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Really……..You Don’t Know How To Do That?

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Since I’m in the land of dial-up, and resting and re-cooping, I thought I would pull this great guest post from the archives. It comes from my friend Buzz Rooney, an expert pro of all things HR. I love her style. Take a look……

Image Credit: Masterfile.com

My boyfriend is a scuba diver. He seriously dives for lost treasure and wreckage and stuff like that. He swims like a fish –and has since he was seven years old.

I didn’t learn to swim until I was an adult. I grew up in the ‘hood;’ we played in sprinklers and hydrants. There weren’t many pools and most people didn’t know how to swim anyway. So the summer after I graduated from college, I took a class at the YMCA. I learned the basics but I still don’t know how to blow out my breath properly so I can swim laps.

So during one of our trips to the pool this summer, I asked him how. His response, “You don’t know how to do that?? That’s so easy! All you have to do is …” and he went on to describe and demonstrate the technique. Although I knew he was trying to help me, I stopped listening almost immediately so I didn’t learn a thing.

A few days later, I got a call from a manager who was having trouble running a report. I found myself repeating the words “You don’t know how to do that?? That’s so easy! All you have to do is …” And I cringed, knowing that manager was now feeling like I felt that day at the pool and probably tuned out from whatever instructions I’d given him.

Everyone isn’t good at everything. Everything doesn’t come easy for everyone. HR gets called on a lot to explain how and why things work to people who don’t know, both inside and outside our organizations. It’s important that we explain information in ways that do not make people tune out to our message. HR is everyone’s responsibility. The more accessible, practical and understandable we make the inner-workings of our function; the better it is for all involved!

So the next time you get that umpteenth call asking for guidance on an issue that you have explained at least a dozen times before: take a deep breath, resist the urge to criticize or mock, and give clear, concise and compliant directives like only HR can!

What’s All The Buzz?

Buzz Rooney is an HR professional with over 10 years experience in industrial and retail environments. Buzz has a degree in Communication Studies with focus on Organizational Communication and Leadership as well as a Master’s in HR Management. You can read more of Buzz’s writings at her blog, The Buzz on HR (www.thebuzzonhr.com ). You can follow her on Twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/thebuzzonhr), like her on FaceBook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Buzz-on-HR/121898154549257 ) , and join her network on LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/pub/buzz-rooney/31/b46/342 ).

Balancing work and family – Oh PSHAW!

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Okay, I just had to use that #oldschool word Pshaw! In fact, I love it! Somehow I’m sure that word has since been translated into our 21st century phrase “Yeah, right!”

I’ve been trying to balance work and family for years now.  I think one of the hardest times of trying to do that was when I was working 40+ hours a week for GTE-Mobilnet in Houston in my early twenties. I had also started traveling on weekends beginning my professional singing career with my then husband. At the same time, within months, found out I was expecting my daughter. Talk about needing some kind of balance!

The next year and a half was horrific. In fact, looking back on the whole thing makes me stop and say, “How in the heck did I manage that?”

Here’s how it went down

I would wake up in the morning vomiting from morning sickness only to go have a bowl of cereal (I couldn’t tolerate any hot foods nor the smell of it) and then my ex would drive me to work (only about a ten minute drive). I would have to pull over on the way to work to puke my cereal cause I couldn’t hold anything down. I would get to work and need something in my stomach so I’d head down to the first floor cafe and get something to eat only to go back up and run to the ladies room to you know, puke it up. This happened day in and day out, all day, all night. Exhausting!

Add to that working 40+ hours in the corporate world and no break on the weekends because at 5:00 PM on Fridays I would head out to go to a singing gig – either somewhere back around Alabama, Mississippi or Louisiana and then on to the next singing gig and so on, and so on…..only to arrive back in Houston at home – yeah, in time to go back to work on Monday morning. I remember stopping on the side of the interstates being down on my knees vomiting while cars flew past me. And I won’t even mention the smelly, disgusting bathrooms in Louisiana.

I wound up having to be admitted to the hospital several times during my pregnancy from being dehydrated. The only cool thing? I didn’t gain weight.

Somewhere around the eighth month the sickness started to lesson and by then I could not wait to have that precious little girl. I continued going into false labor and my hospital was downtown Houston (I lived in the far north suburbs – about an hours drive) and they would send me home saying it’s not yet time (BUMMER). I found out the reason for the false labor was because when I would sing, and air would push down on my diaphragm it would then cause me to go into false labor. And could not be avoided. The final time I yelled, “I’m not leaving this hospital until I have this baby!!”

Nevertheless, I simply had to ride it out. I had to make the best of it.

The Dreaded Call

While on maternity leave I received a call from the C-Suite (my boss included) on speaker phone that I could return back to work, but I could not return as Executive Assistant to the General Manager. Instead, I was being allowed to come back as a Customer Service Rep. I couldn’t believe it! I had stuck it out – through the most horrendous time and dealing with all the physical hardships that went with it, and still mistreated and demoted.

I seriously had to stop and think, “Do I want to do this? Am I too proud to go back? Will I have to walk in there with my tail between my legs?” ….. Of course they weren’t taking away my salary – but for the first time I felt replaceable.

I decided I would go in there and act as if it didn’t bother me at all. I was determined not to let them get the best of me and just roll with it. It wasn’t easy, but as it turns out – was the best thing for me. My previous position was so stressful and I was always having to put out fires. I was constantly taking that @#$% home with me and it affected my relationships, family time, and my health.

I remained in that position for about five more months, just long enough for my new daughter to continue getting insurance and care – and long enough for me and my ex to get our act together where we could start traveling and singing full-time. I went on to travel ten years singing while able to travel with my family, while homeschooling my daughter and making bookoodles of cash – doing something I never thought I would be able to do!

It all worked out – and I learned a little humility in the process. However, it did make me wonder if it had anything to do with me dressing up as a pregnant nun on Halloween, at eight months (the VP of GTE-Mobilnet was Catholic) HA HA!

Sometimes we have no control over our work situations and even the things that come along in life – but we do have control over our responses to them. I know, that sounds cliché and dumb. But there is something to be said for how we allow it to affect our family relationships and to look at them instead as opportunities of growth.

I’m a firm believer – it all works out in the end!

Using Technology and Innovation as a tool of engagement in Health and Wellness

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We just finished ILSHRM11 and I was honored to be asked to participate in judging Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Illinois WOWIE awards.

Every year companies all over Illinois are encouraged to enter the WOWIE awards – which is I think, an awesome acknowledgement of Health and Wellness initiatives on behalf of these organizations.

One of the takeaways, however, and my advice to companies as seen in this article was that companies should totally take advantage of online technology and even mobile technology, as this was something that was utilized very little as it regards to health and wellness.

Part of my advice to companies going forward was to utilize technology and social media in developing employee engagement IN HOUSE, as it relates to health and wellness. In this present age of talking via tweet, the term social networks now makes people think of Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. However, according to Dr. Larry Miller, president and CEO of Activate Networks, flesh-and-blood social networks are just as critical, if not more important, than those relationships forged in cyberspace.

Forming organic relationships such as those that employees form from working together, having an online support and interaction with corporate networks can lengthen the companies professional reach and improve their overall employee morale and engagement.

Social networks are critical to innovation and can drive organizational change and these types of tools can drive success of individual business initiatives like wellness programs.

Tips for Implementation

If you can virtually connect people that are hesitant to make connections in real life and put them on project teams together, these online relationships help build real life relations that extend into the workplace. This brings a more cohesive team, virtually and IRL, which tend to be more productive.

These tools also allow management the possibility of looking for troubled employees who can also spread negativity just as quickly as positive messages from key employees and allow for resolutions to quickly nip those things in the bud – at the onset. Disenfranchised employees can magnify their impact through the network but just as easily, it can be used for good.

In the end, social capital improves results and innovation.

Take a moment to check out Illinois State Council of Human Resource’s online WOW wellness site.

The Problem with Outsourcing

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There’s not much more that I despise as much as an outsourced call center.

I get the fact that it’s much cheaper to outsource your call center to some place in Mumbai than to pay minimum wage here in the States, but what a pain in the rear end. And in our current economy, shouldn’t companies try and provide the best customer service possible, especially when the competition is fierce?

For instance, how many cellular phone companies are out there right now? A gazillion? And recently while switching over to AT&T, and being told by their rep “make sure you call with questions or concerns before three o’clock in the afternoon because after that, they outsource” my response was REALLY? Holy crap!

The worst thing in the world is to have a problem that needs to be addressed and call into customer service expecting to get a hold of someone who actually gives a shit. Instead, you get Peter in Mumbia (aka – Jumar) who knows nothing of your culture, much less your issue, and can’t even relate because he can’t even speak your language. I HATE THAT! I always wind up in a tizzy and scream, “get me an american manager, or someone that speaks English PLEASE!” I know, that’s not politically correct and may sound prejudice – but time is of the essence and I need to get this problem resolved in a timely manner. I want someone that’s empathetic and can actually help me – is that too much to ask?

Years ago, (way back in the 80′s) I worked for one of the first cellular telephone companies (GTE Mobilnet) and yes, I was one of the first ones to have THIS. I worked in every imaginable department starting as a file clerk, then collections, to customer service, to Executive Assistant to the President (which basically means I handled all the complaints). Our call center was located in HOUSTON TEXAS – that’s USA, by the way. We were trained on exceptional customer service and in doing whatever it took to keep our customers happy, and we did this IN HOUSE!

According to THIS ARTICLE – these are the top five reasons why companies choose to outsource:

1.       Reducing Costs - This is the number one reason why companies outsource. In most situations you can find cheaper labor through outsourcing and if the quality level is the same there is no reason why you should not outsource.

2.       Improved Business Focus - By directing a part of the work towards outsourcing you gain flexibility and you are able to focus on your company’s core competencies. This increases work flow and allows you to finish projects faster.

3.       Unfulfilled Needs - Sometimes you might have to outsource because what you are looking for can not be found locally. For instance, you might want a good project manager and the local market does not have one to hire. Outsourcing can provide you access to a need that is not available at a local level.

4.       Risk Management - As a company grows risks appear. Most business owners fail to foresee this and are not prepared with a good risk management strategy to apply. In this case the only real solution would be to hire an expert company to do this and there are many that can be contacted through outsourcing.

5.       Better Employees - By being able to contact people from other regions/countries you might be able to contact really good professionals. (YEAH, RIGHT) You can hire them through outsourcing and you would get better employees. Keep in mind that this is tricky and price must be considered as well in order to not make a bad investment.

I have no problem whatsoever with outsourcing INSIDE our country, but we need to really GET A CLUE  when it comes to cutting jobs and outsourcing overseas, and understand that tho’ we may pay more per employee the benefits far outweigh expenditures. We would see an improvement in our customer service AND could take pride in the fact that we help provide jobs for those here in the good ole USofA.

By the way, I love the TV show “Outsourced” because it’s satire is something we can all appreciate, in a weird sort of way.

Should employees be on lock-down during FMLA?

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Denise Pellegrino (in the case of Pellegrino v. CWA) had spent about two weeks at home recovering from surgery – on con-current FMLA and paid sick leave – before leaving home to go on a trip to Cancun, Mexico.

All seemed well and good until it was revealed that according to CWA’s sick leave policy, employees on leave may not leave their local area without written permission from the company unless seeking medical treatment or conducting “ordinary or necessary activities directly related to personal or family needs.”

I’m guessing Pellegrino wasn’t in Cancun on a post-op physician’s visit and when word got back to CWA, they didn’t believe so either.  When officials found out about Pellegrino’s trip, they fired her.

She sued, claiming the termination interfered with her right to FMLA leave. The court agreed that her leave was protected but sided with CWA and their right to enforce their own leave policy.

Is it okay for employers to now dictate where they can and cannot go while on sick leave?

Recently, a federal court ruled stating that an employer may enforce work rules that require employees to “remain in the immediate vicinity” of their home while on sick leave.

I’m sure that in the end, CWA lost more money on legal fees proving their case than they would had they gone ahead and allowed her to take this trip. Should our employees be on lock-down during taking time off for medical leave?

If a person is sick and unable to work, it would seem that they are not able to engage in other activities that would be work equivalent, including being up and about in public, or physically active. I suppose it would also depend on the particular on the job daily activities on the part of the employee, in his or her function, as to whether or not they could perform.

Photo Credit: Deborah Humphries 

Perception vs. Reality

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I’m still coming down from my SHRM11 high and am having a blast looking over pictures from my time there. You can see most of them HERE.

I won’t go into all the conference details but I do want to talk about a few things. First off, let me just say I loved the after hours events and just having the chance to get to spend time IRL with those whom I’ve connected online. We had a blast just having fun, singing karaoke, dancing it up, hanging in the VIP rooms and just letting loose.

TLNT partnered with StarrTincup and threw a bang up party where I got to meet Elvis (I knew he was alive and well) See HERE. After leaving TLNT party I went with a few folks to Gilley’s to watch someone ride the bull (I can’t say who, but ask me later) and it was hysterical. I have the video in case of blackmail.

I think one of the most fun things was SHRM’s After Hours party at Madame Tussaud’s. Here I ran into Kevin Grossman and Curtis Midkiff (SHRM’s Social Media Guy) and even ran into Brangolina and gave a few tips to my man Tiger. The more beer we had, the more karaoke we sang, the more every wax figure started looking as if they were real and started coming alive. It’s funny how your mind plays tricks on you.

My group started getting a little hungry and decided we would head down the strip to Denny’s (it’s about 1:30 and we are a little tipsy) to grab some grub! We walked out on the strip and I noticed a wax figure of Freddie Krueger so I decided to get my picture made with him. After all – it was just a ball of wax. I would never get my picture made with the real Freddy because I’m deathly afraid of him. (That movie scared the crap out of me). So I went to put my arm around him so I could have my friend take my picture and it wasn’t a wax figure at all, but a LIVE PERSON pretending to be a wax figure. It scared the padookie out of me when he started talking to me – I almost peed my pants.

I was so conditioned from my previous surroundings that I automatically assumed it was the same.

In the end: Things aren’t always as they appear. What we perceive isn’t always reality.