Ladies and Gentlemen,
I do apologize for not blogging in quite some time! Whew! Time flies when you suddenly become busier than you ever imagined. Can I just say it's been a wild ride and it's been amazing! Don't think I quit caring about the HR stuff. I'm only so much more excited about it all. Today's quick agenda: Workflex discussion. Wow! I went to a seminar recently and heard about the wonderful world of flexible workplaces. Check this out: http://www.shrm.org/Advocacy/Issues/WorkplaceFlexibility/Documents/FlexAtAGlanceBrochure_0314.pdf

Just to state the obvious- who does NOT want a more flexible workplace? Seriously, would someone really say "No way. I love my strict 7:59am to 5:02pm schedule with a 45 minute commute each way and a 31 minute lunch break. I'm satisfied. Please, don't change anything." In the information age- it's truly time to step it up and let your people work where and when they want to. It's all about the information, simply getting the work done. Wouldn't it save money if workers got to work from their own homes, on their own computers, using their own electricity? Just a thought. And wouldn't they save money not commuting everyday? And maybe, just maybe- they'd be WAY happier employees?

Chew on that today. Check out the SHRM position on workplace flexibility. Also there's a cool non-profit doing some research called FWI: http://www.familiesandwork.org/. Have a great day... And think up new ways to be flexible and make work work for you.

Summer Fun = Time Off!

This summer has flown by! I've gone on a couple of vacations and I love coming back to work refreshed and rejuvenated. It's fun to catch up with my coworkers and share stories. It's also nice to be back in a routine. (Funny how I hated that routine before I went on vacation! haha)

In human resources, I always recommend vacations for employees who are tired and grumpy and lacking motivation. More often than not, these people have been working too much and for too long. Get out! Get some fresh air! Don't underestimate the power of a day off

As employers (and employees) we need to be able to assess when it's time for someone to take some needed time off. This needs to be handled appropriately and delicately depending on the circumstances- but a fun way to incorporate some time off is to use it as a prize for some sales contests or productivity contests at the office.

People work to live. Let's be honest, we do not live to work. Help your people go and live the fun lives they want to by using time off as an incentive. Especially in the fun summer months when the kids are home from school and mom and dad can take them on a trip to the zoo or the lake.

"A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts."
-Richard Branson

To Party or Not to Party? That is the question...

Birthdays at work can be a tricky thing. My birthday recently passed and being pretty new to my current day job- I didn't know what to expect. First off- I hadn't told anyone that it was my birthday- but of course weeks before someone asked me randomly when my birthday was. I tried to just let the day slip by and hope that nobody knew. Well, some really sweet coworkers went overboard and decorated my desk with brightly colored paper, sticky notes, and drawings of birthday things. They made a cake, etc. It was out of control! I felt super special and it was so kind of them to do this for someone so new to the organization! My boss gave me a gift, another coworker brought flowers, another a gift. Honestly- I was overwhelmed by the kindness of my coworkers! *If any of you happen to read this- you ROCK! Seriously- thanks again for the kindness!*

While all this display of birthday enthusiasm and kindness was going on at the office, I couldn't help but think to myself, "Who in this office wishes people would notice them more? And decorate for their birthdays? Is this going to offend someone?" One might wonder why I'd think thoughts like this. Well, it's because I've dealt with the HR nightmare known as birthdays for sometime now and they truly are a tricky thing.

By now, you all know my thoughts on recognition. We should recognize our employees and a birthday is a day for each employee to feel special (if that is what they want)! So- my proposal for this tricky subject: ASK!
When you get new employees (or if you've never asked your long timers), ask a couple of things:
1) Can we post your name and birthday (no year) on a monthly birthday list that goes up in the break room (or wherever) so that other employees can tell you happy birthday?
2) Would you like to participate in the monthly birthday party? We'll get one big cake for everyone and share it (or whatever you do at your place of work)
3) Come up with other ideas here- but ask the employees and then let them know you'll share with their supervisor - OR leave this up to supervisors! (Just watch out for those slacker supervisors who won't follow up or ever acknowledge a birthday- they will need some motivation from HR!)

The bottom line is that people really should be consulted on what they want to do in regards to celebrating their big day. If their religion doesn't allow them to celebrate, if they are turning 90, or maybe if they are just grumps and don't want to celebrate- nobody should make them- especially HR! Don't hear me wrong, I'm not trying to be negative- I think we SHOULD recognize when and where we can- but this is an area of recognition that requires some employee input for sure. 

"Management is nothing more than motivating other people."-Lee Iacocca  

Cow Mug Creativity... Inspirational Objects @ The Office

So it's been a few weeks since I brought my Cow Mug to the office. It was a staple at my desk for awhile and then I brought it home because I love it so much. Considering I spend more waking moments at work than at home, I took it back to work today. And to be honest it makes me happy. It's quirky, it's comical, and it's colorful. It holds a lot of tea and it reminds me of who I am. I think of myself as a creative and humorous person with snippets of spunk and insight to share. The Cow Mug helps me find ways to put "myself" into my work (no matter the task).
Do you have a "Cow Mug" of your own that helps inspire you to do better work? Maybe you have have an employee or coworker that LOVES fishing - be bold- buy them something that you know will "inspire" them. There are fish shaped staplers and funky picture frames- even one of those goofy singing mounted fish might help someone to stay lighthearted at work and find their inner creativity. That was kind of a strange example- but when you get to know yourself and your employees- you can figure out the things that help you and hopefully your employees put themselves into their work! And that brings out the best work which is what we all want... Go ahead - be a little kooky- have some fun at work if it helps get the job done!

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution." -Albert Einstein

Employee Engagement Quick Read

I don't have a lot to say today. I want you to go read this e-book. It was a quick read and I think it is fabulous! My favorite quote from it is also included in my blog today.

http://upstarthr.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/EngagementeBook.pdf

"This HR thing, it’s not really that hard. Hire great people, treat them like adults, and then get

the hell out of the way and let them do amazing work."

Chris Ferdinandi, author of RenegadeHR.net.

Buzzwords: Workplace Flexibility

In our current economic situation, people are becoming more creative with their schedules and their positions. Some people are "job sharing" even in fields like teaching where one wouldn't expect this. One teacher works the first half of the day and the second teacher works the second half of the day. This is not the only field where people are "sharing" one job, but it is an interesting idea. By being part time employees, they are allowed more time to pursue other interests such as their children's activities, hobbies, or other employment even. I think its a beautiful concept and as more and more organizations are facing budget cuts- this should be offered to employees. Personally, I'd hop on the opportunity to only work half days. It sounds fantastic!

Another option is letting employees work when they want to or where they want to. Forcing everyone to work from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. doesn't make everyone happy. Some employees prefer to work  from 10:00 to 7:00 or maybe some would like to work 7:00 to 7:00 only three days a week. If it's a job where the work can be done at any time, why NOT offer this option to employees? If accountability is an issue, make policies or agreements with employees and do flexible scheduling temporarily to test it out. If employees can work different shifts, it might encourage them to work together in child care- say Employee 1 works Monday through Wednesday and her children are watched by Employee 2 who works Wednesday through Saturday. This saves on child care costs and both employees are still able to work full time hours AND they get more time with their children.

Workplace Flexibility in scheduling might also allow for less restrictive dress codes. For instance- Employee 2 who comes in on Saturday could probably dress quite comfortably because the office is closed to customers. Yet another awesome concept...

These are just a few ideas that I was chewing on this week. I'd like some feedback if anyone has experience with these flexible schedules- are they completely amazing or is it a pain?

"I feel sorry for the person who can't get genuinely excited about his work. Not only will he never be satisfied, but he will never achieve anything worthwhile."-Walter Chrysler

Daylight Savings... Trust

Happy March!
I just wanted to update everyone really quickly and apologize for not writing in awhile. This past winter was a very busy one in my personal life and I am excited that Spring is finally here. Daylight Savings time brings with it "renewed energy" for me and I cannot wait to see what this year has in store for TNT HR Consulting! I have all kinds of new employee appreciation ideas and ways to deal with budget cuts, etc. that will certainly appeal to employers as well as some employees and put a positive spin on the negative financial outlook of partially and fully state funded organizations. I also have a slew of hilarious HR stories from the grind that I will be happy to share as Spring calls for laughter through reflection and growth.

For tonight- I want to leave you with the concept of trust to chew on. I glanced through a book the other day called "The Speed of Trust" by Stephen M. R. Covey. The basic premise was pretty catchy. Be honest with your employees. Isn't it funny that to win people over in our personal lives and to build solid relationships we have to gain their trust, yet at work we tend to be secretive about things? For example- a boss knows that the company is suffering major losses and most of the plans to solve that involve moving employees to part time or even laying them off and most probably removing all of their benefits. If the boss could have met with employees and explained the situation, possibly even asked for suggestions or volunteers- the employees could be prepared for upcoming changes and tough decisions and might even help come up with ideas of ways to save money. Think about trust and your current situation. What can you do today to build the trust of your employees, coworkers, and supervisors?

"Trust is equal parts character and competence... You can look at any leadership failure, and it's always a failure of one or the other."
— Stephen M.R. Covey (The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything)