Archive for January, 2009

8

HR Communication Lesson About Simplicity

Friday, January 30th, 2009

Here’s your HR communication lesson today. It’s something I learned in journalism school:
Say it once. Say it right. Get outta there.
I could say a bunch more, but you get the point. I’m outta here.

7

Exploding Some Comp Department Myths

Thursday, January 29th, 2009

To: All Managers
From: Comp Department
Re: Exploding Myths — Here’s How Compensation Really Works
Dear Manager,
I thought it was time to explode a few myths and legends about Compensation. I’m not talking here about pay, which is what goes into paychecks. I’m talking about what we do in Comp. Let’s end the mystery.

Myth: Everyone is underpaid.

Reality: That’s [...]

7

The Value of Normalizing the Situation

Wednesday, January 28th, 2009

Did you notice what happened very quickly after US Airways 1549 landed in the Hudson River? Government officials were all over the television saying, “Everything’s okay. This was an oddity. We have the bird situation under control. Here’s how we handle the birds in our flight paths.”
That’s called normalizing the situation in the communication business. [...]

7

How in the Hell Do You Lose 71,400 Jobs in One Day?

Tuesday, January 27th, 2009

Yep, there were 71,400 jobs lost yesterday. CNN is calling it Bloody Monday. More than 500,000 jobs are being lost a month.
I wish I had some really great HR advice today. I’m a little shell shocked, but here’s what I’d say: For those of you who are still there…kick ass. Do your best work. Stop [...]

5

What About Manager Engagement?

Monday, January 26th, 2009

My son, Stephen, is a sophomore in high school and takes a full complement of AP classes. This weekend is the weekend before semester finals. We drove him and a friend over to another student’s house so that they could work in their study group for AP European History. While they were there, his AP [...]