Remember your manners...

I recently read an article on manners and it had an impact on me so here I go piggybacking on that topic.  As an HR professional, I often work with individuals/teams on appropriate professional behavior or team dysfunction.  This is not an everyday occurrence but happens nonetheless – manners on the other hand are a different story.  Good manners should be habit for everyone, especially when interacting in business.  People remember good manners – it isn’t a generational thing either, good and bad manners are apparent in all generations.  I think in today’s society with everyone always face down on their smart phones or running from one a appointment to the other, society as a whole has dropped the ball on manners.  If you want to stand out as an employee, potential candidate, business leader, business owner, etc. good manners are important.  Here are a few things that drive people crazy when they’re not done and also some general ‘be nice’ tips as you walk (or run) through your day:

·        Answer emails promptly, even if it’s just to acknowledge that you received it but don’t have the response ready yet

·        Answer meeting invitations promptly as well

·        If you can’t make a meeting time, try and suggest another time

·        On that note, be on time to meetings – everyone is busy so that is no excuse for being late

·        Say thank you for a meeting

·        Ask how someone’s day is going

·        Don’t text or scroll your phone while in a meeting

·        Make sure you thank someone for a job interview

·        Thank someone if they helped you out in any way

·        If you run in to someone and you’re with someone else, please introduce them

·        Add a salutation before your email message and after

·        Capitalize people’s names in correspondence

·        Don’t interrupt people when they are trying to make a point

·        Be respectful of ‘normal’ work hours – don’t call at 9 PM unless a real emergency

Remember the golden rule…

 

January blah, blah, blahs.  How can we as HR professionals or business owners help ourselves and our employees through the January blahs. This is a time to focus on positive, creative and fun initiatives within your business.  Here are a few ideas:

 

      As with personal goal setting that often happens at the beginning of the year, use this theme to focus on business goals.  Just as with personal goals, these goals should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely). Put on an employee lunch ‘n learn talking about setting goals both personally and professionally. 

      Fitness resolutions are one of the most common – have a fitness challenge at your office.

      Have a company New Year’s celebration – use it as a kick off for your 2014 strategy!

      Sponsor a Financial Planning 101 seminar as we head into tax and RSP time – you’ll be surprised at how many employees are uneducated on financial and income protection basics.

      Bring outdoor sports indoors – organize a lunch hour indoor mini golf game.

      Have a board game tournament: chess, Pictionary, charades, Trivial Pursuit, etc.

      Enjoy a summer style potluck – bar-b-que theme…

 

There are an infinite number of inexpensive employee engaging activities you can do to fight those January blahs.  You even get to sneak in a team building activity without anyone really knowing it!

Myths About Gen Y's

For those of you who are Gen Y’s or work with them, hopefully you’ll find this article of interest.  I reference 8 myths – and truths – about generation Y (Canadian HR Reporter May 20, 2013 – by Cheryl Cran).  Myth 1 – Gen Y’s are disloyal…truth – Gen Y’s look at company loyalty differently – as opposed to time on the job, they are loyal to both their leaders and their co-workers.  Myth 2 – Gen Y’s  don’t want to work long or hard…truth Gen Y’s believe in using technology to work smarter.  They don’t equate long hours with quality of work.  Myth 3 – Gen Y’s  don’t know how to connect face-to-face…truth Gen Y’s know how to connect but also connect worldwide using technology and don’t see the value of face-to-face connection when it can be done efficiently through technology.  Myth 4 – Gen Y’s don’t care about timeliness and call in sick to do something fun…truth Gen Y’s value a work life balance and have no problem being late or leaving early but will pull ‘all-nighters’ to get a project done.  Myth 5 – Gen Y’s are rude in meetings as they address their smart phones…truth Gen Y’s see this as being efficient.  Myth 6 – Gen Y’s are self-focused…truth Gen Y’s have been raised to believe if they ask they will get and are used to instant reward.  They also have a strong sense of civic duty and community.  Myth 7 – Gen Y’s want to be promoted quickly or they’re out of there…truth Gen Y’s believe they should be rewarded for performance and promotion is one way.  They look for a career path and opportunity.  As a good leader of Gen Y’s it is important to teach them the ‘why’ in what they do and why they need to earn rewards.  Myth 8 – Gen Y’s are high maintenance…truth Gen Y’s are used to ongoing recognition and find annual performance reviews archaic.  They need real time feedback in the form of inspirational feedback rather critical.  In my opinion, Gen Y’s have such a great attitude towards life and work and are a very confident bunch. We need to learn to harness the energy and embrace the different working styles – this is a generation of great ideas and courage and the technology they bring is not going away.

Best Practice - I tweeted an article recently, see link below, about best practices.  I’m frequently asked as a consultant when I'm being interviewed by a potential new client what my ‘best practices’ are and I often surprise them by saying I don’t really believe in that concept especially in the small to mid-size business market.   I think the honesty in that answer surprises a lot of people but the truth is what are best practices and how can you uniformly apply them to all organizations?  It goes without saying that you must adhere to legislation, human rights and the ethical and morally sound way to treat your employees, but beyond that what is best for one company may not be best or good at all in yours.  This is where an experienced consultant who has spent time in organizations of various sizes and industries demonstrates their value.  They bring good, practical, working solutions from various experiences into your company to create what is ‘best’ for your organization. A good consultant will have many practices in their toolbox to tweak to fit your particular situation, culture and organizational practices.  I would say explore carefully what a consultant means when they say they can bring ‘best practices’ into your organization – in today’s business world with all the diversity and individuality in our organizations – I don’t believe one size fits all.

http://www.hrreporter.com/blog/HR-Policies-Practices/archive/2013/04/22/what-exactly-are-hr-best-practices?utm_source=responsys&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20130423_HRNewswires_S

 

 

Putting the Why in Human Resources

A very good friend and mentor of mine gave me the book "Start with Why by Simon Sinek - a good read.  It made me really look at my business and why I do what I do.  Anyone who has worked with me knows that I am about simplifying people processes not complicating them.  My Why is about the people in your business.  There are some HR practitioners that truly believe you need a rock solid process with 100 steps for each aspect of HR Management and there is a place for that.  Certain certifications that companies obtain require certain HR procedures in place and I understand that need. But, I still believe that it is not that easy or fun to process people.  Everyone needs a baseline of how a business operates relating to its people but I think we need to remember we are dealing with human beings who all have a different story and different needs. Company culture is created by allowing people their freedom to be who they are while still performing within the framework of their job and being productive for their company.  My Why is working with companies to allow them to foster the individuality amongst its employees and create a culture of productivity, individuality and mutual respect.  That is what makes what I do fun and rewarding, and why small  and mid-size businesses add me to their team. I suggest giving this book a read and really thinking about your Why...

Wendy Ellen Inc. Has a New Look

Wendy Ellen Inc.'s New Website

Welcome to Wendy Ellen Inc.’s new website and first of many blogs…along with updating the look and content of our website we have also added a few new service offerings and have grown our team of professionals.  Peruse the new site to see both.

One of our most exciting new services is our new toll free service:

1-855-QUESTHR (783-7847) 

This toll-free service is available for $75.00 per month and includes 7 day access to an HR Professional to answer your real time HR questions or concerns that may arise in the course of your workday or weekend.

As part of this subscriptions service, you also receive up to 5 relevant templates per month for managing the people-side of your business.

We now offer full recruiting services to our clients.  We believe recruiting is akin to match-making - we get to know the organization first.  We need to understand your culture so that we can find the person not only with the skill set you are looking for but also and more importantly the personality that will assist in fostering the culture you have been so careful to create.  The only way we will find you the person that fits seamlessly into your organization is to know the leaders and the culture.

We get to know our candidates on both a formal and informal basis so we know the type of organization and leadership style that makes them excel.  We only place candidates that we would feel comfortable working with ourselves. 

Leadership coaching is another new offering – I have been doing this informally for 4 years.  Now in the midst of a graduate program at New York University in Organizational Behaviour and Executive Coaching – I can put theory to my practice.  I’m a practical, real time advisor – ready to assist you when you need it.  

I would like to explore topics in this blog that are of interest to you.  Email me with topics you would like to see explored in this forum.  Welcome Wendy Ellen Inc. – please explore the website and feel free to contact us as you require.