Don’t call it a comeback

So you may have noticed that I’ve done precious little posting to my own blog. Yes, I’ve been writing here and there in other publications, yet I have neglected my own.

To be fair, I’ve been busy. It’s been a hell of a year. Over the past 12 months, I’ve left one job, had surgery (I’m fine, thanks!), took some time off, started another job (which I love), and have generally just been settling into a new normal. My new job is a mix of working from home and traveling to client sites – the best of all worlds! (Yes, I’m one of those weird people who kind of likes business travel. My dog, on the other hand, is completely thrown for a loop. “You’re here, like, all the time…then you’re gone forever. Then you’re here again. WHAT IS GOING ON?!”)

thats-clearly-a-comeback-picard-memes

Honestly, I admit I was stunned by how little I’ve actually posted during this time. I’ve never been one to write every day or every week, but you can see where I dropped off. While “busy-ness” is a reason for neglecting my little blog, it doesn’t take THAT long to write something. Looking back, I think it’s a factor of a few things – big changes in work/life (those take time to process); opportunities to write elsewhere (I hate rehashing existing content, so good ideas may have moved to another platform); and, finally…I didn’t have that much to say. A lot of material for work-based blogs come from what you see at work. Since I don’t work in-house anymore, I don’t have everyday interactions that make me think, “What the…,” so it doesn’t really spur the need to write it down. And a lot of this past year has been about learning a new job, so I’ve been focused on input rather than output.

But I miss writing here, so I’m going to do it more. The focus might shift a bit. I mean, let’s be honest…I’ve never been THAT on point with the topic anyway. And I’m noticing different things in the world of work that interest me, so that will inspire different thoughts.

So stay tuned.

And thanks for sticking it out.

Carnival of HR: July Edition!

Hello, everyone! This month, I have the great honor of hosting the Carnival of HR – a collection of blog posts from our friends and peers doing awesome and important things out in the world of the internet. When Robin Schooling asked me if I’d be willing to host, I said, “Of course!” Or maybe I said, “Do I have to?” The record is unclear. But what IS clear is that the Carnival is a great way to be exposed to a variety of voices in the HR space – some you know, some you don’t.

There is no real theme this month – more of a “what do you have to say about HR” approach. And people have a LOT to say. I sort of wanted to make it more like the Brazilian Carnival, mostly because it’s super fun to say car-ni-VAHL. Plus, who doesn’t love to samba?! But alas…it is but a blog post sharing other blog posts. Feel free to wear your most festive feathered Carnival outfit while you read them.

This month’s entries include:

John Hunter, author and founder of Curious Cat, LLC, explores some suggestions on how to successfully navigate change, including leveraging influence AND acknowledging the sins of the past.
HR practitioner and podcast host Wendy Dailey examines her own path to better self awareness in the attempt to be more inclusive.
Proper disciplinary procedures: it may not be sexy, but it can save you a world of hurt later down the line. Judith Lindenberger, President of The Lindenberger Group, outlines a simple yet effective approach to addressing inappropriate behavior.
Acacia HR Solutions CEO Sabrina Baker warns against approaching leadership development as a checkbox activity versus a commitment to the growth of their employees.
Curious about the impact structure has on a company’s culture and need help navigating that evolution? Read this post by DesignAround’s Julie Winkle Giulioni.
Dorothy Dalton, CEO of 3Plus International, presents a compelling suggestion on how to get more women in leadership…and it involves leave for men.
I’m a sucker for all things employment law, so founder of Rudner Law Stuart Rudner’s article outlining what companies can and can’t dictate around tattoos and piercings was a fascinating read.
Blended learning can be an effective way to help your employees grow. Melissa Suzuno, HR and L&D Insights writer for Udemy for Business, recommends five approaches to weave into your business’s blended learning strategy.
Also from UDemy for Business, Shelley Osborne, Head of L&D, shares tips on how to apply Agile development techniques to learning & development processes.
Dr. Natalie Baumgartner is the Chief Workforce Scientist at Achievers and has done some really cool work in the areas of culture and engagement…and resilience. She shares her insights around the ways you might go about building a resilient workforce in your company. It’s about being intentional and it’s not rocket science, even though she DOES have a PhD.
Recognition getting you down? Lynne Levy, Workhuman evangelist, outlines the myths of do-it-yourself recognition programs and suggests another way.
Perhaps you’ve run into John Baldino (aka Jumbo Gina), President of Humareso, in your travels to conference. Perhaps not. I hope you get to. John challenges companies to approach learning strategy as more than just an LMS implementation. And he references Zoolander, so you know it’s good.
Over on Voice of HR, Mark Stelzner, Founder and Managing Principal at IA-HR, addresses the challenges our love affair with the cloud has generated in workplaces and the best ways to overcome them. He’s not anti-cloud, he’s pro-relationships.
Having employee relations issues at work? Anthony Paradiso, Human Resources Business Partner/Consultant, makes the connection between inclusion, diversity and equity and employee relations. It’s people…not politics.
And last, but not least, some guy named Steve Browne, who works as an HR leader at LaRosa’s Pizza, submitted a post on a topic that many of us are staring squarely in the face – navigating the new world of being a “sandwich generation” and how businesses can help eliminate some of the stress associated with it.

So there you have it – the July 2019 edition of Carnival of HR. Connect with this people. Learn more about them. If you had a reaction to their work, let them know! All writers want to know that people are reading their content. We’re needy that way,

Be good to each other, and be on the lookout for next month’s edition!

In praise of the Old School option

The other day, I was getting my nails done and chatting with the nail tech about random things (as one does). She asked me about TV shows I watched and mentioned that she doesn’t have basic cable so she misses the network shows and has to hope it comes out on Hulu. I confirmed she owned a television, and then I said, “Why don’t you get an over-the-air antenna?” She had no idea what I was talking about.

This isn’t bashing the youths of the world – when’s the last time YOU saw an over-the-air antenna (OTA) on a modern television set? I have them top of mind because my mom has one, and I only got her one because I worked for a pay TV company once upon a time and remember when the transition to needing OTA happened. And my mom doesn’t want cable (this is the woman who uses Netflix to watch NCIS reruns, so there you go). So the fact the nail tech didn’t even think about an OTA as an option wasn’t surprising to me. I was happy she was excited to look into it so she could watch her shows real time.

The conversation got me thinking about organizations and their approach to process improvement. There is so much content pushing the latest and greatest HR technology to solve ALL the world’s problems that it impacts how teams think about solutions. Think back to the last 5 problem solving meetings you were in. How many times was technology offered as the answer? If your world is anything like mine, it was probably a lot of times. Too often, organizations think tech first, Old School second – often to the detriment of the the long-term solution.

One example that comes to mind around this topic is employee engagement. So many organizations (and providers) want to believe that if they just had the BEST software solution, all their engagement issues would disappear. Anonymous surveys and online action plans and emailed reminders are all an organization needs to get maximum engagement! FINALLY. And yet…the Old School approach of treating people better, showing value in others as human beings, and paying people what they’re worth will have a more lasting impact.

There is nothing wrong with technology as a solution. I love it. Big fan. Lots of cool things happening out there. Anything that automates administrative tasks, helps streamline a process, or removes risk from data is a wonderful thing. I just don’t think technology is always the best option all the time.Technology is dependent. If you have a bad process, technology won’t make it better. It will just let you do that bad process faster, or it could overly complicate it.

So don’t laugh at the person who eschews technology in favor of a post-it note. Listen to the idea. Be open to considering an Old School solution, especially if you’re new, whether it’s to the industry, to the company, or to the workforce. We built amazing things with Old School solutions, and some of them can still get you to the solution you need. It may not be cool. It may not be sexy.

But it works.

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