Dear Staff, Just Because It’s Legal, Doesn’t Mean You Can Smoke It At Work – Sincerely, HR

William Wiggins Change Management, Communication, Employee Relations, Employment Law, HR, Policies, politics, Workforce Management Articles

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, …

Dispelling HR Police Mythology

William Wiggins Driving Productivity, Employee Coaching, Employee Communications, Employee Development, Employee Engagement, employee experience, Employee Relations, Employment Branding and Culture, Good HR, HR

It was 5 minutes until 5:00 pm on a Friday. I was at my desk holding court about where the Sales team was going for happy hour when suddenly the “personnel” lady appeared with a figurative summons for me to appear in personnel court along with a fellow Account Executive. “Why,” you ask? Two weeks prior while in Sedona, Arizona …

Workplace Fairy Tales: Why There’s No Such Thing as “Unlimited” PTO

John Hollon Benefits, Compensation/Cash Money, Culture, Employment Branding and Culture, Holidays, Managing People, Policies, Retention, SHRM, Vacation, Work Life Balance

It drives me crazy when I hear people touting “unlimited” PTO. That’s because “unlimited” time off is really just one big fairy tale. I know, I know; that sounds harsh, because there are a number of companies that will defend “unlimited” PTO to the death, and on the surface, it sounds like a good idea. But what often gets lost …

Numbers Don’t Lie: Smartphone Addiction Is Taking Over Your Workplace

John Hollon Business Development, Career Paths, Change, Change Management, Coaching, Communication, Culture, Employee Communications, Generations, Managing People, Performance, Policies

Your workers are in denial about their smartphone addiction. OK, it’s not just YOUR workers who are in denial about this, but everyone’s workers, everywhere. This is what I take from a recent survey from KDM Engineering titled Smartphone Etiquette that hit my email last week, and as I read the findings, all I kept thinking was, “Yep, this doesn’t …

Smoke ’em If You Got ’em! An Elected Official’s Run-In With HR.

Jason Pankow Employee Relations, HR, in the news, Jason Pankow, politics, Pop Culture

There’s a story kicking around my hood that I thought FOT readers might enjoy. You may have heard, during the 2012 election, the educated/enlightened/hipster voters of the great state of Washington, together with our progressive friends in Colorado, decided to de-criminalize marijuana. The feeling is that it’s not as harmful as other things we put in our bodies (tobacco, alcohol, …

Mama Pay

Tim Sackett Change, Good HR, HR, in the news, Tim Sackett

Oh, boy, here comes Obama again making me pay for other people’s choices!  This time around he would like all workers to pay for other workers to stay home for 12 weeks, paid, while caring for their new born babies—paid maternity leave.  A worker can use this for their first baby, second, third… 19th, and so on.  Each time for …

Wooooo….what's the scariest thing for HR this Halloween?

Kelly Dingee Communication, HR, Kelly Dingee, Social Media, Social Recruiting

Oh I've got this nailed….a lawyer with your social media policy in their hand. Haha! You think I jest, don't you? I'm not.  Not at all.  HR is running scared from Social Media.  And the lawyers are making them do it.  Bad for Corporate, outstanding for me.  (I'm in retained search, no rules remember? Just those moral ones I impose…) …