Tag Archives: The Buzz on HR

Social Media at work; The new smoke break

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Hey guys! I’m on vacation and trying to unplug (YEAH RIGHT) from the Webs this whole week. I thought I’d share a few previous posts for your enjoyment. Here’s a good one from my blogger friend Buzz Rooney. She is a fantastic writer and HR pro and this post is exceptional. Enjoy!

Photo Credit: Jamacians.com

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I recently overheard someone compare employees using social media sites to taking breaks for smoking at work.

As someone who has spent HR time in production and manufacturing environments, I am all-too-familiar with the battle employers face over smoke-break abuse. I remember when our company installed a card-reader on the smoking area door so employees had to swipe to get back in the building. We pulled the records to find one employee was visiting the smoking area an average 17 times daily for 7 – 10 minutes each time. That’s almost 3 hours per day of smoke breaks — while ON the clock!!! Unbelievable … And of course, we addressed that issue with that employee. But that’s not the point of this post.

The point is, after overhearing that comparison, I wondered: Is Social Media (SoMe) use at work the NEW Smoke Break (SBs)?

Yeah, it kind of is.

  • Like SBs, SoMe can create division. Employees connecting with some co-workers and not others may lead to hurt feelings, gossip and the appearance of impropriety or favoritism. Your workforce may divide into SoMe cliques, just like with Smokers and Non-Smokers. However, there’s also a lot of learning going on through SoMe that can help people be better at their jobs. Blog articles, free webinars and online networking groups are great things for employees to participate in.
  • Like SBs, SoMe can be a distraction and hindrance to productivity. Employees spending 5 – 10 minutes per hour perusing Facebook and Twitter can add up. The time away from the actual work area is more limited with SoMe because employees can check sites without leaving their desk. This makes multi-tasking easier — but it also makes it easier to goof off undetected and make errors.

Knowing this, I still say employers should allow Social Media use by employees. Just like Smokers are given a designated area and generally allowed extra breaks, Social Media users should also get consideration. Neither habit is going anywhere – so employers have to manage it.

Here are a few things to remember:

  • Forbidding and blocking SoMe sites is not a management strategy. It is estimated 60% of cell phone users have smart phones. If sites are blocked, employees can just use their phone or tablet instead. Instead, leave sites open — but protect your network with good antivirus software and firewalls. Another option is to provide wifi and open computer stations in your employee lounge so employees can take SoMe breaks.
  • Have a Social Media usage policy. Yes, another policy. When text message, Facebook and Twitter conversations are being used as evidence in workplace disputes, you need to have guidelines for employees’ online behavior. The policy cannot forbid and should not discourage SoMe use – but it should definitely remind and encourage employees to be mindful about what they post and to guard their online reputation. And it should let employees know that online behavior in violation of the company’s standards of conduct or policy on harassment, bullying, etc may be grounds for disciplinary action.
  • Address abuses directly. When an employee is spending too much work time on SoMe sites — even if it is for their betterment — you should counsel them about it. Work with the employee to better manage their time.

Social media is here to stay, whether your organization has embraced it or not. Until the company decides its own strategy, there should be a way to ensure employees can use it — without abuse, overuse or misuse.

This post was originally posted at TheBuzzOnHR.com and a big THANKS to Buzz for allowing me to share it with you all. 

About the Author:

Buzz Rooney is a practicing HR Professional with over 10 years experience in the production, manufacturing and retail industries.  She currently works for a large retail franchise in North Carolina. Buzz also consults in the areas of management coaching, process improvement, resume writing, and HR compliance.

Buzz has a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies with a focus in Organizational Communication and Leadership as well as a Master’s Degree in Human Resources Management. Buzz is a devoted single mom with two young children. When not working, she enjoys mindlessly watching television, spending time with friends and family, reading, eating and sleeping. You can read more of her writings, connect and contact her through her website The Buzz on HR.

HR Through a 5 Year-Olds Eyes

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Today’s Guest Post is from Buzz Rooney. She’s one of my favorite guests. Enjoy!

A few weeks ago, my daughter got sick at school and I had to pick her up early. I had deadlines and meetings so I brought her back to the office with me and let her rest on the cushy chairs in my office while I handled things. We left around 5:30 to pick up her brother from his karate lesson. My daughter let him know that she’d spent the afternoon in my office while I did “grown-up HR work.” My son was excited and envious; he asked his sister what I did all day with my “work.”

Her response surprised me …

“Her work was really boring. She sat at her table and typed on her computer and talked on her phone most of the time. She printed stuff and made copies of it in this big machine too. Then she went to another room with some people and they sat around a big table, talking about grown-up stuff. They didn’t look like they were having fun at all!”

Seeing HR through my 5 year-olds eyes was eye-opening for me. I thought my kids would think my job was so cool because I had my own, spacious office with a nice view. Everything was organized and I worked at a steady pace without a lot of fanfare or noise. I thought they would think I was living the dream!

But they didn’t. They thought I was a geek and a bit of a loser.

It occurred to me that my children probably aren’t the only ones who think my job is wack. There are employees and other managers in organizations all over who see HR this way: boring, paper pushers who rarely leave their desk or conference room table to have any real impact or understanding! And the HR people in those organizations think they are living the dream when they are really stuck in a nightmare.

So how can HR change this view?

Leave your office. No one can effectively manage from behind a desk. This includes HR! We have to visit the areas where the work is performed and where the employees are located to see, hear and learn about what is going on. Leaving the door open to your office isn’t the same as being open, available and accessible. Get out there and talk to people.

Talk HR up. HR doesn’t do a very good job at tooting its own horn. We also don’t do a good job at illustrating why our ideas and initiatives matter to the bottom line of the organization. We have to do a better job of making this connection and highlighting it for others.

Have more fun. Being serious about your work doesn’t mean you have to be serious all the time. There are tons of ironies, fodder and laughable moments happening every day in the places where we work. Smile, laugh and make a joke once in awhile. You’ll feel better – and so will the people around you.

And the next time you bring a 5 year old to spend the afternoon in your office, have some candy available. And unicorns. Preferably pink ones.

Photo Credit: EarlyBirdStitcher

Today’s Guest Post was by my friend and online Blogger – Buzz Rooney. Make sure you connect with her.

Who is Buzz Rooney?

Buzz Rooney is a practicing HR Professional with over 10 years experience in the production, manufacturing and retail industries. She currently works for a large retail franchise handling employee relations, health benefits, COBRA, wellness, leave of absence and compliance. Buzz has Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies with a focus on Organizational Communication and Leadership as well as a Master’s Degree in Human Resources Management. She is also a part-time HR consultant offering basic management coaching/training, process improvement, resume writing, compliance assistance and human resources generalist services. When not working or writing or researching, Buzz is a single mom with 2 young children living in North Carolina. She enjoys mindlessly watching television, spending time with friends and family, reading, eating and sleeping.

Read more of her writings, connect and contact her through her website, The Buzz on HR and follow her on Twitter @TheBuzzOnHR.

#Follow Friday – Buzz Rooney, LIVE and in Person!

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I had the wonderful opportunity to sit down with Buzz Rooney this week and talk a little about her “Coming Out” (so to speak), about her blog and her online journey, and about some really cool HR Conferences (including ILSHRM12). Check it out!

Connect with Buzz Rooney: Blog, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+

#Follow Friday; Buzz Rooney – making some serious buzz

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Happy Friday Folks. Today I awoke to about a foot of snow outside. Couldn’t begin to tell you how happy that makes me.

Today’s featured guest and #FF is my good pal “Buzz Rooney.” Some of you may have already connected with Buzz and if not, what are you waiting for?

Her Background

10+ years HR Generalist Experience
Employee Relations
Training & Development
Compensation & Benefits
Leadership
Planning, Goal Setting & Alignment
Change Management & Process Improvement
Talent Recruitment & Management
Compliance (Federal, State & Local)
Excellent Social Media Knowledge

Her Blog

Buzz has an amazing way of using story-telling mixed with a-lot-of-smarts and humor over at “TheBuzzonHR” and is simply a weblog of her thoughts, experiences and wisdom on human resources, management and leadership. I am always learning from her.

Now understand she has created this online persona  ”Buzz Rooney” and along with working a day job, meandering throughout social spaces, she is now providing consulting services and includes resume writing, basic management coaching, organizational process improvement and compliance assistance.

Her Passions

Buzz has a passion to help others, whether it’s online (retweeting, sharing great content, allowing guest posts) or IRL with her employees. It all comes through to those that read her blogs and articles or chat with her on the phone or are connected with her in some fashion. Oh, and from what I hear, she has a few young-ans, and I’m sure she’s passionate about them :)

And like me, she loves The Food Network and to me, that’s reason right there to connect! So do it, already.

Where to Find Her

TheBuzzOnHR, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+. Here she is appearing on DriveThroughHR #DTHR. Tuesday nights you can find her in front of the TV watching “Chopped” and sometimes talking about it online.

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 ).