by Evil HR Lady on August 14, 2018
Omarosa Manigault Newman has a new book coming out, Unhinged, about her time in the Trump White House. I’m sure people who agree with it will proclaim it as gospel truth and people who disagree with it will cry “fake news!” That’s not what you should be worried about.
Instead, let’s worry about the fact that she secretly recorded meetings.
This should be a wake-up call for every business owner and manager out there. Almost all of your employees carry smartphones capable of recording conversations. And they can do so without any muss or fuss. You wouldn’t know it was happening. It’s doubtful your conversations contain classified material (unless you’re in government or are a government contractor), but you often do have conversations that you wouldn’t like your competitors to hear. Here’s what you need to know.
To keep reading, click here: Why Omarosa Manigault Newman’s Recordings Should Terrify All Business Owners
by Evil HR Lady on August 13, 2018
I like people. I like helping people. I like having people over to my house for dinner. In fact, just last night I had Kate Bischoff and her kids over for dinner. Kate’s a work colleague and a friend. It was fabulous.
But, if you’re an HR person, you absolutely, positively, should not have people in your client groups over for dinner. If you answer yes to any of the following questions about someone at work, you should never build a friendship with them.
- Will I ever have to weigh in on a promotion or raise for this person or any person in their department?
- Will I ever have to participate in disciplinary decisions for this person or any person in their department?
- Will I ever have to help determine who, in this person’s group, to lay off?
- If something bad happens, would I be involved in conducting the investigation in this person’s department?
- Do I help influence hire/fire decisions in this person’s department?
by Evil HR Lady on August 11, 2018
Wegmans is a grocery store with an absolutely stellar reputation. They are currently in the number two spot on Fortune’s Top 100 Companies to Work for, and they’ve been on that list for the past 21 years. They promote from within, they offer scholarships, and their employees generally love them.
All of this contributes to the shock I felt when employment attorney Jon Hyman brought a recent lawsuit against Wegmans to my attention. Hyman explained the lawsuit as follows:
[Jordan Bartman] recently filed suit against her ex-employer, alleging that when she requested FMLA leave for chronic depression and anxiety, her manager told her to “suck it up,” and chastised her for being a “burden to all the kitchen staff.” She claims that the more she was harassed and singled out, the more her condition worsened, which in turn led to a greater need for leave, and even more harassment. Ultimately she was fired for “chronic absences, tardiness, and failure to follow [call-in] procedures.”
Any of you with the slightest understanding of FMLA and conditions such as depression and anxiety know that, if true, this is a huge law violation.
To keep reading, click here: Lawsuit: Wegmans Told Employee to “Suck It up” Instead of Granting FMLA
by Evil HR Lady on August 10, 2018
When the sun is shining and the weather is beautiful, no one loves being cooped up in the office. Therefore, it makes sense that it can sometimes be difficult to maintain high levels of summer employee engagement.
It’s hard to work when you’d rather be outside or on vacation. But, work we must! So, why not do what you can to boost your team’s morale during the summer months? Here are 10 ways to help keep employees engaged even when they would rather be at the beach.
1. Create Summer Hours
What if you offered a half-day every Friday? Or every other Friday off? Summer hours are popular at many businesses, and worth considering, if possible.
To keep reading, click here: 10 Ideas to Keep Summer Employee Engagement High
by Evil HR Lady on August 9, 2018
by Evil HR Lady on August 8, 2018
First of all, if you want an intern, I strongly suggest paying for one. The laws are pretty strict in requiring pay for interns at for-profit companies. You can legally do it, but it will be easier and better for all concerned if you do pay–at least minimum wage.
But, that said, I wish the Department of Labor would loosen their rules to allow for more unpaid internships. And it’s not just that I want young people to suffer the way we suffered back in my day. (I did an internship for a state legislature and received a $300 stipend for the 45-day session, but the senator I worked for gave me a $100 bonus out of his own pocket.)
No, I’m no fan of suffering for suffering sake, but I am a fan of learning. This is why I like unpaid internships.
More available internships mean more possibilities
Yes, the best students will likely get the paid internships, but even mediocre students will benefit from any sort of internship.
To keep reading, click here: In Praise of Unpaid Internships
by Evil HR Lady on August 8, 2018
Designing a talent strategy for corporate success doesn’t happen accidentally. It must be carefully thought out. Many management theorists have concluded that talent strategy is one of the prime determinants of corporate success. HR leaders have a lot to prioritize when it comes to their department, including finding the right people in the right places, assembling the best team, establishing dynamics, inspiring the right culture and encouraging employee engagement.
But what is the most important?
Understanding the Business
Most HR leaders are masters at understanding people, but that isn’t enough to make your business successful. The first thing that a leader must do is understand the business. Harvard Business Review points out that organizations with high levels of success had HR leaders who came up through line management.
To keep reading, click here: Talent Strategy for Corporate Success: Choose Your Path Wisely
by Evil HR Lady on August 7, 2018
I have an employee that monitors everyone else’s schedule. We are a retail organization, so schedules change from week to week. If someone is late, or two people swap shifts, I’ll hear about it from her. Other than this annoying habit, she’s good at her job. She just likes to hover and tattle. Of course, this drives her coworkers crazy. Can I keep the schedule away from her, citing privacy concerns?
To read my answer, click here: My Employee is Tattling on Her Coworkers
Leave your own answer in the comments!
by Evil HR Lady on August 6, 2018
Today was my first day back to work after 10 days of family travel, and boy did it go wrong. Now, I’m a huge believer in vacation. It’s important to take time away from your work–mentally and physically. I’m also a huge believer in the value of travel. Seeing new things and meeting new people and understanding different cultures just a little bit more helps me to be a better writer, speaker, and consultant. I usually come back from vacation excited to get going–I truly love my job!–but today was a disaster. Learn from my mistakes.
I scheduled a dentist appointment for my daughter.
She starts school next week and I didn’t want her to have to take time off school to get a tooth filled, so I took this appointment time. Boy, was that dumb. Having to stop work to take a kid to the dentist threw my day off kilter by 10:00 am. Don’t schedule things on top of your normal work day for your first day back.
To keep reading, click here: I Had a Crappy First Day Back at Work After Vacation. Here’s What I Did Wrong.
by Evil HR Lady on August 6, 2018
If you were a kid in the 80s, you undoubtedly watched The Facts of Life, which starred Charlotte Rae as the housemother, Mrs. Edna Garrett. Rae died yesterday at the age of 92 and the world is a little bit worse off now.
While I don’t know a great deal about her personal life, her character was someone worth knowing. Rae was the creative force (along with Normal Lear) for The Facts of Life, so we can imagine that Mrs. Garrett shared some of Rae’s own personality traits–or at least her ideals. And if we could have managers like Mrs. Garrett, we’d all be better off. Here’s why.
Mrs. Garrett didn’t tolerate bad behavior
