Q: My new job doesn't grant any sick time. What am I supposed to do, just come in to work sick?A: As a relative put it so eloquently, "Are you expecting to be sick?" Sometimes the perception of not having...
Business Travel Flexibility – Workations
A few weeks back I talked about my workation to Alaska. Something else worth giving a look at is the concept of business travel with build in vacation time coming and going from a business trip.For those who are on...
Ramifications of Management Favoritism – HR in Baseball
I harped on ad nauseam with my friends the way Joe Torre played favorites with Bernie Williams on the Yankees and how (to me) it appeared to affect morale on the team and the relationship with other players.In 2004, when...
Dealing with Lateness
Lack of timeliness on the job (both from the employer and employee view) causes lapses in productivity, stress, and in some cases severance of employment.From an employee point of view, the excuses I heard often were "my commute is too...
HR and Baseball – The Pitcher/Catcher Relationship
Our national pastime is rich with memories and parallels to everyday life. A friend of mine knows how much I love baseball, and I told her that I had been thinking about writing a baseball column relating to HR. She...
Negotiating a New Contract
Q: I'm working on a contract with my company for a promotion, but they are unwilling to meet my salary demands. I want to continue to work for them, but I feel the compensation package they are offering is not...
Working with Someone Who Takes All the Credit
Q: My boss takes all the credit for the hard work I do, but I don't complain. However, it has created some great stresses on the organization because of his mistakes. Thankfully, other members of the organization are aware that...
Online Learning and Training
Q: I've been a bit skeptical about teaching my employees anything online; however, the costs of sending them to a training class (gas, time away, hiring someone to do the training) are making it seem like a better option. What...
Thoughts from “Four Hour Workweek” by Timothy Ferriss
One of my favorite HR and Career related books is The Four Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss. Some of the key principles I received from this book include1. How to speed read - there's an excellent excerpt in the book on...
Mental Health Days
Q: What are your thoughts on "mental health days"? What should employers do about people who want to take these?A: Mental health days are a great way to keep sharp and utilize benefit time for reasons other than illness....