Is it time to recall some of your HR policies?
Tillman Coffey, JD Supra
“Factory recalls have become a fact of life for those who sell and drive vehicles. The scenarios have a common theme: a vehicle part does not operate as designed or is determined to present a possible risk of failure. Once there is enough evidence to suggest a problem or potential problem exists, the recall process begins.
While the risks and potential harms pale in comparison to vehicle recalls, some employer policies should be similarly recalled and replaced. Some policies no longer work as designed because of subsequent changes to certain laws. Other policies and practices thought to be sufficient when implemented have not been as effective in application as they could be. Still other policies would benefit from a few overdue improvements that you didn’t consider at the time of drafting. A few examples follow.”
Why do so many incompetent men become leaders?
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Harvard Business Review
“In my view, the main reason for the uneven management sex ratio is our inability to discern between confidence and competence. That is, because we (people in general) commonly misinterpret displays of confidence as a sign of competence, we are fooled into believing that men are better leaders than women. In other words, when it comes to leadership, the only advantage that men have over women (e.g., from Argentina to Norway and the USA to Japan) is the fact that manifestations of hubris — often masked as charisma or charm — are commonly mistaken for leadership potential, and that these occur much more frequently in men than in women.”
Empathy: Corporate performance enhancer?
China Gorman
“Through my Facebook feed, I found a different list posted on Harvard Business Review Online on December 1, 2016: The 20 Most Empathetic Companies, 2016. This “corporate fitbit for empathy” is about “understanding our emotional impact on others and making change as a result” and its authors believe that empathy “is more important to a successful business than it has ever been, correlating to growth, productivity, and earnings per employee.” While the authors don’t share those correlations, they do share the 2016 list. And the listed companies do not surprise; they show up on other lists.”
How I make business decision
Richard Branson, Virgin
“Making a good informed decision is not that different to sitting on a jury – all reasonable doubt has to be removed before you can pass a verdict one way or the other. Thankfully, though, corporate decisions are seldom a matter of life or death!
Here are a few general rules that I have found help me to get to the point of taking the plunge (or not) within the appropriate time frames.”
2 New studies reveal the dark side of workplace flexibility
Jessica Stillman, Inc.com
“Whether you look at polls of employees or Silicon Valley’s obsession with perks like unlimited vacation days, it’s clear that flexibility is the latest hot workplace benefit. Some commentators have even gone so far as to call flexibility the new definition of success.
There’s plenty of reason to cheer this development. Studies show that flexibility reduces stress and can boost productivity, and on a human level having the ability to adjust your schedule to help an ailing relative or attend your kid’s field trip is certainly nice. But while there’s a compelling case to be made for workplace flexibility, that doesn’t mean the idea is all upside, as two new studies illustrate.”
10 skills every HR manager needs to succeed
Suzanne Lucas, The Balance
“You wanted a job in Human Resources because you like people. Got it. But, liking people is not enough. There are many skills every HR manager needs to become truly successful. Here are 10 of them—and not one of them is actually liking people (although that does help).”
More noteworthy HR news
- National Teachers Week – see our prior post on inspirational and awesome teachers
- National Nurses week – We can do it! An occupational nurse reminisces about then and now
- Pet-related benefits are increasing in popularity among U.S. workplaces
- How to handle an employee who refuses to sign disciplinary forms
- A Virginia Tech shooting survivor’s story
- 10 key elements of any data security policy to safeguard your company
- This job is a joke!
- House passes comp time bill
- 9 common writing puzzlers
- Can You Manage Employees You Rarely See?
- Even small companies can offer perks that build engagement and attract talent
- Key interview questions for hiring freelancers (video)
- State of paid parental leave: Who offers it and how much time do they give?
- 5 Deskercises to keep you active at work
Lighter side
Would you hire this person? Job seeker disguises himself as delivery guy, delivers resume in a box of donuts
How do you spend your day? this is how the average adult spends days
HR’s hottest must-have: universal workplace emoji! – Robin Shea of Employment & Labor Insider talks about the trouble that misinterpreted emojis could lead to in work communications. She also offers her suggestions for some universal HR symbols!
Interested in having an unusual theme for your next employee event? If live near Portland Oregon, you can hire theraphy llamas. Through the week, the llamas and alpacas of Mtn. Peaks Therapy make public educational and therapeutic appearances visiting special-needs organizations and classrooms, hospitals, senior communities, and rehab facilities. But on the weekends, they have another job – they dress a bit more formally and are transformed into the Wedding llamas.