No Fa-Fa-Fa Foolin’ (Rapp Out)

Kathy Rapp Always Be Closing, Career Advice, Change, Change Management, Communication, Culture, Employee Engagement, employee experience, Engagement and Satisfaction, Giving Notice, HR, Kathy Rapp, Leadership, Managing People, Offboarding, Onboarding, Retention 16 Comments

Almost 12 years ago, I wrote my first blog post for FOT. It was about Joe Elliott of Def Leppard and when he mistakenly placed the Stanley Cup upside down during an NHL event. I wrote: Why the blunder? Because no one coached him. No one took the time to pull him aside and whisper, “Hey Joe, this is the …

3 Ways to Change the Message in a Bottle

Kathy Rapp Change, Change Management, Communication, Corporate America, COVID-19, Culture, Current Affairs, Employee Communications, Employee Engagement, Engagement and Satisfaction, HR, Kathy Rapp, Leadership, Managing People, Retention, Talent Strategy, wellness

Just a castaway, an island lost at sea, oh Another lonely day, no one here but me, oh More loneliness than any man could bear Rescue me before I fall into despair, oh These are the intro lyrics to “Message in a Bottle” by The Police. It’s about being alone on an island and sending a message in a bottle …

3 Reasons Not to Botch Breaking Up

Kathy Rapp Audacious Ideas, Candidate Pool, Change, Change Management, Communication, Corporate America, COVID-19, Culture, Current Affairs, Driving Productivity, Employee Communications, Employee Engagement, Employee Relations, Employment Branding and Culture, Engagement and Satisfaction, Good HR, HR, Job Market, Kathy Rapp, Layoffs, Leadership, Managing People, Offboarding, Retention, Talent Strategy

We’ve watched in disbelief as unemployment spikes to record highs – with over 20.5 million jobs lost in April. In addition, there are many more with reduced hours or cut pay not represented in unemployment figures. Suffice it to say, a lot of breakup conversations are being had. By now we’ve all read about some very public horror stories, and …

The HR Famous Podcast: e12 – Getting Paid to Not Work

Kris Dunn COVID-19, Employee Engagement, Layoffs, Retention, The HR Famous Podcast

In episode 12 of The HR Famous Podcast, long-time HR leaders (and friends) Jessica Lee, Tim Sackett and Kris Dunn come together to talk quarantine watching habits, unemployment insurance coverage and the Payroll Protection Plan. The team brings up the challenges and nuances individuals might be facing when working through their unemployment insurance and PPP.  Show Highlights: 3:30 – The team …

Protect Your Assets – Your People

Kathy Rapp Analyst, Change, Change Management, Communication, Corporate America, COVID-19, Culture, Current Affairs, Good HR, HR, in the news, Influence, Job Market, Kathy Rapp, Layoffs, Leadership, Recruiting, Retention, Risks, Talent Strategy

How many of you are in your guest rooms/living rooms/patios “behind closed doors” working on a RIF spreadsheet? It’s a horrible exercise I’ve done too many times, and especially tough right now. With an unimaginable amount of uncertainty across most businesses, cost-savings levers are being pulled. As part of looking for cost-savings, how much quantitative analysis is taking place? It’s …

HR’s Greatest Opportunity to Support Gender Diversity

Kathy Rapp Audacious Ideas, Career Advice, Career Paths, Change, Change Management, Corporate America, Current Affairs, Diversity, Employee Development, Engagement and Satisfaction, Good HR, HR, Kathy Rapp, Leadership, Learning and Development, Organizational Development, Retention, Succession Planning, Talent Management, Talent Strategy, The HR Profession, Women, Women in the Workplace

As a mom of a young daughter, I’m paying more attention to the gender diversity push than ever before. I personally never felt passed over for roles or promotions due to my gender – nor afforded them because of my gender either. That said, until the last half of my career, I worked in corporate HR where a lot of …

I’m Not Sensitive, You’re Just Wrong

Kris Dunn Assessments, Performance Reviews, Retention, Talent Management

“I’m very laid back. I only care about two things: 1) everyone on earth and their opinion of me, and 2) the crushing psychological weight of being alive.” –author unknown ______________________________ Let’s say you’re a hiring manager trying to fill a key position. You think you might want to know how well someone can take feedback? Of course you do. …

Communicating Through Organizational Change

Kylie Quetell Change, Change Management, Communication, Culture, Employee Coaching, employee experience, HR, Managing People, Organizational Development, Retention, Talent Management, The HR Profession, Training and Development

I recently delivered a presentation to my organization that will have a huge impact on the lives of our team members. I believe that the impact will be a very positive one. Regardless of this, change is change. Which is to say that change is hard. But why? Why is it so hard to have successful organizational change, and how …

Why I Am No Longer Saying “Culture”

Katie Augsburger Culture, Employee Communications, Employee Relations, HR, HR & Marketing, Leadership, Managing People, Recruitment Marketing, Retention

About 15 years ago, I was sitting at an office dinner party, and the company president was giving an emotional speech about the importance of company culture. The speech was inspiring, revolutionary, and confusing. Confusing because I was unsure what he meant by culture. Did he mean the behaviors he would like to see in the organization? The camaraderie and …