Filed under: Executive, Legal, Professional, Recent Graduates | Tags: 13 years, ethics, job, Nilofer Merchant, The New How, The Office, William J. Jefferson
The sentencing today of former Louisiana Representative William J. Jefferson to 13 years in prison reminded me that ethics is really at the core of life.
Whether you’re in an office (or The Office), working at home, in academia or government, none of us want to make errors that might put us in a cell.
The lesson is both unique and universal. On the job, be a stand-up person. Off the job, let’s not kid ourselves. We know when it’s an ostrich and when it’s not.
Call out mistakes and take responsibility for them. Too often, peer pressure encourages silence. Nilofer Merchant has a distinctive viewpoint on this in her manifesto No More Corporate Dodgeball. There’s something beyond ethics. ‘Being ethical’ is actually the practice and living of ethics. Merchant explains how. And catch her new book – The New How. You can grab a free sample chapter here.
The $90K in a freezer? That’s how much cold cash the FBI found wrapped neatly in foil to avoid freezer burn in Mr. Jefferson’s freezer back in May, 2006. Personally, I’ve always stashed my cash in the ice box – keeps it crisper, no bank fees, and Franklin never looks like he needs a face lift.
Filed under: Executive, General, Legal, Professional | Tags: employer, hiring, HR, secret
I know what it is. Do you?
Here it comes….
They all hate hiring.
That’s it. Once you know this, you can understand why hiring is so tough for employers. The entire process takes people away from their work. On one hand, it’s an irritant and a distraction. On the other hand, it’s an experience almost as exciting as getting a pony for your birthday when you were 8 (we’ll talk about that tomorrow).
Now you’ve got a leg up on the competition and you can use it to intuit the next move an employer may make.
Here are a few more things about HR you’ll need to know as a candidate.
First, inside companies HR is often seen as a group that enforces rules and impedes progress. HR, along with recruiters, is viewed as a group of killjoys who slow down progress. Never mind that such ‘progress’ sometimes results in lawsuits, unhappy employees and other problems created by people who don’t know all the rules.
Even though HR people prevent chaos, help companies avoid public humiliation and try to get warring groups of adults in different departments to play together without killing one another, their contribution is hard for other divisions to appreciate.
Second, getting people to help out with interviews is like pulling teeth. It means they have to take time away from their current projects. The manager also has to find the right number and type of interviewers – and they have to be from the right teams. Coordinating all of that – then coordinating it all again when you find some worthwhile candidates? Ugh.
Third, a lot of forms are involved, which is irritating. And where forms are, there’s the legal team. They’re even more demanding than HR.
Fourth, while the entire process takes place, work is getting backlogged. Who is doing the work of the employee who is part of the interview team? Likely, the supervisor.
All of this should come as no surprise. Think back to the last time you put your letter of resignation on your supervisor’s desk and remember the pool of fear you saw in her eyes.
They knew your leaving would mean the entire horrible process would jerk into motion. And they didn’t like it.
Remember that the next time you approach a company. And be the solution to their problem.
Filed under: Executive, General, Legal, Professional, Recent Graduates | Tags: HR, prevention, violence, workplace
Whether a violent incident occurs in the workplace, at a nonprofit organization or in a school, it’s important for HR people to know that depression is a key cause.
Pay attention on a general basis when people are undergoing extraordinary stressors such as the death of a family member, credit difficulties, the loss of their home in foreclosure, a serious illness (or the illness of a spouse, child or other relative).
If you have to do layoffs, plan them carefully. Make sure all eventualities are covered.
Review organizational security. Are you enforcing the wearing of badges? Is security or reception making sure that everyone who enters the facility is signed in – with an escort and specific destination – and badged? Do you have an appropriate tracking system? If your firm does government work, is your security appropriate for the work being done? Do all employees and contractors have the needed clearance? Are they current?
Do you have a process for reviewing employees and spotting people who are at risk for depression? Does management spend sufficient time ‘wandering around’ talking with people?
Keep in mind that many mass shooting situations involve men who are depressed. Depression is a burden. You may want to alert managers and have them ask team members what’s stressing them now in both group and individual meetings.
Filed under: Executive, General, Legal, Professional, Recent Graduates | Tags: anger management, APA, Fort Hood, HBR, HR, Mayo Clinic, workplace violence
At one time or another, all of us feel anger.
It’s easy to let it get out of control – especially when it’s coupled with loss and fear.
With the loss of a loved one, a marriage, a job, our home, or even a credit rating, the frustration mounts. We feel unable to control things going on around us and fear sets in.
The key thing to remember is to learn about anger management. Determine what sets you off. This may require looking at some pretty dark stuff inside yourself. Do it. You’re worth it. And working with these issues is what will enable you to stop letting anger control your life.
For the HR mavens – you are the leaders of your organizations. It’s your job to prevent horrific situations like the one that occurred last week at Ft. Hood. Engage senior management – make them listen to you. This may be the most important work you ever do.
Here are three articles that may help:
1. Controlling Anger — Before It Controls You
The American Psychological Association has posted a very good article that includes the nature of anger and how we express it. While anger is natural, generally people deal with it by either expressing, suppressing or calming it. As Dr. Charles Spielberger puts it, ” When none of these three techniques work, that’s when someone – or something – is going to get hurt.”
2. How to Keep Your Temper at Work (And Everywhere Else)
In this blog post at Harvard Business Publishing, Dr. Marshall Goldsmith talks with Mark Maraia about anger. Mark provides a method tested for 20+ years that works to release anger, reject negative emotions and help you move toward positive thoughts.
3. Anger Management Tips: 10 Ways to Tame Your Temper
Any of the tips in this Mayo Clinic article will work – it’s all about practicing them and working to turn the situation around. The information is practical and action-oriented.
Filed under: Executive, General, Legal, Professional, Recent Graduates, Uncategorized | Tags: crisis management HR, Ft. Hood, Katrina, workplace violence
The tragedy at Ft. Hood yesterday reminded me of a situation a psychologist friend worked on – it was a shooting in an office building in San Francisco and it was the first time I’d heard the term ‘workplace violence.’
How do we handle such situations?
There is care and compassion for those who have been injured, for their families, friends, neighbors and for our communities – because when this kind of violence occurs, it happens to all of us.
At some point, it will be time to think about a crisis HR plan for your organization.
A crisis plan, or critical incident management plan, is important so that the HR team is aware of the issue and works actively to prevent workplace violence. It’s also critical to have a plan for response – so that everyone in an organization knows what to do if the worst happens.
There is a huge difference between the Enron or Madoff economic crises, a natural catastrophe such as Hurricane Katrina and the mass shootings at Ft. Hood. Articles on crisis management and HR often focus on proactive planning and preventative preparation. The best HR crisis managment encourages the team to ‘think about the unthinkable’ and build alternatives based on worst-case scenarios.
We can do several things about workplace violence, even though it presents a unique set of challenges. A USDA handbook stipulates five ways to prevent workplace violence:
1. Pre-employment screening
2. Security
3. Alternative Dispute Resolution
4. A Threat Assessment Team
5. Employee Assistance Programs
Additional resources are listed at the end of this post.
Perhaps most important in prevention is keeping in touch and maintaining relationships with people.
Know when a group is under more than the usual amount of stress. Be aware of potential reactions to a merger, performance reviews or the closing of a business location. Initiate ad hoc discussions and ask how things are going – then listen carefully.
Establish training for supervisors and managers. Add it to their annual review. Make it measurable.
Don’t let employees ‘go solo.’ Try to find ways to connect people to their work community.
RESOURCES
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health – Videos and transcript on workplace violence
OSHA - Workplace Violence Awareness and Prevention
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health – Occupational Violence
University of Iowa - Report on Workplace Violence
U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Dealing With Workplace Violence
Filed under: Executive, General, Legal, Professional, Recent Graduates | Tags: background, HR, reference
Sometimes we get confused about the difference between reference checks and background checks.
For employers and candidates alike, it’s important to be clear about each.
REFERENCE CHECKS
References given to a potential employer by a candidate are expected by both groups to provide positive feedback. Sometimes it doesn’t work out that way, though.
Candidates: don’t assume that your references will say nice things. Always ask what your reference will say about their experience with you. Unless you hear it, you won’t know what they’ll say. Also, be certain that your reference ‘hits the target’ for the potential employer by telling brief stories that relate to the job they need to fill. Help your former supervisor, VP or peer by bringing them into the process and sharing how you’ve related prior experience to the requirements the company needs.
If you’re a candidate and you worked at ACME, Inc., be aware the employer will often try to connect with people they know at ACME to get an unvarnished version of your contributions there. This cross-checking is solid HR practice and, if favorable, adds to a decision in your favor. It’s also another reason to stick to the truth.
Employers: during reference checks listen intently for red flags. If you hear one, note it and probe further or find a way to get clarification from one of the interviewers or from another reference. Review the constraints ahead of time and ask only what your legal department approves.
Understand the kinds of responses that eliminate a candidate, abide by those boundaries and move on to the next candidate or go fish to build the pool. It’s a waste of time and money to perform background checks on candidates that don’t even pass the internal vetting process or whose references are lukewarm.
BACKGROUND CHECKS
Candidates: if you tell people who are interviewing you that you’re detail oriented and their background check reveals that you forgot to pay your taxes for the past five years, you’re wasting your time and theirs. Make it easy on yourself and on them. Not many will agree with me, but I say self-disclose up front anything that could become an issue. Did you make a youthful indiscretion? Many of us have – some got caught, others didn’t.
If you know that you’ve got outstanding issues, begin to clean them up today. In this kind of market there are too many people job hunting that don’t carry baggage. Clear away the wreckage of the past so you don’t trip yourself.
Employers: do the background check, do the background check, do the background check. Let me say it once more: Do the background check!
Follow your protocol. If you don’t have a process, create one. Check diplomas. Yes, I know it’s irritating when the registrar’s office at UCLA puts you on hold. Get over it. Check all diplomas. Do a criminal background check. Do a DMV check if it’s appropriate. Do a credit check if needed. If you need to get a private investigator involved, do it. If you’re a governmental or military agency, you’ll already have specific procedures depending on the position classification. The higher up the ladder the position, the more important the background check can be.
Am I being too strict? Recently at a nationally-known brand coffee shop, I ran into someone who has been working for the probation department. He commented to me, “Employers have no idea how many people leave the fact that they’ve done time and are on parole off of their job application – in fact, there’s one behind the counter right over there.”
Beyond making sure that your organization is protected, HR people who make sure that background checks are complete and accurate are protecting the company’s most valuable asset – people.
Filed under: Executive, General, Legal, Professional | Tags: hiring, HR, year end
When I worked writing resumes for Don Asher in San Francisco, I once asked him about the best months for snagging a job. Of course he laughed. What I found at Resume Righters was that November and December are great months for job seekers. Sound counterintuitive? Keep reading…
Once again, I have to hand it to Laurie R. over at Punk Rock HR, who knows what she’s talking about when she says, “It’s a myth that no one hires in November & December.” Her take is worth a look.
So here’s why I know there are jobs to be had in the next two months…
When I worked in retail, needless to say November and December were our biggest – and most profitable – months. But a lot – and I mean A LOT – of companies that I bought merchandise from used the last two months of the year to aggressively close deals, prep new biz for the coming year and set themselves up for a quick start.
Thinking about the New Year doesn’t just start when the champagne and noisemakers are hauled out at 11:59 p.m. on December 31st. Smart hiring managers don’t have to be squeezed to solve their problems and get staff in place – they’re doing it NOW!
Let everyone else think that the year end is slow – pick up the pace and make more contacts. This is the time to get yourself prepped for 2010 – and find the hiring managers and recruiters that are doing the same.
Filed under: Executive, General, Legal, Professional, Recent Graduates | Tags: Asperger's, autism, diversity, Laurie Ruettimann, Nilofer Merchant, No More Corporate Dodgeball, Penelope Trunk
Do our workplaces really welcome people who are different?
Laurie Ruettimann recently commented on this over at Punk Rock HR. Her post on autism, Asperger’s and neurodiversity made me think.
People with Asperger’s can be very high-functioning in terms of actual work produced, yet may have difficulty with social interactions. So team environments can present a challenge.
Penelope Trunk writes about this on her blog Brazen Careerist. She said, “People with Asperger Syndrome don’t want to stand out or be the center of attention. They just want to get along with people and have things run smoothly.” Trunk knows – she has Asperger’s.
Ruettimann’s post brings up a number of questions, but I’m particularly interested in how we’ll solve the social aspect because collaboration is so important.
In her recent manifesto, No More Corporate Dodgeball, Nilofer Merchant, author of The New How, envisions co-creation, cooperation and collaboration as critical requirements for a company to become a real force in business. Which, Merchant says, means we’ll have to discuss problems openly – especially ones that are difficult, political or unpleasant. No more avoidance.
The kind of openness demonstrated by Laurie, Penelope and Nilofer helps me add new smarts to my ‘relating to others’ toolkit.
The more honesty we can encourage in the workplace, the more diversity we can really have in our workforce. In addition to great work, we’ll also gain understanding, compassion and fairness.
Filed under: Executive, Professional | Tags: background check, HR, nonprofit
Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been watching a drama unfold at a highly visible nonprofit in my county. I’d like to share what’s happened with you because there’s a lot to be learned from the situation.
Here’s the scene: the ED of the nonprofit had a court case pending in Southern California. It appears that he was caught in an FBI sting for molesting a young lady who was underage, with a felony charge the result. Further complicating the situation, the Board of Directors didn’t make sure a background check was done on the ED.
Bottom line?
If you’re a candidate, please don’t think that you can move from one county to another – heck, even from one state to another – and leave your legal problems behind. Particularly if you’re interviewing for a position that requires you to be in the public spotlight, know that your name will be visible everywhere. Most organizations will do a thorough background check – including a check on your degrees and possibly even your driving record.
Don’t kid yourself – if you’ve got something in your background, it’s only a matter of time – you can be sure it won’t remain hidden. At that point, it doesn’t matter if you’ve been employed for 25 days or 25 years. The end of the story is termination.
If you’re a member of the Board or make the hiring decision, remember that it never matters how nice the appearance is. Even feedback from references isn’t the same as a full background check. Trust, but verify. Always verify. If the individual you’re hiring comes in contact with children and you haven’t properly vetted them, you’ve just left your organization open for a lawsuit.
The organization in question is possibly in for further damage. We’re nearly a third of the way into the last quarter of the year. Why is that important? Because nonprofits campaign for donations at this time of year and there’s potential for donors to give elsewhere.
Filed under: Executive
Have a broad background and adaptability? You win, says Xerox CEO Anne Mulcahy.
The NYT has a great interview done by Adam Bryant with legendary Xerox CEO Anne Mulcahy. She and her management team have worked hard for many years to revitalize the company, succeeding in many areas against steep odds.
What stands out for me in this piece are two things.
First, she outs herself as a ‘pen tapper’ when irritated. When you’re working with executives, it’s important to pay attention to the signs of irritation. If they’re trying to get you to speed to the point, if they appear not to be listening, if, in Anne’s case, they start tapping their pen – pay attention. Compress your pitch. Get the key sentence out.
Do not drag them through the rest of the presentation just because you want to be heard. If that’s the case, go see a therapist or talk to your dog during your evening walk.
Far too few of us spend time ‘reading’ the reactions of others in business. One person I’ve worked with who is brilliant at this is Rubicon Consulting CEO Nilofer Merchant. An astute judge of character, she has a finely-honed ability to take an emotional intelligence reading at the same time she is untangling a complex multi-national business scenario. And, as Mulcahy notes in the interview, “We also learned a lot about identifying failure quickly.” CEOs like Merchant and Mulcahy are successful in part because they treat problem-solving like defusing a ticking time bomb.
Second, the man in the gray suit won’t work well in business today. Structure? It’s different than it was, and the rules keep changing. Roles? They morph to keep up with alterations provided by technology, culture, public sentiment (are you listening, AIG, Citi, and B of A?), and the economy.
Mulcahy’s take on the most important attributes she’s looking for in people? “Adaptability and flexibility. One of the things that is mind-boggling right now is how much we have to change all the time. For anybody who’s into comfort and structure, it gets harder and harder to feel satisfied in the company.”
The individual who’s willing to roll up their sleeves and get dirty, try something new and risk failure, or innovate knowing it may change everything – they’re the new winners. If you’re fluid with an ER-like penchant for using parallel inference to develop the right new answers to problems that might not have existed 10 minutes ago, you’re probably going to win.
For those who liked the old world of rigid, stratified, high-boundary hierarchy – sorry, game over.
Read the entire NYT interview with Mulcahy here. I’m a fan. Like Merchant, she’s a leader I’d follow anywhere.
