“Notorious B.I.G. said it best: ‘Either you’re slinging crack rock, or you got a wicked jump shot.’ Nobody wants to work for it anymore. There’s no honor in taking the after-school job at Mickey D’s. Honor’s in the dollar, kid. So I went the white boy way of slinging crack rock. I became a stock broker.” —Seth Davis in Boiler Room In …
The Hassle of Performance-Based Pay
Are performance-based pay structures worth all of the hassle? It feels like the amount of effort that goes into these pay structures might not be worth the squeeze. Typically performance-based pay requires the measurement of key performance indicators. That means that I’m paying someone to measure all of the “stuff.” That’s fine for me because as we know, you can’t …
Your Organization’s Commitment To LGBT Pride Month Beyond Just The Rainbow
Growing up, my parents shared many stories of the struggle, perseverance, and the marginalization of black people. My father frequently closed with, “There’s no shame in being black, it just ain’t easy at times.” He wasn’t kidding! I grew up in a society located smack dab in the middle of the land of the free, and home of the brave …
Do Activist Employees At Google Represent The Masses?
If you’re an HR leader, one important thing to get your head around is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and its connection to the mission of your company and the market choices your company makes. Welcome to the new world. You can’t simply chase a profitable line of business that exists on the fringes without considering CSR. At no place is …
Rainbow Flags for Everyone!
Pride is almost here! June is Pride month when all the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Trans folks (etc., etc.) pull out their rainbow flags and hope that their houses don’t get egged. Some of us live in neighborhoods where we don’t think twice before showing our pride (gayborhoods), while others can’t put out a flag for fear of retaliation. Luckily, …
Five HR MindShifts We All Need To Make
Let me first start by saying I love being an HR professional. I love the insight that the profession gives you into a company and its employees. But as HR people know, this insight can often be a double-edged sword. Instead of being coaches, we often become referees, and instead of ambassadors of our organization, we become law enforcement to …
Dear Staff, Just Because It’s Legal, Doesn’t Mean You Can Smoke It At Work – Sincerely, HR
I have known that distinct smell of marijuana ever since I was in middle school. The year was 1975, and I was spending the night at my very popular older brother’s house (known for his infamous parties). I happened upon that plate beneath to sofa that contained, among other things, a pack of funny little thin papers, little round seeds, …
Is Unlimited PTO Just a Scam Not to Pay Out Accrued Vacation and Sick Time?
Yeah, I said it. In my darkest moments, I’m a bit of a skeptic. And I think unlimited PTO might just be a scam to not pay out accrued vacation and sick time. With me? Against me? As with most things, the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. Here’s 5 things I know about vacation/sick time and the connection …
Throwing out the Bad Apples
Everyone’s heard the phrase “a bad apple spoils the bunch,” but in my work experience, this hasn’t been true. In my experience, it isn’t the bad apple that spoils the bunch; it’s the semi-bad apple. That apple that you think is just as good as the rest (or pretty close), until you realize it’s not just as good, and that …
The 996 Recruiting Schedule!
If you didn’t see it, Jack Ma, the co-founder, and billionaire behind Alibaba, was out promoting his own work schedule that’s been dubbed “996”! Basically, Jack works 9 am to 9 pm, six days per week, and sees absolutely nothing wrong with it. The internet lost its mind. And by ‘internet’ I mean mostly soft, not so hard working folks …