Here’s your HR communication lesson for today, kiddies: Be specific.
If something is being taken away, say it. If you want people to do something, don’t beat around the bush. If you mean results, don’t clutter it up with words like “key performance indicators.” Direct. To-the-point. Clear. The best HR communication doesn’t deal in HR euphemisms. [...]

Happy bailout, my HR friends. Something like $700 billion is coming Wall Street’s way. But the odds are, not your way.
Human resources is going to be a different beast when this economic crisis is over. This isn’t going to be your father’s HR. Heck, this isn’t even going to be your HR when this [...]

This quote by Robert Heinlein really struck me, especially as we’re thinking about how to respond in this rocky economy. HR is going to be under more pressure than ever, and it’s time to step up and broaden the set of skills that define us as “”human resources.”
“A human being should be able to [...]

Here’s what I know about doing HR communication: The closer you get to deadline, the more edits people have. It’s what I call Writer’s Remorse. Here’s what else I know: Those last-second edits rarely add anything to the quality of the communication.
Folks, communication isn’t about single words on a page or just one more [...]

I originally published this article a year ago. Sadly, it’s more important now than ever. At the time, some people thought I was being a bit alarmist — no more. Say, brother, can you spare $800 billion?
For a really compelling look at the big question HR needs to ask itself, check out what Bill Strahan [...]