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Never Tell HR These 10 Things

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:52:51 +0000

You do know, don't you, that there are some things that you should never tell HR? You don't want to make your HR feel as if you are not committed ...

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Pass the French Fries, Er, Um, Carrots

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:42:33 +0000

When was the last time that you were offered a doughnut at a morning work meeting? They used to be the breakfast of choice in the workplace. Then came ...

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Have a Nightmare Job Interview Story?

Sun, 19 May 2013 09:00:27 +0000

Everyone who interviews potential employees has stories to tell.

Stories are a crucial component in shaping your organizational culture, too. But, nothing is better for raising the spirits of managers ...

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Want a Rejection Letter Template?

Sat, 18 May 2013 10:48:00 +0000

Not my favorite task, but important, nonetheless, sending a rejection letter to applicants who don't make your short list, is important. Because of the time and energy a candidate invests ...

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Are You an Introvert at Work?

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:00:36 +0000

Are you more introverted or extroverted in your workplace behavior? Personally, when I take the Myers-Briggs, in recent years my score tends to be INTJ. In early years, I more ...

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Make That Bad Boss - Good

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:50:27 +0000

A ...

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HR Gobbledygook

Wed, 15 May 2013 09:00:25 +0000

Employers ask a lot about employee satisfaction, employee engagement, employee motivation, employee involvement, employee empowerment, and employee morale. There are differences between each of these concepts, but many people use ...

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Use Mentoring to Develop Employees

Tue, 14 May 2013 09:00:19 +0000

Effective relationships and learning are the mainstays of organizational success today. Organizations that find meaningful ways for their employees to connect are more likely to realize greater productivity, enhanced career ...

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Do You Play Well With Coworkers?

Mon, 13 May 2013 14:25:11 +0000

Know what employees need? I speak often about the fact that employees need to understand the overall goals of the company - so they understand the parameters of the ...

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Want Work-Life Balance Tips?

Mon, 13 May 2013 09:00:46 +0000

If you're like many of my readers, you balance your job and career with family responsibilities. This is challenging because not all work places have adopted flexible work schedules, telecommuting ...

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Delegate: Don't Dump

Sat, 11 May 2013 09:26:05 +0000

Delegation can be viewed as dumping by the employee who receives more work to do. A young employee's complaint reminded me. Though she was extremely interested in more responsible work ...

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Complaints Need a Feedback Loop

Fri, 10 May 2013 10:55:37 +0000

Are you interested in discovering your employees' most serious complaints? Knowing what makes employees unhappy is half the battle when you think about employee work satisfaction...

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Is Your Management System Failing?

Thu, 09 May 2013 13:23:31 +0000

In a client company, a manager had decided that the goal setting components of the performance development planning process were not clearly communicating his goals and expectations to one of ...

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5 Cover Letter Red Flags for Employers

Thu, 09 May 2013 12:41:58 +0000

Want to know the cover letter red flags that should capture your attention when you review an applicant's cover letter? The cover letter is an integral ...

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Win With Performance Appraisals

Wed, 08 May 2013 08:00:50 +0000

Employee performance appraisals are a long term popular topic on this website and in HR discussions everywhere. Some people vote to abolish them forever; others find them useful to evaluate ...

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How to Do HR Business Planning

Tue, 07 May 2013 08:00:37 +0000

Martha asks a thoughtful question that I answer and that you may have insights about, too. (In fact, her question prompted so much thought on my part that I ...

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Involve Employees in Your Selection Process

Mon, 06 May 2013 22:17:39 +0000

Because so many people are looking for work right now, cautious resume review and diligent checking of credentials gain significance.

Especially resume review, serious attention to cover letters...

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Make the Most of Your Millennials

Mon, 06 May 2013 11:58:25 +0000

Having a company with many young employees means that an employee or an employee's spouse is almost always pregnant. Indeed, there are usually multiple babies on their way.

We have even ...

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Employee Book Clubs Rule

Sun, 05 May 2013 10:50:12 +0000

My husband is the president of our company and lunches fairly regularly with the members of our executive team. When his usual lunch dates are unavailable, he sends out an email looking for "lunch buddies." He has four goals in joining employee groups for lunch:

...

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No Carrots for Motivation

Sat, 04 May 2013 09:37:32 +0000

Daniel Pink recommends no carrots to encourage and reward high level performance in higher level cognitive skills and output.

Loved this less-than-five minute cartoon drawing summary of the presentation about rewards ...

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Did You Bring Your Business Ethics to Work Today?

Sat, 04 May 2013 09:30:55 +0000

Writing recently about developing a code of conduct or code of ethics, as it is sometimes called, I was struck by the importance of an organization having a code to ...

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Differentiate Skills From Abilities?

Fri, 03 May 2013 08:20:46 +0000

I have not spent a lot of time developing organizational competencies that specify knowledge, skills, and abilities essential for the fleshing out of each job role and the qualifications of ...

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Flexible Work Schedules Employees Love

Thu, 02 May 2013 11:38:26 +0000

May is Revise Your Work Schedule Month. I imagine that many parents, adult caretakers of parents, and people who just want a bit more leisure time for summer activities, will ...

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The Trainer's Eternal Dilemma

Thu, 02 May 2013 08:00:21 +0000

Anyone who has ever worked in training can identify the trainer's eternal dilemma. How do you help the pumped up, happy trainees, who pass their training session end test with ...

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Deal With a Difficult Boss?

Wed, 01 May 2013 08:00:13 +0000

At some point in your working career, you will have a difficult boss. It's guaranteed. He or she may not be a nasty or critical boss, but perhaps they don't set clear direction, provide useful feedback, or offer praise and recognition. Difficult bosses come in all shapes and sizes and what's difficult for you may not be difficult for other employees.

...

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How to Find a Job in HR - Fast

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 03:15:05 +0000

The first week of May is Update Your References Week. Since Human Resources job searching is my topic this week, why don't you take a look and make sure that ...

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Tips for Reference Letters

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 01:58:00 +0000

On occasion, an employee or a former employee will ask you to write a reference letter to help improve their job searching success. If it's an employee that you valued, ...

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Group Job Interviews - Effective?

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 08:21:51 +0000

Reader's Question: I have been employed (private sector) by the same private employer for many years and I applied for a position at a university (public). ...

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Prepare for Constant Career Change

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 08:40:24 +0000

Not everyone will end up in the same career when this economic downturn improves. Perhaps your individual job no longer exists - even your field may undergo vast changes as ...

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Myths About Innovation

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 15:10:26 +0000

Innovation is the goal in many workplaces. In fact, on a personal level, I sometimes think about an innovative book idea late into the wee hours of the morning. (Does ...

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Jobs Without Titles?

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 08:00:18 +0000

Reader Question: Dear Susan, My company is looking into the pros and cons related to having a designation-less organization.

I have to give my Vice Presidents (as of now) ...

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Use a Performance Management Checklist

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:48:01 +0000

Performance development planning in most companies should be well under way now. Employees deserve a concise understanding of their expectations for this quarter; in fact, clear expectations are what employees ...

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Want a Casual Dress Code?

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 08:00:14 +0000

Organizations develop dress codes for a number of reasons. Some don't trust employees to dress appropriately for work. Others have a particular standard and look that they believe enhances their business objectives in the eyes of the world.

My own company's dress code is casual and the whole policy is about a paragraph long. For your workplace, consider a brief, simple dress code unless you have business objectives that require a detailed code.

Whatever else you do, please don't adopt a detailed dress code because you have a few employees who don't know how to dress for work. Deal with their business attire on an individual basis.

Casual dress is the standard for this detailed dress code that differentiates between clothing worn in manufacturing and clothing worn in the office. Learn more about casual dress in this dress code.

Use this dress code introduction letter to introduce your dress code. This Policy Receipt Acknowledgement Sample will help you make sure that all employees are informed about and understand the dress code.

_{Image Copyright Christopher Robbins / Getty Images}

Find additional dress codes and especially photo galleries of people dressed in casual dress - formal dress - business casual.

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Need Answers About HR, Management, or Work?

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:30:12 +0000

I've answered hundreds of questions from readers over the years. But, for the most part, they have been on this blog and in email and are hard to track and ...

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Think About Training More Creatively

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 08:00:58 +0000

Received a note recently that asked whether we should continue training employees during tougher economic times. My immediate visceral reaction was, "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat???????" I know. Hardly mature.

But, when will employers ...

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