by Evil HR Lady on February 5, 2020
Everybody hates HR. Employees hate HR because they always seem to take the management side. Management hates HR because HR is always saying no, or requiring documentation, or making demands on their already busy schedule.
Usually, when we understand why someone behaves the way they do, we accept their requests and their decisions more readily. And one of the big reasons why people feel so negative about HR is that they misunderstand why we act as we do. There’s a big belief that the Human Resources department is an internal customer service department. It’s our job to make things right and to make the customer–employee or manager–happy.
It’s not.
HR expert Alyssa Hernandez shared a story where a boss told her that if she was going to go into HR, she needed to learn to sugarcoat things if she wanted to be in HR. She disagrees and wisely clears up the misconception:
To keep reading, click here: Human Resources Is Not A Customer Service Department
by Evil HR Lady on February 3, 2020
You don’t work in China. Your customers aren’t in China. So, the Coronavirus isn’t affecting your business. Or, so we’d like to think. But, Coronavirus seems to be making everything it touches sick–including small businesses.
As of this morning, Coronavirus has killed 362 people, including one in the Philippines, and sickened 17,000. It sounds terrifying, which it is. But, nothing in comparison to the regular flu, which killed (according to the CDC) over 62,000 people in the 2018-2019 flu season. Coronavirus is an unknown instead of a cyclical disease, and for those it infects, it has a higher mortality rate. It’s no laughing matter.
But, it’s also not something that affects only Chinese people, which some places are not figuring out.
Others have reported rudeness towards Chinese looking people, which hopefully won’t grow into violence. There’s nothing about your race or ethnicity that makes you susceptible to the virus. What makes you susceptible is being around someone else who has had it.
To keep reading, click here: Coronavirus May Already Be Affecting Your Business
by Evil HR Lady on January 31, 2020
Which is more important: the ideal office layout or the perfect location? Of course, you want both — but, as with so many things, relocating your small business may force you to compromise.
So, how do you make sure your new business location checks all the most important boxes on your list? Here’s where to focus your attention as you scope out a new home for your business.
What Are Your Priorities?
Should business location be your top priority? Size? Amenities? There isn’t one correct answer. A dentist’s office will need a good-sized parking lot for staff and clients. A law office may need fewer parking spaces, but clients will expect the space to look like a law office — which may mean it makes sense to focus on amenities.
To keep reading, click here: How Important Is Your Business Location?
by Evil HR Lady on January 30, 2020
If you’ve worked in an office environment, you’ve received an email in a thread that says, “per my last email.” You’ve probably written it as well. It’s a helpful phrase that says very politely, “I’ve already answered this.” But it also clearly conveys the true meaning: “Can you read the stupid emails before you ask for information that I’ve already given you?”
Delia Paunescu brought up her favorite corporate saying:
What followed was pure Twitter office gold. How many of these have you used in your business relationships?
To keep reading, click here: Workplace Passive-Aggressive Phrases that Everyone Should Use
by Evil HR Lady on January 29, 2020
Where is your office emergency manual? If you can’t answer that question within a few seconds, it’s not much help to you in case of an emergency. What about your office emergency management team? Do they have a plan?
No one wants to encounter an emergency at work, but everyone should be prepared for emergencies. Having an office emergency management team made up of trained employees and offering training can significantly reduce the risk of group panic, injury and other risks that threaten your employees’ well-being.
Natural Disasters and Fires
Some things are universal. Every business needs a fire plan. Every business needs a first-aid kit. And every business needs to provide access for employees to dial 911. (How long would it take an employee in the warehouse to reach an outside line? It should take seconds, not minutes.)
To keep reading, click here: Revamping Your Office Emergency Management Protocol
by Evil HR Lady on January 28, 2020
Chipotle Restaurants in Massachusetts got struck by fines that after all the penalties are assessed are closer to $2 million than the official $1.3 million. Why? Child labor law violations.
These fines are from the state, not the federal government, because each has different rules regarding minor employment. What’s perfectly legal in one state may be illegal across state borders.
Chipotle labor violations include, according to the state:
- Having under 18s working past midnight (14 and 15-year-olds can’t work past 7:00 and 16 an 17-year-olds can’t work past 10:00 on school nights)
- Under 18s working more than 48 hours a week
- Hiring minors without work permits
Some of these things may or not be permissible in your state, but you must follow the law in every state in which you operate.
To keep reading, click here: Chipotle Fined for More than 13,000 Alleged Labor Violations
by Evil HR Lady on January 27, 2020
Would you suspend an employee for a tweet?
What if that tweet was about rape allegations against Kobe Bryant, who just died?
What if the rest of the internet was focused on all his victories and the good he did, and your employee wanted to remind people that he wasn’t a saint?
That’s what happened to Washington Post reporter Felica Somnez who, in the midst of the sadness of Bryant’s death (and the deaths of eight other people), tweeted a link to a Daily Beast article, Kobe Bryant’s Disturbing Rape Case: The DNA Evidence, the Accuser’s Story, and the Half-Confession.
The Washington Post suspended Sonmez, who says she received over 10,000 nasty messages–including death threats. And I, along with most of the internet, believed it was purely because of the decision to post a negative story in a very sad time. The Daily Mail reports:
To keep reading, click here: A Reporter’s Suspension After Tweeting About Kobe Bryant’s Dismissed 2004 Rape Case, Offers a Teachable Moment in Workplace Ethics
by Evil HR Lady on January 23, 2020
The internet was buzzing about a job posting for a nanny/household manager/best friend last week because it was so over the top. It was also 1475 words. That’s longer than many Atlantic articles. Most of what you read online is less than 1000 words.
In other words, this wasn’t a job posting; it was a fantasy novella about this hiring manager’s dream employee.
I wish I could say that she was the only one who writes fantasy in place of actual job descriptions, but long job descriptions are common.
You can find job descriptions listing 40 or more skills that a particular candidate needs to have. Do you know what that is? A fantasy novella.
to keep reading, click here: What Your Job Postings Need (and what they can do without)
by Evil HR Lady on January 22, 2020
An email telling an employee that he needs to drive a nicer car is circulating rapidly around the internet, and it’s as horrifying as you’d imagine. It’s also legal.
As a general rule, unless something is specifically prohibited by law, it’s allowable. But, legal doesn’t always equal a good idea.
There are some professions where it makes sense for your employees to have nice cars. If you’re driving clients around, it would be nice if it wasn’t a 1984 era hatchback with no air conditioning and the seats held together with duct tape.
To keep reading, click here: It’s Perfectly Legal For Your Boss to Tell You to Drive a Nicer Car
by Evil HR Lady on January 22, 2020
The Divine Right of Kings, or in the case of the United Kingdom, Queens, is the belief that God appoints the monarch and, as such, we cannot rebel against the king (or queen). As a general rule, the western world rejected this philosophy. (And the American Colonies rejected it in a big way in 1776.) But, several western countries maintain monarchies that have no real power, but a whole lot of privilege.
Queen Elizabeth is the most famous. And until a few days ago, everyone expected Prince Harry, like his father and brother,would stay in line and stay in the family business. But, the Prince did something unexpected and left the family business. Here’s why family business owners should pay attention.
To keep reading, click here: Megxit Is a Cautionary Tale for Every Family Owned Business