Seamless HR Solutions. I am still trying to wrap my head around what this business will grow into, but for now I would like to be the HR ear for small businesses and associations. I want to help keep organizations compliant, help with their HR needs, but most importantly, be there for Executive Directors and CEOs. Be the problem solver, the outside observer, the person on the other end of the bat phone.

So, here in this new decade, I am putting myself out there in hopes that what I have been doing professionally for the past almost 15 years will be useful to small businesses and associations. If nothing else, this blogging is a great exercise in free therapy.

Until next time . . .