Someone once said, “The test of a good coach is that when they leave, others will carry on successfully.”

In case you haven’t noticed, there is a growing trend toward business or executive coaching.

Given today’s highly competitive business environment, more and more companies are matching their star performers with a business coach.  In an article published online at Fast Company, the writer describes how business coaching is the fad that will not go away. 

Have you recently promoted a star producer to a managerial position or another executive rank?  Or, perhaps you are planning to promote someone to a supervisory/leadership position.

A newly promoted manager or executive might have earned a new title, a higher rank and a salary increase. Other perks might include a reserved parking space, a new office and company car. One might think that this individual is all set to command instant respect, and to lead and influence others—correct?

Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.

Some people are surprised to discover that star producers don’t wake up the next morning after being promoted and automatically start getting the same stellar results from their direct reports.

While star producers may know how to chart and direct their own individual successes, they can be clueless about how to successfully lead others. No one has these traits encoded into their DNA.

On the contrary, successful leadership techniques are taught and learned. And, learning implies making necessary adjustments.

For instance, servant-leadership principles teach us that effective and results-driven managers learn how important it is to first leave their egos at the front door. Taking this step can be a challenging one for many people.

Furthermore, as they say, “No two people are alike,” and new managers can often find this out in self-defeating ways, if not given proper training, guidance and support. After all, it is a business leader's job to bridge interpersonal relationships and achieve results.

This is why HR strategists oftentimes connect their company’s most promising leadership candidates to an executive coach.

What can an executive coach do for you and your company, and how?

Executive coaches have been compared to sports coaches. Similar to sport coaches, business coaches get paid to push star performers to achieve even greater results.

And, as mentioned above, a new manager is expected to achieve results by influencing others on his or her team.

Be aware of one major difference, however.

In the sports world, there can be a love/hate relationship between coaches and players. This is because the professional sports coach has ultimate power and authority over the players, as in, “Get down and do 100 push-ups and then run 50 laps;” or, “You’re benched;” and, so on.

By contrast, the relationship between the executive coach and the ‘coachee’ is one of a trusted advisor/confidante, and certainly not one of a superior/subordinate. The role of an executive coach is to help the coachee sharpen skills and improve performance—not to judge, scold or discipline.

Even so, accountability is king.

In both worlds—business and sports—the coached individual is very much held accountable to the coach. And, in both worlds—the coaching experiences are measured by improved performances and bottom-line results. 

Again, one of the greatest challenges for a new manager—particularly one who has derived much of his/her identity from being a star producer—is leaving one's ego at the door and learning how to influence and get results from a diverse workforce.   

Especially in today’s workplaces, an executive or manager is invariably leading individuals who can be very different from one another. For instance, today’s manager can be leading four distinctly different generations. And, it’s certainly not uncommon for a manager today to be supervising employees who are older and more experienced.

What can a new manager or executive expect to learn or gain from a successful executive coaching experience?

A comprehensive list would fill volumes; however, the following examples will give you an idea:

• How to effectively communicate with each team member.
• How to evaluate training needs for each team member.
• What developmental strategies to plan for each team member.
• How to determine what motivates and de-motivates each team member.
• Why it helps to realize that team members have different levels of emotional intelligence.
• How to help each team member develop confidence and take initiative.
• What goals and expectations to set for each team member.
• Why it’s important to provide ongoing support for each team member.

Finally, it’s also important to remember that the executive coach-coachee relationship involves a lengthy commitment. 

Ultimately, you want to see that the coachee is freed up to move out of his/her comfort zone in order to successfully lead others to achieve higher productivity and results.

Once again, the nation finds itself in mourning.

Unfortunately, US workplace-violence incidences continue to rise and grab front-page news headlines. It's no surprise that surveys indicate a growing number of workers expressing concern over safety concerns.

A New York Times Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, Nicholas D. Kristof, once said something very telling: "Random violence is incredibly contagious."

And, in response to this disturbing trend, more and more employers are asking: Does my business know how to respond in a crisis?

After the horrific Fort Hood, Texas, shooting massacre, I listened to an NPR reporter describe how the base’s Army-trained personnel immediately and heroically responded to the horrific incident.

While victim counts were staggering, the reporter added that the numbers of fatalities and wounded might have been even higher were it not for that the shooter was targeting highly trained military personnel.

After hearing that analysis, I thought to myself: Will American civilian workers one day be required to complete six weeks of military-style basic training in order to adequately protect themselves from potential acts of violence in the workplace?

For some time now, and because of this trend, human resource professionals have been championing workplace violence-awareness and protection/prevention strategies.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), businesses can increase security measures by:

1. providing additional training to supervisors and employees in how to handle a potentially violent situation;

2. adding day and night security;

3. installing surveillance cameras in public locations; and

4. providing counseling services to employees who are victims of domestic violence.

SHRM furthermore recommends that employers consider the following business strategies:

• Enlighten and educate senior management and all levels of supervisors about responsibilities and liabilities for workplace violence. Make sure they understand their roles.

• Provide education and training. An abundance of inexpensive or free resources is available. (For starters, see related reading and resources below.)

• Assess your current state of readiness to manage outbreaks or incidences of violence. Conduct an audit of the major areas of focus by identifying gaps and preparing actions plans with accountability.

The unfortunate reality is that a troubled few can inflict great harm and pose serious dangers to others in the workplace.

Meanwhile, as someone once said, we all will need to "Let the fear of danger be a spur to prevent it…"

Related reading and resources:

Checklist: Workplace Violence Awareness and Readiness

Why a Business Needs a Crisis Management Plan

Developing a Crisis Management Plan 

Responding to a Crisis or Disaster

Workplace Violence Warning Signs

Workplace Bullies

Are you self-employed? Are you thinking about becoming self-employed?

If so, you may find the following information encouraging and interesting. According to a Sept. 17, 2009, online report published by The Pew Research Center, Take this Job and Love It: Job Satisfaction Highest Among the Self Employed:

• "Self-employed adults are significantly more satisfied with their jobs than other workers."
• Only five percent of self-employed workers surveyed reported that they are dissatisfied with their employment situation.
• It is also worth noting that self-employed workers are more likely to be working for reasons other than just a paycheck. Pew also reported that self-employed workers are more likely to be working for "intangible psychological benefits."

Why do the self-employed work for themselves?

1. A desire to live independently.

2. A desire to feel productive.

3. A desire to help improve society.

4. A desire to be more autonomous.

5. A desire to give themselves something to do.

6. A desire to be with other people.

Coincidentally, a New York Times article, The Self-Employed Are the Happiest, published the day before, on Sept. 16, 2009, said that "Business owners are the happiest workers in America…"

All this is not to say self-employed workers feel no pressures or stresses. Not surprising, these workers rate high concerns about financial worries and economic security.

So, although their job satisfaction ratings are higher than workers who are not self-employed, many of the self-employed do struggle financially; and many worry about economic security issues such as health care costs and retirement-financial planning.

In closing, as these dire times illustrate, it seems that everyone is worried about economic security. As most Americans now realize---financial security certainly can be a fleeting thing.

At least—according to those two recent reports—self-employed workers are more likely to look forward to going to work to every day!

Related reading:

Getting to Retirement

Entrepreneurial Resources

“I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening. But, this wasn’t it.”

                                                                        —Groucho Marx

Groucho fans found this famous wisecracker amusing, partly because he spoke so frankly.

Does your company have a “truth speaker”—someone who is trusted enough to provide your present or up-and-coming managers and executives with candid and constructive feedback? If not, a Harvard business professor suggests that an executive coach may be the only one who can serve as a “truth speaker.”

Although professional executive coaches usually refrain from making wisecracks to their clients, they strive to develop rapport in a non-threatening manner.

If you are considering the role of executive coaching and what the practice can do for your organization, and your present and future executives, you will want to remember one very important thing.

First and foremost, the executive coach should have no ties to the company.

Here’s why.

A Harvard Business School—Working Knowledge for Business Leaders article titled, “What an Executive Coach Can Do for You,” gave researched reasons for coming to this conclusion, which are summarized below: 

• The executive coach should be interested only in the individual he or she is coaching.
• The executive coach should be completely unbiased and there should be no conflict of interest.
• The executive coach should remain neutral and objective and completely focused on what is best for the coached individual.
• The executive coach should have no hidden agenda, and the perspectives provided should serve only to support the coached individual.

Needless to say, it’s also critical to find the right fit between the coach and the coached individual.

The executive coaching industry is growing, and some are calling it a trend. 

More and more U.S. companies are turning to executive coaches to support their top producers.

A Sherpa Executive Coaching Survey report, published in Feb. 2009, confirms this trend. The report, based on a study conducted by Texas Christian University and the University of Georgia, states as one of its conclusions: “The value of executive coaching is seen as increasingly high.”

An earlier report, published by Right Management Consultants, found that 86 percent of companies surveyed said coaching is used as a means to sharpen skills of those individuals identified as future organizational leaders.

When executive coaching is implemented as a performance improvement tool, many participating companies are reaping positive results and measurable gains. This is why executive coaching is gaining in popularity with HR strategists and management consultants.

Does a “no-ties-to-the-company” approach pose risks for the client company?

As stated earlier, effective executive coaches should have no ties to the company that they are serving.  

Even so, the company usually foots the coaching bill, so it is also accepting some risks. This is why it’s very important to vet the executive coach to make sure he or she is reputable, competent and experienced.

The company should also understand that an executive coach is walking a tightrope. 

Executive coaches balance two powerful professional objectives: (1) They must remain committed to focusing time and attention to the coached employee, in order to develop rapport and trust; at the same time (2) they must keep in mind the client-company goals.

And, in order to manage the risks, all concerned parties—the company, the executive coach and the coached employee—must understand and agree to a number of tenets. 

Among them:

1. Organizational buy-in.  Although the company is paying the bills, there must be an understanding that the organization will honor the confidential relationship between the executive coach and the coached employee.
2. Time commitment—coaching is not intended to be a quick, one-day seminar type of fix.
3. Emotional intelligence required.  Coaching only works if the coached employee is open to accepting feedback.

In closing, there is one other possible eventuality to consider. 

At the end of the day, as the Harvard article points out: If the coaching experience reveals that the coached individual is not well-suited for a particular leadership position—everyone stands to gain if/when performance improvement and reorganizational restructuring measures are identified and implemented.

Employers have a duty and an obligation to keep both workers and customers safe.

This responsibility holds true even on what is known as ‘the biggest shopping day of the year.’ This day, of course, is the day after Thanksgiving, also known as Black Friday.

The horrific news of nearly one year ago is still fresh on my mind.

Very early the morning after Thanksgiving Day, a 34-year old employee working for a retail giant in Long Island, New York, reported to duty. After clocking in for the 5 a.m. store opening, he never clocked out.

According to national news reports, this employee was trampled to death. After he opened the store doors, an out-of-control shopping crowd stampeded through the entrance killing him and injuring others. The injured included employees and shoppers alike, one of whom was a woman eight months pregnant.

Although lines of shoppers started forming at 9 p.m. the night before (which was Thanksgiving night), what happened to employees and shoppers was unthinkable.

Even so, OSHA in its citation, announced on May 26, 2009, said this tragic event was a foreseeable occurrence.

OSHA cited Wal-Mart Stores Inc. for inadequate crowd control management. In its press release, OSHA said the retailer also failed to provide "employees with the necessary training and tools to safely manage the large crowd of shoppers."

Watching out for the welfare of employees and shoppers is not only the right thing to do; it’s also the prudent thing to do. Accidents and unsafe working conditions can negatively impact an employer’s bottom line and its reputation.

As usual, employee health and safety lessons can be gleaned from such tragic events, as the Black Friday of 2008 incident.

Among them:

1. Employers should strategically prepare for the worst. 

2. Employers have specific responsibilities for worker safety and health under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. 

3. Employers should ensure that employees are properly trained in health and safety issues. OSHA is a bountiful supplier of resources and information for employers, some of which are provided at little or no cost.

4. Employers should become familiar with the growing threats of workplace violence and how to prevent or minimize those threats. For example, see this OSHA online information, "Recommendations for Workplace Prevention in Late-Night Retail Establishments."

5. Employers should understand that employees have a right to refuse work assignments that they think might be dangerous. If workers believe they are exposed to "imminent danger," employees can file a complaint with OSHA.

As employers prepare for Black Friday ad sales and deals—some retailers are even planning early Black Friday sales deals and events—safety concerns should always be of utmost priority when planning such events.

Don’t allow potential safety or health catastrophes to jeopardize your sales and profits potential!   

It’s been said that, "A good leader needs to have a compass in his head and a magnet in his heart."

This is my all-time favorite leadership expression.

Pragmatically speaking, and of course by definition, leaders must have followers. Here follows a comparison/contrast:

• Granted, some leaders have followers only because of their authoritarian power—meaning that followers have no other choice but to follow. This type of leader may also have to constantly watch his or her back. 
• By contrast, you will find that truly effective leaders have followers based on their visionary, influential and inspirational or motivational abilities. Their followers voluntarily follow and of their own free will. In the workplace, this type of leader is usually rewarded by loyal, trusted and results-oriented employees.

It’s also been said that, "A boss says, "Go!" and a leader says, "Let’s go!"

Although possibly an over-simplification, I think this expression also speaks volumes about leadership. Here follows a comparison/contrast:

• Caution, if your managers are constantly telling employees what to do, this could be a warning sign. Or, even worse, if your managers are bullying types, resorting to figuratively hitting their people over the head with a hammer, you will find them at a distinct disadvantage. Not only is everyone involved likely to burn out, you will also see employees running out the doors at the first opportunity. 
• By contrast, servant-leader type managers leave their egos at the front door; and, they roll up their sleeves and show—rather than just tell—employees how to be high performers. These managers set the tone and realize that employees’ hearts and minds cannot be engaged through bullying tactics. These type leaders not only keep a big picture focus; they also understand the importance of enthusing others to follow their vision.

As a closing thought about the topic of leadership versus management, consider this question:

Do managers lead inventories, financial statements or operating expenses?

The answer is, obviously, they do not.

Business operations are managed, not led. So although managers and employees are inter-related and connected, managers should not monitor employee progress or approach employees as they do their inventories or other business operations.

This is not to say, however, that managers should neglect setting high expectations or shy away from stretching their employees to achieve more. The truly successful leaders know how to inspire employees so they can achieve more than they themselves ever possibly imagined.

And, effective leader-managers also hold employees accountable.

Why is it important that business owners understand the differences?

Part of the answer lies in this distinction: Management is about processes and functions; whereas, leadership is about relationships and energizing others.

Whether you are a small-business owner, a small-business manager or an entrepreneur, you probably intuitively know that your employees ‘are the ones.’

Point blank: Employees are the ones who will help you achieve results and success.

Make sure your managers are also leaders, and you will find no comparison in the extraordinary results you can achieve!

Related reading:

The Best Managers Also Lead

Servant Leadership at Work

A Leadership Call to Action

One October day, the "Balloon Boy" story captivated the nation and, not even a week later, an entrepreneurial opportunist decided to seize the moment.

A Canadian vendor is selling a "Balloon Boy" Halloween costume.  Apparently an immediate selling rage, the costume was created for wannabe pranksters. It is being sold as the "Balloon Boy Hoax Kit."

After learning more about this young boy’s parents and their history, it struck me. If nothing else, this father wanted to be one cutting-edge, world-famous entrepreneur himself.

In the end, though, the Balloon Boy’s father flopped in grand style.

In short, the buying public will always find snake-oil salesmen very distasteful. Not only that, this man was careless and took dangerous risks. He risked the welfare of his family and the general public’s good will.

If merely looking to achieve a few days of fame, that he did. You’ve got to give him this though: He was very much aware of the power of brand marketing and how a brand concept can go viral (and south) at recordbreaking speed.

So, while his marketing campaign turned out to be powerful enough to close down Denver’s international airport for a few hours, in the end, his brand was filled with more hot air than that helium-filled balloon.

In short:

1. Did this boy’s father gain fame? Yes, he is now known around the world.

2. Did he gain fortune? Not hardly; in fact, quite the opposite. In addition to creating national distress, he and his scheme cost taxpayers an estimated $2 million. And, he could end up facing prison time and a $500,000 fine.

So, given all this, I started thinking: What can we learn or gain from this spectacle?

1. Effective marketing touches the emotions of people—and it’s important to keep in mind that once you win hearts, you also have to earn and keep the trust.

2. Effective marketing doesn’t have to cost a fortune—but what matters most is that you are marketing something of value and/or meeting needs and solving problems. It should be all about them, not you!

3. Effective marketing is more than achieving one big traffic spike—it’s more about substance, so to keep consumer traffic growing exponentially, it’s important to remember: As they say, "Content is king."

Entrepreneurs, big ideas and risks go together and make our country great. And this Balloon Boy episode has served to remind us that entrepreneurial dreams are better achieved when professional HR/marketing principles and strategies are followed.  

As David Ogilvy (known as the "father of advertising") once said, "What really decides consumers to buy or not to buy is the content of your advertising, not its form."

 Related reading:

Entrepreneurial Opportunities

Energize Entrepreneurial Thinking

Entrepreneurs Turn Big Ideas into Small Business Opportunities

Users beware: Text messages leave behind an electronic record.

Text messages, unlike graffiti, cannot be permanently erased from a wall. Even when text messages are deleted, they still can be retrieved.

Employers should also be aware that lawsuits and court cases involving texting and harassing behaviors are increasing.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) recommends that employers treat textual harassment like any other harassment. In other words, employers should, at minimum, along with the aid of an HR professional or employment attorney:

• have a policy in place;
• keep it updated;
• regularly remind employees to review it; and
• ensure that employees understand the consequences for not following it.

Generally speaking, textual harassment is when someone sends inappropriate or offensive messages via electronic devices over a cellular network.

Apparently, as evidenced by recent court cases, some people will do and say things in text messages that they might not consider doing or saying in face-to-face situations. Examples include texting lewd photos and messages asking for sexual favors.

Because of these and other similar lapses in judgment—employers are facing a growing source of liability, according to a July 20, 2009, article published in the National Law Journal titled, "‘Textual Harassment’ on the rise: Text messages can prove to be potent evidence in bias suits."

This is also because texting is dramatically increasing in the workplace. As one attorney said, "Employees are texting like crazy."

The texting frenzy doesn’t seem to be waning either.

Some medical experts say that excessive texting may be linked to mental disorders. In an article published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, Jerald Block, M.D., reportedly said that addictive text messaging can fall into the spectrum of compulsive-impulsive disorders.

Another attorney, who has spent time in court rooms defending employers accused of textual harassment, might agree with the psychiatrist. According to the previously-referenced National Law Journal article, a Denver attorney said, "I don’t know what it is about texting. But, it is really bringing out the worst in people."

Sadly, the sobering fact is that when employees engage in risky textual behaviors, they are also seriously jeopardizing their employers and companies, as well.

No doubt, most everyone would agree. Our lives have been enriched through technology. However, employers should be aware that overly emboldened text messengers can hurt and offend others when they misuse and abuse texting technology.

And, in the workplace, harassing messages can be perceived as creating a hostile work environment and, therefore, can be lawsuit catalysts.

Again, employers should follow the previously referenced recommendation from SHRM and keep in mind another of their statements: "Although the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) says it has no statistics tracking the prevalence of textual harassment, it advises employers to treat it as it would any form of harassment—through clear anti-harassment policies and swift action."

‘BTW,’ possibly predicting the future more than he ever imagined nearly four decades ago, the English novelist physicist and novelist, C. P. Snow, said in 1971:

"Technology is a queer thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand and stabs you in the back with the other hand."

Related reading:

Texting and Driving Employees 

Cell Phone Policies 

Do your employees need a little cheering up?

The company holiday party season is quickly approaching. Most employers host holiday parties for these worthwhile business reasons:

1. To thank and recognize employees
2. To keep morale high
3. To lay the groundwork for the coming year

Granted, thoughts of ribbons and bows and visions of sugar plums may not be in anyone’s mind this year. 2009 has been a year to remember…and, maybe one to forget!

The constant news of layoffs, pending layoffs, rising unemployment rates, business losses and bank failures, combined with a seemingly endless recession, have burdened both American workers and employers alike.

Given all this, many employers are asking, "Should we even plan a holiday party?"

In fact, for over a year now, organizations have been scaling back—I read about one Manhattan law firm that canceled its holiday fireworks display last year—as they went for a more "understated event" instead.

While most employees certainly are not expecting fireworks this holiday season, they probably will welcome relief from all the negativity. So, this is the time of year that many employers evaluate appropriate ways to reward and acknowledge employees for their contributions.

As employers evaluate their options, it's important to remember that employees usually take their cues from their bosses.

Tthe following considerations are intended to help employers reduce potential risks or help prevent the after-party blues:

1. Plan accordingly. In other words, if a business has suffered financial problems, layoffs, etc., lavish festivities may not be perceived well by anyone
2. Recognize potential risks. Some HR statistics show that one-out-of-every-three holiday parties can result in legal or morale problems for the employer. For instance, just one employee misconduct incident can pose serious liabilities and/or consequences for other employees and the employer.
3. Remind managers and supervisors that they are on duty. This precaution is particularly important if the holiday party will:
   • take place at night or on the weekend
   • be held offsite
   • include alcoholic beverages

4. Consider hosting a holiday lunch on company property. If your business has traditionally held an after-hours holiday party at some expensive hotel or restaurant, you might use this year as an opportune time to break tradition. You might even find some creative and enthusiastic employees who will enjoy planning the entertainment. When feasible, some employers even give employees the rest of the afternoon off. Talk about a morale booster!
5. Remind employees that policies are still in effect. Remember that employers can be held liable for unlawful or harassing behaviors by employees, even at a holiday party. Make it clear that improper behavior, sexual jokes or advances, vulgar language, and, yes, inappropriate physical contact will not be tolerated. Believe it or not, employees have been known to get out of control and engage in fist fighting, etc. at company holiday parties.

Are you still thinking about serving alcohol and hosting your company holiday party after-hours and offsite? No one wants to be a Scrooge, but employers will also want to avoid pitfalls that can end up making the new year seem like a very long 365 days.

For more information about serving alcohol at company holiday parties, read this HRTools.com article: Save Your Business with a Festive and Safe Holiday Party

Retaliation claims are increasing—and employers, managers and supervisors should become informed so that precautionary and preventive measures can be taken. Retaliation claims are costly and can do serious damage to a business.

“In Fiscal Year 2008, EEOC received 32,690 charges of retaliation discrimination based on all statutes enforced by EEOC. The EEOC resolved 25,999 retaliation charges in 2008, and recovered more than $111 million in monetary benefits for charging parties and other aggrieved individuals (not including monetary benefits obtained through litigation).” 

The above information can be found at the “Retaliation” section of the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Web site.

In an employment or workplace setting, retaliation is generally defined as taking adverse action against an individual because he or she complains about harassment or discrimination.  Examples of adverse action can include the following:

1. Punishing an employee
2. Demoting an employee
3. Firing an employee
4. Reducing an employee’s salary
5. Submitting a negative evaluation
6. Changing job or shift assignments
7. Displaying a hostile attitude

Retaliation issues are legally complex, so employers will want to consult with an HR professional and/or legal counsel to ensure that managers and supervisors are well trained in preventing retaliation claims. These professionals can help employers establish clear policies against retaliation, as well as develop communication and documentation procedures.

Basically, employers should consider that individuals falling within various groups have the potential to file retaliation claims. According to information provided by CCH Research, a Wolters Kluwer business, these groups of individuals are protected, as summarized below:   

Employees

When employees complain of harassment or discrimination, an employer cannot retaliate against them. Whether an employee complains to his or her supervisor, or to a government agency, an employer cannot take any action against that employee. 

Employers should know that the US Supreme Court unanimously ruled that an employee who speaks out about discrimination is protected under the opposition clause of Title VII (of the Civil Rights Act of 1964).

Applicants

Applicants are also generally protected from a wide range of retaliatory acts by an employer. 

Former employees 

Although Title VII refers to retaliatory acts directed against applicants and employees, the Supreme Court has held that the prohibition on retaliation can include reprisals against former employees. 

Generally, post-employment retaliation claims can be allowed when:

• it is the termination itself that gives rise to the protected act of filing a Title VII action; or
• retaliation results in termination from a later job; or
• a refusal to hire, or other professional or occupational harm. 

Additional relevant information provided by CCH: 

• Like Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act protects employees or applicants. 
• The Fair Labor Standards Act refers only to employees. Post-employment discrimination claims under these laws are usually analyzed by the courts in the same manner as claims under Title VII. 
• What if the employee was not the original target?  Since anyone can oppose unlawful discrimination and participate in proceedings intended to stop discrimination, Title VII's retaliation prohibition can be raised by anyone, even if they were not themselves victims of the original discrimination. 

As you can tell, and as previously stated, issues surrounding discrimination, harassment and retaliation involve complex legal matters. Therefore, employers should consult with an HR professional or legal counsel for definitive guidance.

Road rage: You know it when you see it.

Road rage today is an all-too-common occurrence. One study showed that 90 percent of 500 surveyed drivers reported that they were either victims of road rage or had seen it happen to others.

As an employer, you have to ask yourself the following question. Could it be possible that one of my employees might be road-raging on company time? If so, he or she could be hurting your reputation and putting your company at great risk.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines aggressive driving (or road rage) as when, "an individual commits a combination of moving traffic offenses so as to endanger other persons or property." NHTSA works to reduce aggressive driving incidences.

The first week in October marks National Drive Safely Work Week, sponsored by the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS). No doubt, employers and families of employees will want this mantra observed all year long.

In a related message published at the NETS Web site, Karen Harned, the Executive Director of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and its small business legal center, cautioned employers, "You must understand your legal obligations when you entrust vehicles to your employees."

Harned further added, "According to a survey conducted by the NFIB Research Foundation, more than a third of small-business owners see traffic crashes as the greatest on-the-job hazard."

Employers should realize that ‘driver employees’ include those not only with commercial driving licenses, but also those employees who drive while on company business.

For instance, Harned said that principles of ‘negligence entrustment’ can be applied when employees:

• drive to meet a client for lunch;
• drive to pick up office supplies;
• drive to make a bank deposit;
• allow a family member to drive a company vehicle; and
• so on and so forth.

While employers cannot control or prevent all road-raging incidences, they should strive to minimize risk and protect their economic stability and their reputation.

Employers should be proactive and provide driver safety training to employees. And, employees should be constantly reminded of what can happen should they engage in aggressive driving behaviors and the consequences of traffic mishaps.

Finally, we all need to remind ourselves that driving is neither a game nor a sport. Reserve the competition for riding bumper cars at the amusement park or playing monster-truck video games.

At minimum, employees should be reminded to ignore and avoid reacting to other road-raging drivers. Driving is not the time to try and get even with someone.

For more information and resources:

• Motor Vehicle Safety at the OSHA Web site
• Traffic Safety and Aggressive Driving at the NTSHA Web site
• Aggressive Driving Resources at the NETS Web site

Related note: Since employers are responsible for the safety and welfare of their employees, I’ve been covering a number of risk-related topics on HRTools.com. Among them:

• Texting and driving employees
• Workplace violence
• Workplace bullying
• Cyberbullying
• Cyberattacks
• Employee embezzlement

While I greatly admire and promote the entrepreneurial spirit—regardless of race, ethnicity or gender—I am also a strong advocate for encouraging minority- and women-owned businesses.

And, as the US unemployment figures rise and economic uncertainties mount, increasing numbers of minorities and women are evaluating their career options, including starting their own businesses.

Are you ready to transition from employee to entrepreneur? If so, you might want to learn more about three well-established organizations that exist to serve minority-owned businesses:

1. Learn more about the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. This organization is devoted to entrepreneurship and is often referred to as one of the largest foundations in the United States. As noted at the Kauffman Foundation Web site, "Minority entrepreneurs represent a largely untapped resource in the United States economy."

   The foundation also reports that while significant progress has been made in the past 20 years, minority- and female-owned businesses continue to lag behind in economic indicators. As one of its initiatives, the foundation is working to understand why minority entrepreneurs lag behind and what they need in order to succeed.

2. Learn more about the National Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc. (NMSDC), which provides a direct link between corporate America and minority-owned businesses. Chartered in 1972, this organization works to increase procurement and business opportunities for minority- and women-owned businesses.

   According to the NMSDC, "The amount of purchases by NMSDC corporate members from minority businesses has grown from an estimated $86 million in 1972 to $104.7 billion in 2007." It’s encouraging to see the movement expanding and continuing to gain strength and steam.

   At the same time, this organization recognizes that much more work needs to be done. The NMSDC also reports that while 28 percent of the United States population is made up of minorities, minority-owned businesses represent only 15 percent of total businesses; three percent of gross receipts and four percent of total corporate purchases. 

3. Learn more about the Billion Dollar Roundtable, which recognizes and celebrates those corporations that spend at least one billion dollars with minority- or women-owned suppliers. Read this press release and others published at the Billion Dollar Roundtable Web site for information about who and what corporations are involved, and for getting progress updates.

After reading a New York Times, July 1, 2009, article entitled, "A Guiding Hand from Big Business to Small, I would sum it up this way: When large companies contract with small businesses for supplies and services, they are providing them with a "welcome lifeline."  Success in business, after all, is all about developing and maintaining relationships.

As Bill Gates said, "Our success has really been based on partnerships from the very beginning."

I will be providing future tips, resources and information for minority- and women-entrepreneurs often, so be sure to check HRTools.com regularly!

Additional online resources:

Minority Owned Businesses at business.gov

Minority Entrepreneurs at SCORE.org

It’s almost taken for granted. The economy of the United States ranks as one of the largest in the world.

A global economic prominence does not happen by accident. Ordinary American employees make it happen.

The US is also known for having a very high level of output per person. Ours is definitely a nation of achievers. (To learn more about global economic rankings and GDP country comparisons, see the CIA’s online-published information at its The World Factbook.)

I think HR professionals deserve to take a bow. They help businesses turn ordinary employees into high achievers. Don’t take just my word, however. Read this HRTools.com Insight to learn what the former Chairman and CEO of General Electric, Jack Welch, said about the very important role that HR plays in business.

As Welch said, HR is much more than planning picnics. HR is about developing fully engaged employees and helping businesses:

• grow;
• achieve greater successes; and
• improve the bottom line.

So, how is this done?  It’s accomplished by tapping into the potential of and motivating everyday ordinary employees. A comprehensive list of methods and best practices could, literally, fill volumes.

If you, or your organization, want a briefer version, here follows 10 tips for turning ordinary employees into high achievers. What’s more, these HR best practices can help leaders develop a fully engaged, high achieving workforce at little or no cost. 

1. Learn to anticipate what your organization needs, so you can foster winning strategies for greater employee productivity.
2. Create an environment of mutual trust and respect, so you can foster an empathetic workforce committed to mutual respect.
3. Reinforce a creative environment, so you can foster and encourage innovation.
4. Make work meaningful, so you can leverage the human desire to make a difference in one’s working life.
5. Develop strong leaders within your organization, so you can foster proactive rather than reactive leadership.
6. Engage all four generations within your organization, so you can foster a workforce that mirrors a diverse marketplace.
7. Emphasize and practice open, frequent, two-way communication, so you can foster employee engagement and silence the rumor mill.
8. Focus on individual growth and career development (through mentoring and coaching), so you can foster an insightful, energized and interested workforce.
9. Recognize and celebrate individual and team achievements, so you can foster a personalized, flexible and fulfilling work environment.
10. Encourage volunteerism and communicate community-service opportunities, so you can foster a quality of life for those communities in which employees live and work.

Today, more than ever, businesses cannot afford to fall short and waste human potential. It’s just not an option that any competitive business should consider.

HR professionals know and value the lay of the land. When employers tap into HR best practices, prepare to stand back and watch ordinary employees turn into high achievers.

I ran across a report titled, “Broken Laws, Unprotected Workers: Violations of Employment and Labor Laws in America’s Cities.”

This comprehensive report covers a 2008 study that included a survey of 4,387 low-wage workers in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. According to the report, 68 percent of the workers interviewed said they had experienced at least one pay-related violation in the previous work week.

The report cites numerous labor and employment law violations; many of them being violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Examples include:  

• Illegal retaliations 
• Illegal paycheck deductions
• Working “off the clock” and meal breaks' violations
• Minimum wage violations
• Overtime violations
• Workers’ compensation violations

The report’s number one finding: “Workplace violations are severe and widespread in low-wage markets.” The report also pointed out that workers at businesses with less than 100 employees were at greater risk of experiencing violations than those employees working at larger businesses.

This landmark study and report also captured the attention of the U.S. Department of Labor.

In response to the report, the U.S. Secretary of Labor, Hilda L. Solis, issued a statement through a press release. According to this U.S. Department of Labor press release, dated Sept. 2, 2009, Solis announced that she is in the process of hiring 250 more wage and hour investigators. Solis also stated, “During the first six months of this year, the Department of Labor already has recovered more than $82 million in back wages for nearly 107,000 minimum wage workers.”

In a related article, dated Sept. 1, 2009, The New York Times reported that, “…many small businesses say they are forced to violate wage laws to remain competitive.”

All employers should be very careful to make sure they are complying with all federal, state and local wage-and-hour laws and regulations. Needless to say, a business will find it very costly and disruptive to endure audits, fines and penalties. And the potential damage to a reputation is unquantifiable. Not only that---if a business is found to be noncompliant, all back wages will have to be paid to previously underpaid employees. This is a lose-lose-lose scenario!

As I always recommend, employers should also check with legal counsel or an HR professional to make sure they are compliant. For more information, see:

Wage and Hour Litigation is Increasing at Exponential Rates, by author Mary Lou Parrott

Wage Claims: Employers Should Require and Keep Signed Employee Records, by author Michelle Beck-Howard

Workplace Class Action Litigation Continues to Surge, a HRTools.com news alert

GAO Report Reveals that EEOC, OFCCP Are Not Adequately Monitoring Pay Disparities, a HRTools.com news alert

Labor and Employment Lawsuits Most Numerous and Growing, Survey Says a HRTools.com news alert

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM).

It comes with age, I suppose. The older I get, the more ‘into awareness and prevention’ I get.

As NCSAM states, “Our lives are becoming web-based.” 

And, as a result, we need to be aware of potential liabilities and dangers associated with our increased dependence and use of technology both at home and in the workplace.  One such danger to be aware of is called cyberbullying.

Cyberbullying is usually defined as the “willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones and other electronic devices.” 

In fact, cyberbullying and cyber attacks are growing concerns for the business communities. While cyber attacks are usually associated with hackers and fraud, cyberbullying behaviors are most often associated with young people, usually teenagers.

However, as one highly publicized incident illustrates, some cyberbullies are adults. In this particular case, an adult (a mother, for heaven’s sake) and her cyberbullying e-mails were reported to have contributed to a young girl taking her own life. The case went to trial and a jury found the woman guilty, although a judge later dismissed the case.

Regardless, the case has served to shed light on this very serious issue. I am relieved to learn that schools and law enforcement agencies are waging heavy campaigns to inform the public and to help prevent this very harmful behavior. For instance, the National Crime Prevention Council is waging cyberbullying prevention campaigns in order to “help parents and teenagers get a grip on cyberbullying.”

Many adults will remember how hurtful playground bullies can be. Like that first case of poison ivy, some memories stick with you. What makes cyberbullying particularly problematic for employers is that cyberbullies can post malicious comments anonymously. Technology may soon catch up with them, however. MSNBC recently published a report about a Los Angeles company that has developed technology to track cyberbullies.

So, as they say, some adults never grow up. And, cyberbullying has made its way into the workplace, as well. Some adult co-workers have been known to be participating in cyberbullying behaviors. 

These behaviors can put employers at great risk. Examples include the following: 

1. Forwarding offensive jokes and pictures by e-mail
2. Posting hurtful comments on social networking sites
3. Spreading lies and malicious gossip via social networking sites and e-mail
4. Exhibiting harassing behaviors
5. Sharing personal, private or confidential data

Granted—staying one step ahead of technology today is challenging for employers. Regardless, employers should consult with HR and/or legal counsel to develop rules, guidelines, policies and training regarding the proper use of company-owned technology (computers, cell phones, etc.). Such policies should also include consequences for violations.

In addition, employers will want to develop and set expectations for how employees represent the employer’s organization and their fellow co-workers during “off-the-clock” times. Employers have a right and an obligation to protect their own reputations and to protect their employees.

As noted in a previous HRTools.com Insight about workplace bullying titled, “Wake-up Call: Workplace Bullies Keep Employees up at Night,” I am covering this topic as a series because it is very complex, covers many areas and creates serious risks and consequences for employers.

Additional related online information:

What Businesses Can Do, published by NCSAM

Cyber Attacks: A Growing Concern for US Small Businesses

Help wanted: Innovative thought leaders and decision-makers.

Basically, the term Groupthink describes a go-along to get-along human behavioral tendency.

Do employers really want employees to say only what they wish to hear?

You may see this group dynamic played out when tightly knit work teams make decisions, (some of which can, unfortunately, lead to tragic endings). Tragic reminders are NASA’s 1986 Challenger disaster; or, the Columbia mission disaster—as reported by The New York Times in a March 9, 2003, article. The reporter led the story by announcing that Groupthink was alive and still going strong.

So Groupthink serves to remind decision-makers what can happen when a group of individuals collectively succumb to irrational thinking; which can, in turn, lead to a breakdown in considering all the outcomes. As a result, poor or disastrous consequences can cause undesirable outcomes.

Leaders should be cautious. Groupthink fallout is especially relevant in today’s collaborative business environment where teamwork is highly valued and touted.

While teamwork is essential when organizational teams work toward a vision; employees should also be encouraged to think independently and to feel secure in sharing ideas and voicing concerns.

Survival could even be at stake. In addition to history-making government and political miscalculations, the failings of Groupthink have also been attributed to major business fiascos and collapses. The devastating causes/effects of this most recent recession will, no doubt, be studied and analyzed for decades to come.

One historical example, of course, is the infamous Enron scandal. Reporters and government hearings told the story of one employee who dared to blow the whistle and break step with Enron’s Groupthink culture. Eventually, an Enron whistleblower, Sherron Watkins, was credited with helping to uncover the scandal.

It’s hard to quantify how much pain, harm and damage might have been averted if other Enron employees felt secure in voicing concerns—before it was too late. Today, only authors and movie makers are making a profit off the Enron empire crash. 

Equally important: In order to remain competitive today, organizations and businesses must develop a safe, inviting and trusting environment in order for innovation to take root.

Certainly, not all decision-making teams or groups are destined to the failings of Groupthink. This is why it is so important that employers foster an environment where employees feel free, or at least unthreatened, to step forward and challenge the status quo.

So how can organizations counterpunch Groupthink?  To get started, try out these techniques:

1. Engage in role play — gather two teams together. Throw out a problem and ask employees to solve it. Establish boundaries and guidelines, but let them know you expect a respectful difference of opinion, along with two separate outcomes.
2. Mix it up by shuffling team members — and repeat number one above. Make it clear that divergent opinions are not only welcome, but expected. Even the most subtle undertones of non-acceptance will sabotage the process.
3. Foster brainstorming by encouraging anonymous feedback. For example, post or distribute questions to employees and provide a way for them to submit solutions anonymously. Share some of the ideas or solutions with the employees.
4. Encourage and recognize innovative thinking within teams. For example, ask team members to bring a list of previous accomplishments to a meeting. Or, ask them to be prepared to describe their personal career dreams and why/how their skills and abilities will help them reach those dreams. Start every team meeting with a tongue-in-cheek comment, “Please don’t check your brains at the door.”
5. Assign teams of two to work together and solve a problem. Ask each individual to play devil’s advocate with one another by taking a side and then arguing against it. Employees can be led or taught to effectively ‘push’ one another to expand their horizons and reach greater heights.

I’m sure you can think of more techniques that will fit in with your organizational environment. What matters, is, that employees ‘get it.’ An organization will be well-rewarded by team achievements that arise from employee ideas or pushback, even when they challenge the status quo.

The Groupthink concept was introduced to me years ago during a political science class. Back then, the Groupthink constructs pretty much summarized what my father had always tried to teach me and my five siblings. My father’s favorite saying was, “If everyone else jumps off a bridge, are you going to do it, too?”

The university professor leading the class referenced the 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion, as a powerful example of what can happen as a result of Groupthink.

As it turns out, the class was required to read Groupthink: Psychological Studies of Policy Decisions and Fiascoes by Irving L. Janis. Although the second edition of this book was published in 1982, I’ve always thought if I ran a business—I would ask leaders, managers and employees to read it.

Because, sometimes, it is an employer's best interest to consider what employees have to say, even if they don't want to hear it. 

54 million Americans have experienced bullying directly.

The above figure comes from The Workplace Bullying Institute. This organization seeks to raise awareness of this unwelcome and uninvited phenomenon, as part of its mission.

Organizational costs resulting from workplace bullying are also phenomenal.

Workplace bullies come in either gender and in all shapes and forms. Some workplace bullies are in positions of authority, and their verbal bullets can effectively paralyze lower grade-level employees.

The costs are serious. Whatever form—or status of the bully—workplace bullying takes a huge toll on American businesses—in terms of higher absenteeism, lower productivity and increased liability, to name just a few.

There’s more. Workplace bullies can tarnish a company’s reputation and jeopardize customer relations and customer/employee retention rates. As an employment attorney points out, in an Aug. 4, 2008, Wall Street Journal article, workplace bullies not only attack the individual, but the entire company.

At minimum, a workplace jerk can drain all the energy out of the working environment. For some reason, workplace bullies tend to step on anyone in order to get whatever it is they want. And, they’ll do it as long as they can get away with it.

Let me be clear. I’m not talking about the occasional, out-of-place comment that many of us make and immediately regret. I’m talking about the day-in and day-out, taunting and unrelenting workplace bully. Workplace bullies are repeat offenders, malicious and hurtful. They are the ones who habitually and publicly humiliate others. This morale-damaging conduct is not conducive to workplace productivity and business success.

Many polls report sobering data about workplace bullying. Results from one poll show that one in three employees personally experience bullying at some point during their working life.

Wow! How many more burdens will be placed on the backs of America’s employers? It’s bad enough that the term "workplace violence" crops up in the news almost weekly, if not daily, anymore.

Some bullying behaviors are blatantly illegal and some are not. Anyone reading this probably has workplace-jerk stories that could make even the most offensive characters in Dilbert or The Office seem like Snow White or Sir Galahad.

Some organizational psychologists classify employee gossip as a form of bullying, particularly when targeted employees are ostracized as a result of habitual malicious chatter. Concerns about toning down such negative workplace distractions are probably why a HRTools.com article about sensitivity training is one of the most popularly read articles on the site.

Fair or not—ignore it or not—workplace bullying has major negative implications for any U.S. private or government employer, and regardless of industry—even for a hospital operating room.

Bullies are bullies, which is particularly problematic when they have authority or power over others. For example, in a decision announced on April 8, 2008, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled in favor of an employee who claimed that he suffered workplace bullying at the hands of an operating room physician. In that case, the Indiana Supreme Court affirmed a $325,000 jury award for the employee.

In an ideal world, employers should not have to be in the business of preventing workplace bullying (or workplace violence). But, in a May 7, 2008, BusinessWeek article titled, "Employers Can’t Ignore Workplace Bullies," Karen E. Klein, BusinessWeek’s Smart Answer columnist, addresses small business employers directly.

Klein explains that many businesses are adopting an anti-bullying policy for business reasons. Among them:

1. To raise awareness
2. To improve employee morale
3. To help avoid legal trouble
4. To help reduce employee turnover
5. To help improve employee productivity

I was astounded to learn that millions of American employees have experienced such mistreatment and potential anguish. Mistreated workers are also suffering workers, so they’re not sleeping well either. It’s hard to imagine that suffering and nodding-off workers are productive—or focused, because most bullied employees will sooner or later look for safer pastures.

What's next? Employee safety manuals for coping with workplace bullies?

This is my first in a series about "Workplace Bullying" at HRTools.com. In future Insights, I will provide additional resources and information about confronting this issue head-on.

Meantime, as with any employee-related issue, I strongly recommend that employers seek legal counsel when addressing this problem in the workplace.

“There is no security on this Earth; there is only opportunity.”

Coincidentally, the above quotation—attributed to Douglas MacArthur, a former General of the Army—expresses how optimistic entrepreneurs often direct their lives.

As the U.S. unemployment rate continues to rise (reported at 9.7 percent, as of Sept. 2009), many unemployed Americans are considering alternatives such as self-employment or a start-up. Many are struggling and wonder if good times will ever come back.

Heads up!  Here is some positive and encouraging news.

A Kauffman Foundation study press release, dated June 9, 2009, states that, “…more than half the companies on the 2009 Fortune 500 list were launched during a recession or a bear market…” Here is the entire study, also dated June 9, 2009, “The Economic Future Just Happened.”

I also read in The Wall Street Journal, Small Business section, that Bo Fishback, a vice president of entrepreneurship for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, predicts that a lot of businesses will be started by people who otherwise would not have started them (in better times).

All that said, obviously, not everyone possesses an entrepreneurial fortitude. Launching one’s own business or becoming self-employed can be intimidating, especially in a down economy.

What is a remedy for overcoming intimidation in order to make decisions and move forward? 

The answer usually lies in collecting information and staying informed. And, because HRTools.com serves these markets (entrepreneurs, the self-employed and small to medium-sized businesses), I decided to do a little research.

To that end, here follows a quick summary of what I learned. I’m sure you might find more thought-provoking stories out there, too: 

1. Ethnic malls have been flourishing during the recession.  According to an online article posted on Aug. 31, 2009, by the Christian Science Monitor and titled “Ethnic malls are buzzing”—malls that cater to specific ethnic niches have “skimped the slump.” While traditional malls have been struggling since the recession began, with vacancies hitting an 8.4 percent all-time high: “Part of ethnic malls’ secret is that their niche markets are more reliable and well protected in a recession than mainstream ones.” Notably, in comparison to traditional malls, most ethnic malls have seen an increase in sales since the recession began. Ethnic populations in the U.S. are also growing in size, and as a major university professor noted—most ethnic stores do not sell luxury items (diamond necklaces, etc.)—they sell necessities.
2. Direct sales opportunities are increasing, particularly in industries that historically are recession proof such as cosmetics. Perhaps you’ve heard of the “Leading Lipstick Indicator Theory” a term coined by Leonard Lauder, the chairman of the board at Estee Lauder. This theory helps explain that during tough economic times, consumers tend to purchase less expensive items (such as lipstick) as a means to boost morale. For example, according to numerous reports, lipstick sales more than doubled in the months following the 9/11 attacks. According to a May 15, 2009, USA TODAY online article, cosmetic companies like Avon and Mary Kay have significantly stepped up their recruiting efforts during the past year. This article includes a quote from a part-time working Avon rep. She explained that after her full-time hours as an office manager were cut, she decided to give direct sales a try. With direct selling, she likes the fact that she is more in control of her own future.
3. Entrepreneurs are taking annoying tasks/problems and turning them into innovative ideas. For example, I recently read about an Air Force veteran who persistently thought there has to be a better way to empty the trash. Because this process bugged him for so many years, both at work and at home, he developed a biodegradable trash bag dispensing system, Bag Ups, which are marketed to TV audiences.
4. An unpredictable 21st century world is serving as catalyst for solving the “threat du jour.” For example, as reported online by the  Atlanta Business Chronicle on Sept. 4, 2009, start-up Preparis, Inc. was started by two young entrepreneurs. Their Web-based platform is designed to prepare businesses and their employees for more than 200 threats and disasters ranging from natural disasters to terrorist strikes. The company’s Web site home page is now geared up for the swine flu (H1N1) virus and helping employers prepare. Hmmm, helping businesses prepare for the worst—talk about seizing an opportunity!
5. Entrepreneurs are volunteering services as a way to market themselves.  An online article titled, “Pro Bono Work Helps Firms Fight Economic Slump,” and posted at The Wall Street Journal Web site reports that small businesses are taking their cues from the unemployed. In other words, what better way to test out an idea for starting a business than to test its potential. Pro bono work serves one of those win-wins for both the volunteer and the charity or nonprofit. Also, as they say, success in business is greatly determined by an ability to foster good customer relations and remain visible in the community.

I started with a quote, and I’ll end with this Ralph Waldo Emerson quote: “America is another name for opportunity.” 

If you’ve ever been unemployed for a lengthy period of time, you know how painful and traumatic it can be.

A study came out recently titled, “The Anguish of Unemployment.”

The report, released on Sept. 3, 2009, by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a sobering read. A Rutgers professor even expressed concern about a silent mental health epidemic.

According to a related BusinessWeek article titled, “Study Shows Psychological Impact of Unemployment,” Carl Van Horn, a professor of public policy at Rutgers, said, “As a researcher for 35 years, I'm struck by the breadth and depth of the psychological impacts."

I agree.

As a baby boomer, I have experienced numerous downturns in the economy, but this is the worst. I deeply feel for unemployed Americans right now.

I further believe that employed Americans care deeply about their unemployed family members, neighbors, friends and former co-workers. We all will be much better off, when all who want to work are once again gainfully employed.

Meanwhile, if you are in a position to encourage and give hope to unemployed family members, friends or acquaintances, there are ways. Here are five:

1. Encourage them to stay in touch with friends and former co-workers. While unemployed people may have limited funds for lunch or dinner outings, invite them over occasionally. Or simply ask them to meet you somewhere for coffee or tea, or for a walk, one morning or afternoon. For sure, an occasional e-mail or phone call will help, too.
2. Encourage them to join a weekly support group. Many churches and other organizations sponsor groups that aid in networking and job-hunting strategies. Some unemployment support groups bring in speakers and other professionals who can help job seekers learn how to quickly gain interviews or how to successfully interview, etc.
3. Encourage them to volunteer. Perhaps they might want to join you and participate in a volunteering event. Or suggest they drop by a neighborhood school and volunteer to help a teacher or read to a class. Junior Achievement, which helps prepare young school students for the real world, is always looking for volunteers. Volunteering does as much for the volunteer as it does for the recipients. As they say, nothing takes your mind off your own problems as when you’re helping others. Volunteering is also a great way to network and meet other people who might be able to point an unemployed person to a potential employer.
4. Encourage them to be resourceful and creative. Many unemployed end up going into business for themselves during recessionary periods. This is great! However, self-employment isn’t feasible for everyone, many times due to personal or financial circumstances. In the interim, though, most people can get resourceful and market themselves in other ways. For instance, someone who loves animals might advertise that they can “dog-, cat- or bird-sit” while the owner is traveling or on vacation. Or others might advertise that they are available to “house-sit.” People who travel a lot may need a reliable person to check on their homes regularly or to water plants, etc.
5. Encourage them to further their education or acquire new job skills. Enrollments in higher-education institutions and community colleges are dramatically increasing. Many unemployed people are taking advantage of these times to further their education and/or acquire new “recessionary-proof” job skills. Federal and state/local grants and stimulus package benefits may be available, as well.

This is one challenging time for Americans, especially for the unemployed. Let’s do what we can, so no one within our reach feels all alone, or worse—worthless and useless. America needs all able bodies and minds back to work, as quickly as possible! 

Want to learn more about entrepreneurship? 

How Entrepreneurs Turn Big Ideas into Small Business Opportunities 

Ten Characteristics of Entrepreneurs: How Successful Ones Lead People

Is it just me? It seems as though the fall months are a particularly vulnerable time for disasters.

Perhaps this is why September is National Preparedness Month, as announced online at Ready.gov. Launched in 2003, this national public service advertising campaign is designed to help Americans prepare for and respond to emergencies. Ready Business, launched in Sept. 2004, focuses on business preparedness.

How likely is your business to survive a catastrophic event?  Do you know what you will do in the event of an emergency or a pandemic event, such as that which threatens us this year and next—the H1N1 virus (swine flu)? For instance, employers will find a swine flu readiness checklist helpful.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) recently reported that two in five employers do not have business continuity plans, should a pandemic strike. If you're one of those 40 percent looking for some peace of mind, consider developing a disaster recovery plan.

How about you? Are you prepared to answer the following questions?

1. Do your employees know what to do in the event of an emergency?
2. How would you handle business if your computer system crashed or failed?
3. What would you do if your business lost all electrical power?
4. Would you know what to do if your immediate geographical area suddenly becomes uninhabitable for an unknown period of time?
5. What are you doing now to prepare for the H1N1 virus or other flu outbreaks?
6. Does your facility contain combustibles, toxins or hazardous materials?
7. What would be your communications strategy in a time of crisis? 

No one wants to even think about it. One day your business is up, running and thriving. Then, one disastrous day, all that you’ve worked so hard to build can be brought down to its knees—especially, if you are unprepared.

The answers to the above, and many other business contingency questions, should be addressed in a disaster recovery or crisis management plan.

If there is ever a time for leaders to convey a sense of confidence, it’s during a crisis.

Not only that, employees will need a calm, steady and measured approach during times of crisis. And they need to know ahead of time how they are expected to respond.

Mary Lou Parrott, HRTools.com Insight author, describes how employers should communicate with employees before, during and after a time of crisis in, “Talk it Up Now: Develop Your Crisis Management Communication Plan.”

As they say, knowledge is power. A carefully developed disaster recovery plan, one that covers contingencies, is a powerful tool—particularly at a time when people may not be at their best. To be effective, however, your plan must be communicated to employees, in advance, as well.

So, in order to gain peace of mind and confidence, employers should have a disaster recovery plan ready, current and thoroughly thought through. 

Where can you begin?

To help answer that question, here are a few major areas to consider as employers go about gathering disaster-preparedness information, aids and resources: 

• Natural disasters: Any person who monitors the weather online or by cable TV knows that hurricane season is at its nerve-racking worst during the fall months (September and October). Then, you have your California wildfires blazing and spreading almost annually. Of course, a tornado can take down an entire town or neighborhood strip center within a few horrific minutes. Flash flooding can make it impossible and/or dangerous for employees to make it to work. OSHA has a Web site dedicated to providing businesses with resources and aids should a natural disaster hit your business or town.
• Man-made disasters: Not only do we face natural disasters, we also face man-made disasters. Unfortunately, domestic and international terrorist threats are always looming. It also seems as though we hear on an all-too-regular basis, that a co-worker or customer suddenly turns violent. Whatever the source or cause, a business must react when anyone or anything threatens the safety and welfare of others. Having a crisis management plan can make all the difference in whether or not you can competently respond and recover. 
• Computer system crashes or power outages: As described in another HRTools.com Insight, U.S. small businesses are vulnerable to cyber attacks or other unforeseen system malfunctions. Many employers today operate their businesses by computers, so even one day of down time could pose very serious and costly operational problems. Take steps during those ‘up times,’ so you can prevent or minimize the fallout. 
• Pandemic illnesses: Another sobering reality is the threat of a pandemic, such as what is feared by the H1N1 virus (swine flu). The World Health Organization provides a variety of online updates and resources, including this Global Alert and Response section. Of course, today, U.S. businesses, schools and communities are struggling with the threat of the H1N1 virus. Employers face an untold number of potential concerns: such as employee health and safety, employee travel restrictions, workplace shutdowns, employee absences, employee conferences, employee meetings, etc. Now is the time to start preparing—especially should a huge majority of your workforce call in sick for an extended period of time.

Want to learn more?

Preparing for a Disaster (Taxpayers and Businesses) published by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

If you are a small business owner, you may want to spread the word to your employees, especially those who ‘hold the keys to the kingdom.’

Risk management has long been a major concern for any size business or organization. A growing business risk involves cyber security. For instance, you may have heard about the massively coordinated cyber attacks that recently took down two major social networking sites, Twitter and Facebook. 

Cyber attacks are also threatening small to medium-sized businesses. According to an Aug. 20, 2009, article published online by InformationWeek, cyber criminals steal tens of millions of dollars from corporate bank accounts every month. And, typically, banks do not reimburse business customers for cyber crimes.

Other news reports describe how “cyber gangs” are targeting vulnerable U.S. businesses. These so-called cyber gangs, many of whom are organized in Eastern Europe, are e-mailing U.S. company employees—such as the treasurer or controller. In some of these cases, when an unsuspecting employee opens or accesses an infected (with a software virus) attachment or link, malicious software automatically installs itself, which can then steal individual passwords.

What can small business owners do to protect their businesses?  In this digital day and age, armed security guards can do nothing to keep someone across the ocean, or even someone within your own organization, from stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from you. Unfortunately, in addition to cyber threats, employee embezzlement is another major concern, as covered in another HRTools.com Insight.

First, it’s critical that small business owners become aware of these threats. It’s also very important to gain cooperation from all employees who have access to your computer systems, which includes cell phones.

To learn more about how businesses can prevent or minimize cyber threats, I asked a colleague—a lead Web developer employed by a large Houston-based corporation. He noted the following:  

“Small to medium-sized businesses have a number of options. Among them: 

• Remind employees, on a continuing basis, not to open e-mails from unfamiliar sources or individuals.
• Install anti-virus and spam e-mail servers to help capture junk e-mails and malicious attachments.
• Enlist network/security consultants to routinely evaluate network and security setups on a monthly-to-annual basis.
• Ensure that network-oriented, anti-virus software is properly installed. Usually a consultant can help with this step.
• Install malware/adware software.
• Distribute notices regularly that remind employees to monitor their laptops, workstations and cell phones.
• Keep employees happy.”

Continuing, he explained, “Happy employees tend to enjoy their jobs, feel loyalties and, in many cases, have less focus on negative aspects that surround them.  Unfortunately an unhappy and disgruntled employee, especially in these tough economic times, can start to look around for opportunities. It’s happened before—an employee, who feels disrespected or unappreciated, perhaps as a way to express unhappiness, starts to see a bad act as a financial opportunity. In turn, such an employee might consider giving away sensitive information to these ‘gangs’ in return for financial rewards.”

As a final note of caution, he added: “There are lots of options; but, it depends upon whether or not employers take the time, not simply make the time, to oversee their infrastructures.”

Indeed, as they say, it’s a very dangerous world. And, in terms of cyber threats, the U.S. government is growing increasingly alarmed and involved.  

In fact, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security provides daily security updates online through its Office of Infrastructure Protection. Here individuals can sign up to receive e-mail updates at “DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report,” which are also archived online for 10 days. 

This government Internet site provides additional resources including online training and programs for workforce development purposes.

Our world runs on computers, which makes everyone vulnerable. Cyber crime is a reality that almost everyone faces today, and hackers are becoming craftier all the time.

Stay informed, and educate your workforce and enlist their cooperation. Hopefully, as a result, you can minimize your risks and stay one step ahead of these cyber gangs!

Do some employees wish they could wear jeans and flip-flops to work every day?

My daughter is a self-employed, small business owner, but this isn’t really about her.

However, she belongs to a generation known for being ambitious and thinking independently. She works from an office in her home.

Admittedly I’m biased, but she is smart, talented and successful. And she wears flip-flops and jeans to work almost every day.

One day, she laughed and said, “I don’t know what I’d do if I had to work in a conventional or traditional office environment. I don’t think my feet would fit into a woman’s typical pair of work shoes for eight straight hours a day.”

Of course, when she meets with clients or attends networking events, she pulls out her navy-blue suit and pumps. She is savvy enough to know when others need to take her seriously.

By contrast, rewind back to my early career days in the corporate world. Thank goodness for evolution. A few decades ago, many professional women wore conservative dark-colored, “power” suits and very tight, toe-torturing high heels. Flip-flops and jeans were saved for nights, weekends and holidays.

What’s the answer to this dilemma? As usual, it’s good old-fashioned common sense with a dash of human resources (HR) strategic reasoning thrown in for good measure.

Understandably dress codes and proper grooming are an employer’s concern and a business consideration. Did you know that some countries’ cultures even consider it a sign of disrespect when workers are too casually dressed?

Such a perception could have business consequences for an organization that wants to grow globally or delve into the international arena. To become more familiar with international business dress norms, Executive Planet comes highly recommended. This online guide to international business provides information about international business customs.

The world is diverse and, of course, people have varying tastes when it comes to dress. Even so, I know many HR professionals, and they truly do not want to serve as the fashion police.

Many in HR, in fact, have led the way on behalf of employees. Indeed they helped lay the groundwork for achieving a dress-code balance between wearing what potentially can cause discomfort versus wearing what is more comfortable, safe, appropriate and generally tasteful. 

Let’s also be pragmatic. HR is in the business of helping employers grow their businesses through their people. And studies show that both men and women are more productive when they’re comfortable.

Again, it goes back to relying on common sense. Many people say they’re more comfortable in their pajamas, but that also doesn’t mean that employers should find a way to accommodate such comfort zones.

Sure problems can arise when employers relax the dress code. Some employees take these relaxations to the extreme. An HR colleague says, in those cases, it’s best for employers to be very specific about what is allowed and what is not permitted.

For instance, if you do not want employees wearing tank tops, mini-skirts, flip-flops and jeans, employers should be very specific about that. Employees should also be made aware of the consequences.

It also helps to find common ground by pointing out the benefits of avoiding fashion faux pas in the workplace. 

Another HR colleague adds that it is helpful to point out the personal and career benefits of dressing professionally. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), surveys indicate that promotions go more often to those employees who dress professionally.

Too, in a manner of speaking, as pointed out by Jacqueline Whitmore, an international etiquette and image expert, author and business coach: Professionals are similar to real estate in that they need “curb appeal.”

According to Whitmore, who has appeared on a variety of network and cable news shows and programs, such as CNN and FOX: “If your outward appearance is neat and attractive, people will want to know more about what you have to offer on the inside. What you wear says a lot about who you are and where you want to be.”

Finally, after reading this article titled, “The Killer Between Our Toes” published by New York Magazine on Aug. 11, 2009, I’m not so sure about wearing flip-flops anywhere, at any time. After having their flip-flops tested at a lab, two Daily News reporters, as reported on www.nydailynews.com, found that their flip-flops were magnets for deadly, dangerous bacteria.

My daughter will freak out!

Today’s workplace could probably use a little levity. Besides, this is a good a time as any to not take ourselves too seriously.

As Art Linkletter’s long ago and very entertaining TV series so aptly was titled: “People Are Funny.”  Apparently they still are. I recently read a press release published by CareerBuilder.

According to the release, dated Aug. 12, 2009, “Employers Share Top 20 Strangest Complaints They Received from Employees in New CareerBuilder Survey;” more than 2,600 hiring managers participated in this a survey.

The following list is taken from the CareerBuilder press release and identifies some of the hiring managers’ responses. It too me less than 60 seconds to read, but they also give me unquantifiable moments of laughs. Enjoy!

• Employee is too sun-tanned.
• Employee has big hair.
• Employee eats all the good cookies.
• Employee is so polite, it’s infuriating.
• Employee suspected co-worker is a pimp.
• Employee is trying to poison me.
• Employee’s body is magnetic and keeps de-activating my magnetic access card.
• Employee is personally responsible for a federally-mandated tax increase.
• Employee was annoyed the company didn’t provide a place for naps during break
  time.
• Employee only wears slippers or socks at work.
• Employee’s aura is wrong.
• Employee smells like road ramps.
• Employee breathes too loudly.
• Employee wants to check a co-worker for ticks.
• 8:00 a.m. is too early to get up for work.
• Employee wore pajamas to work.
• Employee has bells on her shoes and it’s not the holidays.
• Co-worker reminded the employee too much of Bambi.
• Employee spends too much time caring for stray cats around the building.
• A male employee keeps using the ladies’ room because the men’s room is not as tidy.

Occasionally, I get together with a group of former colleagues. During dinner recently, we reminisced about workplace training workshops. We drew a collective moan when someone recalled those “How to Get Along with Difficult People” workshops.

Numerous books and articles also cover the topic. Just Google terms similar to: “dealing or coping with difficult people” and you will find plenty.

One friend, an engineer, quipped, “Sometimes I wonder, ‘Why should I bend over backwards to get along with co-workers who are difficult?’”

Another chimed in, “Yes! How come difficult people don’t learn how to get along with the rest of us?”  We all laughed because, of course, surely none of us are difficult people. We then enjoyed dessert and discussed what we do if we taught those courses.  

As someone once said, “Sometimes to learn, we have to unlearn.”

Was my engineer friend on to something? Perhaps, it’s the difficult people who need to learn how to cope with the rest of us? Engineers, after all, are trained to think logically.

I then contacted an acquaintance who is in human resource (HR) management about this issue of difficult employees. She explained that generally HR strives to correct an individual’s specific performance problems while keeping relationships intact. Difficult people come in all forms. They can be managers, supervisors and peers.

I explained that some of us walked away from those handling-difficult-people workshops with the impression that essentially employees should:

1. Figure out ways to not only understand, but also accommodate or ameliorate the burdensome behaviors of so-called difficult people.
2. Spend time doing number one above at the expense of achieving business goals and our own career goals.

To help illustrate, here are some tongue-in-cheek, yet not all that far-fetched examples of how some people do not cope with difficult co-workers:

1. Response: “Oh, Mindy, what’s wrong with you today? No matter, we’ll just walk around on eggshells until you feel like working again.”
   After Mindy Moody swings erratically from one mood to another.
   
2. Response: “Whoa, everyone better stay out of Otis’ way! He is under a lot of pressure, and we don’t want to do or say anything to make it worse.”
   After Otis Outbursts rages and rants.
   
3. Response: “Oh, Paddy, I can see that you have a hard time keeping up.  What can we do to help since you can’t manage your time?”
   After Paddy Procrastinator fails to meet his deadlines.
   
4. Response: “Uh-oh, Buster was giving us all the evil eye and putting us down. I’m sure he is frustrated, because our numbers were down. Guess we deserve to be treated this way.”
   After Buster Bully intimidates, embarrasses and humiliates everyone into submission.

The problem? The above responses might make things worse, because they can serve to reinforce difficult behaviors. This is why entire workplaces can fall into a rut of yielding to so-called difficult people simply by taking on their burdens.

By contrast, here are suggested alternative responses to the above fictionalized workplace characters. By placing the onus where it belongs, on the owner of the problem behavior, the workplace might even reach higher productivity levels and achieve lower employee turnover rates. 

1. To Mindy Moody: “I see that you are having a difficult time focusing on your work lately, but I also really need to get back to my work and concentrate. Perhaps it would help to discuss your concerns with the manager or someone in HR.”
2. To Otis Outbursts: “All the yelling and screaming make me uncomfortable, and I am unable to concentrate. I am willing to wait and discuss this issue, after you take time to calm down.”
3. To Paddy Procrastinator: “When project milestones and deadlines are missed, it is difficult for me to finish my work on time. When this happens, I don’t have the information I need in order to meet my responsibilities.”
4. To Buster Bully: “I feel uncomfortable when others are publicly humiliated. Can we, instead, be civil with one another so we can productively discuss what improvements can be made?”

In a nutshell: Most everyone has personality traits that can make the workplace a challenging environment, especially when people must work together and cooperate. Hopefully people can be flexible enough to tolerate slight differences. Regardless, everyone should be treated with respect and dignity.

That said: The workplace is not a mental health rehabilitation center. Employees are hired and paid to do their jobs, and most are unqualified to serve as mental health rehabilitators anyway.

Should things get too difficult or overly confrontational between employees, HR can be very helpful, as can be employee assistance program (EAP) professionals.

Picture this: You are lawfully pushing 70 mph down a major four-lane highway, and you pass a big rig driver who is texting.

Or this: You are driving behind a car swerving all over the road, and you look over. The driver is texting, and you observe that it is a company-owned vehicle.

Unfortunately, today, drivers face such scenes on a daily basis. And some polls indicate that one-in-four drivers admit to texting while driving. What's more, you may be reluctant to honk at these distracted drivers for fears of making matters worse.

Changing human behavior is never easy, and it certainly doesn’t happen overnight. I remember how difficult it was to get people to wear seat belts while driving or riding in a car.

Based on what I've read and experienced, it takes coordinated efforts, involving education and enforcement, to affect changes in human behaviors.

A recent study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute revealed that truckers who texted while driving were 23 times as likely to crash or have a close encounter compared to those who are watching the road.

In light of their findings, the Institute recommended: “Texting should be banned in moving vehicles for all drivers.”

This news should be alarming to both drivers and anyone who employs drivers who might potentially text while driving. Many employers today are implementing policies that prohibit employees from using cell phones while conducting company business in personally owned vehicles or company-owned vehicles.

State and national political pressures are also mounting. More and more states are banning the use of cell phones while driving. The Governors Highway Safety Association has an online update of state cell phone driving laws, including those that ban texting while driving.

Federal legislation is also under consideration. The U.S. Senate is considering legislation that would ban texting while driving. Even a major cell phone company executive has voiced support for the proposed legislation.

If passed, states that fail to cooperate would lose some of their federal highway money (much in the way drunk-driving regulations work). Incidentally, Car and Driver reported that texting and driving could even be more dangerous than drinking and driving. If you’re the one who suffers at the hands of a distracted driver, you probably would care less what distracted him or her.

The point is: Similar to the seat-belt law example above, until society realizes the consequences of texting and driving—and there is a corresponding cultural shift—employers may have to look out for their best interests. Unfortunately, if an employee causes an accident while driving and using a cell phone, and is on company business, the employer could be held liable.

Meanwhile, employers may find this Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Webinar, dated June 6, 2009, useful: Driver Distraction in Commercial Vehicle Operation

Are you thinking about tweeting for your business or organization?  I’m not sure it’s being taught yet in business 101 courses, so I’ll share some of what I’m learning thus far.

• First, I came across a Harvard Business Publishing blog for business managers—Conversation Starter. Harvard bloggers Bill Heil and Mikolaj Piskorski set out to answer the question, “Is Twitter a communications service for friends and groups, a means of expressing yourself freely, or simply a marketing tool?”

Posted on June 1, 2009, “New Twitter Research: Men Follow Men and Nobody Tweets Heil and Piskorski end with this: “…Twitter resembles more of a one-way, one-to-many publishing service more than a two-way, peer-to-peer communication network.”

• An Internet marketing research company, HubSpot (further referenced below), reported that in 2008, Twitter was growing at an astounding rate of 5,000 to 10,000 new accounts every day. This year (2009), the numbers are accelerating at such a rate that it’s futile to continue generating a flat growth number. So if you’re simply looking to instantly mass communicate your brand or message, Twitter certainly has organic potential.
  
  
• Even world-renown celebrities, such as Oprah, and world-famous, mega-church pastors tweet. Oprah’s tweets can be found at http://twitter.com/OPRAH. Here in Houston, where I live, Joel Osteen pastors one of the largest churches in America, Lakewood Church. Osteen is also a bestselling author with a globally televised ministry.  His church has been identified as the largest church in America, and his tweets can be found at http://twitter.com/joelosteenmin. Apparently some high profilers in the messaging business find it worth their time to tweet. 

If you’re in business, you’re also in the message or brand-promotion business. Here are a few resources that I found while researching information about online social media tools, such as Twitter. Any size business might find them useful:   

• I subscribe to an e-newsletter published by Gerry McGovern, who is regarded as one of the world’s foremost authority on managing Web content. On July 1, 2009, he discussed secrecy versus openness on the Web, and he wrote, “Perhaps the challenge and the opportunity of the modern world are to achieve openness and simplicity.”

Perhaps those elements that McGovern identifies above help explain why Twitter is gaining such worldwide traction. With a 140-character limitation per tweet, Twitter messages are, undeniably simple.

• If you are wondering—“Where can I learn more about Twitter and its potential?”—here is another online resource that impressed me. HubSpot is an Internet marketing company that specializes in helping small businesses get noticed on the Web. They also work to help people evaluate and improve their Twitter presence. This they accomplish by researching and producing reports using their Twitter data-gathering tool found at http://twitter.grader.com/.

One report is titled, “State of the Twittersphere: Q4 2008” and a follow-up report is titled, “State of the Twittersphere: June 2009.”  Information contained in these reports was based on a pool of over 4.5 million Twitter users.

I found HubSpot after reading a blog by its CEO and Founder, Brian Halligan, titled, “Four Ways the Internet is Transforming Small Business.” In its short history, this company has earned numerous prestigious awards, recognitions and accolades; and they appear dedicated to helping small businesses succeed.

Finally, I say this to myself almost each and every day: think before you post electronic information. As with any electronic publishing or social networking tool, it’s important to remember that once digital information goes out there, it can then be considered a permanent record.

Hardly anyone would question the value of leading winning teams to succeed in the workplace. 

How should leaders and managers guide teams to win and to succeed? Should they get buddy-buddy with direct reports? Should they wield a heavy hand and coerce them into submission? I’ve had an extensive corporate career and worked with both types of managers. As usual, extremes tend to have their downsides. 

I recently read a performance specialist’s Insight on www.hrtools.com, and it made me think. He endorsed and described a leadership strategy known as ‘Servant Leadership,’ which is also very well-practiced at my company. He cautions, however, that this practice calls for walking a fine line. The good servant leaders leave their egos at the front door, roll up their sleeves and work side-by-side with their teams. Yet, all the while, they must also set a tone for commanding accountability and having the final word on major decisions. It’s a delicate balancing act. 

After reading this piece, it occurred to me: The best managers I’ve known (those who lead high performing teams) remind me of the best parents I’ve ever known. Both strive to maintain a delicate balance in their respective roles. In fact, I have noticed that effective managers and effective parents share similar attributes that apply to leadership issues; and many attributes can be acquired through continuous training and development, as well as through trial and error. Among them:   

1. Control issues: Striving to gain long-term commitment, not short-term compliance. I find that human beings respond best when they understand the reasoning or the rationale behind controls, mores or even mandates. Long-term commitment is usually a byproduct of consistently well-communicated objectives and plans. As we grow in our understanding and commitment, we also tend to take more initiative and accept responsibility. 
2. Relationship issues: Striving to build consensus by gaining respect, earning trust and building credibility. Playing favorites or getting too buddy-buddy can cause people in authority (who also have great responsibility) to unintentionally take a detour to ‘malfunction junction.’ You know what I mean? That old saying, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” Again, it’s walking that fine line or striking that right tone. Effective servant leaders seem to know when it’s time to be nurturing and flexible, versus knowing when it’s time to exercise a firm and non-negotiating position. A leader’s focus should be more on shaping the collective power of the unit or team, as a whole, instead of building individual friendships. 
3. Functionality issues: Striving to keep operations running smoothly, but also striving to be aware when challenging the status quo might be necessary. Another fine line here, as a leader cannot spend all his/her time either micro-managing or putting out fires. Sometimes, it’s a leader’s responsibility to rise above the fray and recommend ways for doing things differently, even when it means challenging the status quo or higher authorities. And the wise leaders also get it: Measured boldness can often be highly rewarding for everyone. When leaders demonstrate that they are (a) highly competent; and (b) able to influence or affect positive changes, they can also find themselves in a better position to earn subordinates’ respect and trust. In exchange, subordinates become more inclined to willingly and wholeheartedly support their leaders. 

What’s the bottom line? Continuous training and development can be very important for both roles. No one is born knowing all these things.

In Part One of this HRTools.com Insight series, I referenced what was, to me, startling information. Poll results, based on a 2008 study conducted by Deloitte and Junior Achievement, showed that 27 percent of teens surveyed think that behaving violently is sometimes, or always, acceptable behavior.  

Many Americans, especially employers and business managers, are growing increasingly concerned about the threats of workplace violence. The news reports are alarming and disturbing. And it seems as though these incidences are increasing. 

As pointed out, we will soon see these teens entering the workplace. While many American businesses require that employees participate in some form of sensitivity training, I think there also should be intervention at an earlier period in these potential employees’ lives.   

While sensitivity training will not totally eradicate the threat of violence, we should evaluate what preventive or precautionary measures can be taken sooner. 

How then…where and when do we start? 

During my sheltered beginnings and childhood (growing up in a small Midwestern community), almost everyone attended places of worship. In addition to that and home, we acquired our sensitivity training—values and principles—through organizations such as 4-H, scouts, etc. Times have dramatically changed, and this country is becoming more culturally diverse at warp speed. Many children today may not be introduced to any formal sensitivity or diversity training until they become adult employees. 

My company encourages volunteerism. Employees are given four paid hours a month, during normal work hours, and they are encouraged to volunteer in their communities. We all have a stake in our communities. We can become more involved with organizations that promote and help sensitize our young people. It is critically important that children, as early as possible, become more aware of diversity and how everyone should treat one another with respect and dignity. Getting this firm foundation at an earlier age can only help. 

Junior Achievement is a good place to start and has a long-standing reputation.

One of the organizations my company is involved with is Junior Achievement, and I can also speak from personal experience about this organization. 

Almost any American can find a nearby Junior Achievement program at which to volunteer. If not, I’m sure they would accept donations. This worldwide organization is dedicated to educating students about work readiness. Along with numerous other valuable programs in their curriculum, Junior Achievement has a Learn about Ethics program, which is an entire center dedicated to providing related courses of study. 

For more information about volunteering opportunities, you may find the following additional online resources helpful:

Volunteer Match

Points of Light

You may find a figure from a recent national poll as startling as I did. In a joint study with Deloitte titled, “2008 JA Worldwide® / Deloitte Teen Ethics Survey,” which was released on Dec. 15, 2008, Junior Achievement stated in its press release:

“A new poll of 750 teens from Junior Achievement and Deloitte and conducted by Opinion Research shows that more than one-in-four teens (27 percent) think behaving violently is sometimes, often or always acceptable.”

In a few years, these teens will be in the workplace.
This information is disturbing on many levels. When these teens reach adulthood in a few years, the implications for the workplace are sobering. As quoted in the Junior Achievement press release mentioned above, David W. Miller, Ph.D., Director of the Princeton University Faith & Work Initiative, and professor of business ethics at Princeton University said: "Employers will have their hands full if a quarter of teens grow up still willing to resort to violence and other unethical behavior when it comes to making decisions about how to settle differences, protect their interests or get ahead."

Many Americans, especially employers and business managers, are growing increasingly concerned about the threats of workplace violence. The news reports are alarming and disturbing. Just recently, we learned of shooters killing workers and other innocent victims in a nursing home and an immigration center.

No business or public area is immune from workplace violence. We’ve learned of mass shootings in shopping malls, schools and university campuses. Some state legislative bodies and local governments are even considering legislation or ordinances that will allow students and/or teachers to carry guns, under certain circumstances. And some states have already passed legislation that allow workers to carry firearms to work and leave them inside their locked, parked vehicles on company-owned or controlled parking lots.

Is carrying guns to work and school the answer?
Living in one of the most diverse countries in the world, I’m starting to wonder if sensitivity or diversity training should not only be required of employees, but also required of all students in our schools. Based on what I’ve read, many of these violent perpetrators had previously expressed that they felt either shunned, isolated and/or powerless much of their lives. Obviously more sensitivity training will not totally eradicate the threat of violence in the world, but we also should not stick our heads in the sand and ignore this growing problem.

Although American employees work in one of the most highly developed countries in the world, we seem to have more than our share of horrific workplace violence incidences. It begs the question: Is there more we can be doing, possibly at an earlier and more formative age, to prevent some of these tragedies from happening?

For instance, perhaps we can do more to help educate youngsters so they learn better ways of coping with cruel behaviors such as those handed out by the ‘schoolyard bully.’  We can also take a more comprehensive approach for enlightening impressionable young minds about the sensitivities surrounding cultural diversity.

Let me be clear, however: I am not saying there is ever any justification or excuse for this kind of random violence. While sensitivity or diversity training, in the workplace, is valuable, useful and necessary; I can’t help but wonder if sometimes it is a little too late for adult employees to be learning these facts of life. 

Another answer to consider: Until there is comprehensive or more formalized sensitivity training for the early childhood years, adults can consider volunteering to spend time helping trained and qualified leaders at various youth-centered organizations such as Junior Achievement.

At my company, we see more and more individuals stepping up and making a positive difference in their communities. In Part 2 of this series to be published soon, look for practical suggestions and resources for helping young people in your communities.

"[If] there was ever a time to underscore the importance of HR, it has arrived. And sadly, if there was ever a time to see how few companies get HR right, it has arrived, too... If their company is in a crisis - or their own career - perhaps they've at last seen the light.  HR matters enormously in the good times.  It defines you in the bad."
                                                                                                         ----Jack Welch, BusinessWeek, March 12, 2009

Known throughout the world as the former Chairman and CEO of General Electric Company (GE), Welch was also named Manager of the Century by FORTUNE magazine in 1999.  

Since retiring from GE in 2001, he speaks and writes to audiences from around the world. He also teaches a course on leadership at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. Welch’s Web site www.welchway.com states: “His goal is to help everyone who has a passion for success.”

Welch writes a weekly column, “The Welchway,” in BusinessWeek magazine, and he has authored a few international bestsellers. More importantly to me, as a business writer focusing on human resource topics, I am impressed by his growing and outspoken advocacy for the HR profession and its powerful impact on businesses.

If you’re familiar with Welch’s style, you’ll know what I mean. In researching his speeches and presentations, I find that he consistently communicates with his usual candor. He doesn’t mince words and, instinct tells you, he believes what he says. The following quote from his Web site is a good example:

“Look, HR should be every company’s “killer app.” What could possibly be more important than who gets hired, developed, promoted, or moved out the door? Business is a game, and as with all games, the team that puts the best people on the field and gets them playing together wins. It’s that simple.

You would never know it, though, to look at the companies today where the CFO reigns supreme and HR is relegated to the background. It just doesn’t make sense. If you owned the Boston Red Sox, for instance, would you hang around with the team accountant or the director of player personnel? Sure, the accountant can tell you the financials. But the director of player personnel knows what it takes to win: how good each player is and where to find strong recruits to fill talent gaps.”

Why is this important? A recent Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) announcement captured my attention. Welch has agreed to be a keynote speaker during its annual national convention to be held in New Orleans. The convention scheduled for June 28-July 1, 2009, is hosted by SHRM—the world’s largest professional association devoted to human resource management.

Welch is scheduled to speak and engage the audience in a dialogue on Sunday, June 28, from 2:30-4:00 p.m. For more information, contact SHRM at 1-800-283-7476 or visit online at www.shrm.org. 

To learn more about what Jack Welch has to say about HR's importance for business, read this HRTools Insight.

Do your managers insinuate they are babysitting adults while at work?  Do they describe their employees in these terms: the complainer, the whiner, the tardy one, the absent one, the tantrum-thrower, the annoying one, the fabricator, the lazy one, and so on and so on?

What is so hard about being a manager? They interview. They hire. They babysit.
Sound far-fetched? A manager said this to me one day: Her day consisted of babysitting adults in the workplace. I think she was officially burned out.

First of all, managers get paid too much to babysit employees. Not only that, how productive and engaged are ‘baby-sat’ employees? After all, you’re in business to provide a service, make a profit and keep your customers satisfied and loyal.

Managers are human, too.
After years of working in corporate environments, I have found that the great organizations truly care about their people. Anyone can tell when someone cares about them as a person or when they care about them only as an employee. 

Like others in the employment ranks, sometimes your managers need a little love. In fact, they may need more than a little love. They may also need some coaching to help them become better coaches for your employees. No doubt, managers would welcome a dose of human understanding and a listening ear. After all, your managers are human too.

If you find your managers are getting burned out, especially during these trying times, I dug out one of my favorites, which is timeless: “The 12 Elements of Great Managing” as published by Rodd Wagner with The Gallup Organization.

In the early ‘90s, after combing through its database of more than a million people, The Gallup Organization sought to find out what the best managers in the world did differently. After all the research and studies, they came up with the following 12 elements as the best predictors of worker engagement:

1. I know what is expected of me at work.
2. I have the materials and equipment I need to do my job.
3. At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.
4. In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work.
5. My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person.
6. There is someone at work who encourages my development.
7. At work, my opinions seem to count.
8. The mission or purpose of my company makes me feel my job is important.
9. My associates or fellow employees are committed to doing quality work.
10. I have a best friend at work.
11. In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress.
12. This last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow.

The majority of these elements have to do with respecting relationships.
After reading this list, you might think these elements seem intuitively obvious. Again, after all these years spent working in corporate environments, I find what is often perceived as common sense is not always commonly done. What I also find interesting is that none of these elements reference compensation. And the majority of the elements have to do with respecting the person and developing relationships.

Furthermore, it seems obvious to me that, above all, you want managers who possess a strong desire to develop relationships and to coach and guide others to success.  If your managers are missing the mark, perhaps you should sit down with them and find out what they care about, what their goals and dreams are and how they see themselves as best helping the organization to succeed. By coaching your managers and truly caring about them as individuals, you are also following and implementing elements 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11 and 12.  As they say, “The best teachers set an example.” 

The Internet: It has revolutionized everything. The way we do business, the way we learn, the way we get our information, the way we spend our time, the way we stay in touch with family and friends, the way we shop and buy, the way we…[you can probably fill in a hundred more examples].

Now we have a way to see how workers rate their former employers. A new Web site launched in December allows users to post stories and comments about their workplace experiences. Telonu.com (“tell on you”) is an online community where anyone can post their “Raves, Rants, Rates” at no cost and anonymously.

Marketing and public relations experts tell us that for every negative experience, the average person tells 12 other people. Even before the Internet, negative publicity could spread fast. Now by browsing the World Wide Web, potentially over a billion people can learn immediately what others, including your ex-employees, are saying about your company. According to an October 22, 2008, report titled, “Online Communities and Their Impact on Business: Ignore at Your Peril,” published by Rubicon Consulting, “Online comments and reviews posted by the enthusiasts are second only to word of mouth as a purchase driver for all web users.”

At the very least, companies and employers should monitor sites like this to see what is being said about their organizations. Not only can negative publicity potentially hurt a business’s image and revenues, it can affect future hiring, since some applicants may be put off by those negative posts. This factor could hurt businesses looking to ramp up again after the recession is over.

Read how to be an “Employer of Choice,” even in a down economy. 

I recently read that one of the most sought-after items on the Internet is a 2009 calendar.  Your search is over!

Thinking of our small business audience, I came across a nifty customizable online calendar. If you are feeling overwhelmed by HR administrative chores such as figuring out holidays and other important dates that can affect your business, this ready-to-use format may be the ideal solution.

This 2009 calendar from time and date.com allows users to customize—via drop-down selections—and print their own calendars. For instance, if you select “Holidays and all observances” from the drop-down, a significant number of observances are listed including Pan American Aviation Day and Leif Erikson Day. Possibly more relevant, the 2009 federal holidays are marked in red color.

As an added bonus, this 2009 calendar gives you a countdown to the second of the New Year date of 2010.

The IRS Web Site Also Provides 2009 Calendar Services for Small Businesses and the Self-Employed

The IRS has a thoroughly prepared online 2009 Tax Calendar for Small Businesses and Self-Employed, provided as a PDF. Specific details about deadlines and filing dates are outlined in this very reader-friendly format. For instance, March 15 is the deadline to return excess 2008 401(k) amounts to highly compensated employees; and March 31 is the filing date for Form 2290 and the tax for vehicles first used in February. This calendar includes specific information about the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, including summaries of two tax provisions that benefit businesses.

This IRS Webpage also includes month-by-month links to due dates and action-item information. For Microsoft Outlook users, the IRS also provides a downloadable (into your Outlook calendar) 2009 Tax Calendar.

With all your calendar information right at hand, perhaps you can enjoy a better night’s sleep. Sweet dreams.

The "Manager of the Century," Jack Welch, discusses the role of HR in business. 
He was named Manager of the Century by FORTUNE magazine in 1999. Then-Chairman and CEO of General Electric Company (GE) Jack Welch was heralded for not only, "anticipating the new world's changes ahead, but for acting on them...". Welch was Chairman and CEO of GE between 1981 and 2002. He also co-authored the book Winning with his wife, Suzy Welch.

Recently I watched Welch field questions during the Jan. 2009 University of Miami Global Business Forum.Their communications director graciously provided HRTools.com with a link to its video presentation that includes a Q & A session with Jack Welch.

First of all, Welch asserted that these turbulent times require new thinking.
Moderated by University of Miami President Donna Shalala, she brought up the topic of HR in Welch’s writings. She referenced his viewpoints about HR managers and their central roles in business-planning strategies. She also asked him to comment about his assertion that HR should be the number-two job in any company.

In explaining his disappointment that HR often isn't the number two job in any company, Welch used the analogy of a football team. He asked the audience who is the most important member of any professional sports team organization?  He answered by saying that the person responsible for fielding the team is the most important position. Welch further explained that HR should be the central part of any organization, heading up leadership development and challenging the key players of the organization.

As an employee of a company that serves as a full-service human resources (HR) department for small- to-medium-sized businesses, I was captivated by his compelling advocacy for the HR profession and its important role in the business world.

OK, so Welch was head of one of the largest companies in the world. How can this thinking apply to smaller businesses? Before I answer, let me add that Welch has also been identified as a leader who ran GE like a dynamic small business.

Let’s take the most pressing and overwhelming problem faced by businesses today, the credit crisis. You may ask, "How in the world can HR strategies help a small business cope with the credit crisis?"

Here are some pragmatic ideas of mine that you might hear from strategic-thinking HR professionals:

1. Be agile and frugal: This approach makes sense during all business cycles. For example, don’t buy an expensive piece of equipment if you can produce your product or provide a service using the status quo. It’s more important than ever today, because we’re competing in a global economy. Many of our global competitors enjoy cheaper labor and more government sponsorship than we do.

2. Dream big, but act bigger: Given this down economy, some huge or bold dreams of the future may have to take a back seat to taking action. For instance, now may be a time to figure out ways to reduce risks and monitor every decision with a critical eye—by asking this fundamental question: "How will this decision or action help me make money?"

3. Be creative and resourceful: If you are selling a product or a service, create heroes within your organization. Internal heroes make great role models, and employees should always be encouraged to create and think about ways to save money on business resources. For example, I know of an Internet company whose customer service associate suggested offering discounts on products that customers want to return by mail. Fewer product returns mean increased revenues. It is important to find ways to keep new ideas alive.

4. Finally, choose the right people to trust. Almost everyone these days is looking for someone to trust. Surround yourself with people who have the courage to do what is right. Whether they are potential investors or customers, people are more apt to buy from or invest in predictable and trustworthy businesses. For example, some businesses are considering the value of minimizing risk and saving valuable time and resources by outsourcing HR services to a trusted third party.

Until small businesses get their "bailout" packages, coping with the credit crunch is no cakewalk. As Jack Welch so aptly put it, HR is more than planning picnics and parties. Strategic HR professionals are in the business of energizing your business and its people by moving everyone in the same direction and reaching the goal line.

Doom and Gloom Antidote

Right now, many business owners are frustrated by one of those “darned if you do and darned if you don’t” business questions. How do small or medium-sized businesses budget dollars for advertising and marketing promotions in a down economy?

Don’t worry, be happy and become an employer of choice! It’s cost-free and you control the reins.

What is an Employer of Choice?

“Employer of choice” is a human resources (HR) term or HR trend discussed a lot these days. Generally, an employer-of-choice status represents an organizational culture that attracts and retains the most talented of people. Employees who work for an employer of choice are reluctant to leave even when courted by other employers. A number of factors go into developing a culture like this and, if you are interested, online links to further information are provided at the bottom of this page.

If you are re-evaluating your advertising and marketing budgets today, one way to remain competitive and show off your brand is to be an employer of choice.

Words are Free and Spread Like Wildfire When You’re an Employer of Choice

Many years ago, a previous employer sent me to a public relations seminar. I’ll never forget learning about the power of people spreading news and that was even before the days of the Internet!

Research shows that on average, if someone has a negative experience with a business, they are likely to tell at least 12 other people about it. There is also an exponential value, because many of those 12 people will tell others what they’ve heard, and so on. Today, too, we have the Internet where anyone can blast a business and reach millions of potential buyers or investors within seconds.

It’s no stretch to also conclude that when positive business experiences are spread around by the public, and your employees, you can enjoy powerful, cost-free ‘by-word-of-mouth’ advertising and marketing messages.

My present employer, for instance, is diligent about demonstrating that its organizational culture reflects stated values. Leaders and employees are expected to demonstrate respect and concern for others at work and in our communities. The expectations are well-grounded and, in all honesty, I have never heard a bad word about my company.

Other No-Cost Benefits

Becoming an employer of choice is more than slapping a logo on your products or services. In addition to serving as a built-in advertising and branding tool, an employer-of-choice reputation also serves to positively affect the bottom line in two verifiable ways:

1. An employer-of-choice reputation serves as a magnet by attracting quality people; this, in turn, helps keep your recruiting costs down.
2. An employer-of-choice reputation helps you keep those quality people. Consider the costs of turnover: The Society of Human Resources (SHRM) states, “The cost of turnover may be as much as one and a half times an employee's first year salary.” Remember, too, that experienced employees better understand your customers and will take better care of them.

Employers of Choice Are More Likely to Attract Investors

The potential to attract investors is another advantage to acquiring an employer-of-choice reputation. Especially in today’s climate, investors are looking for companies with a predictable future. Customers and clients prefer doing business with companies that have a predictable future, as well. A business with a high turnover rate is less likely to be considered as having a predictable future.

How can you go about becoming an employer of choice? Here are a few basic steps to help get you started:

1. Clearly communicate your vision, mission and your values; then, consistently walk the talk. Actions really do speak louder than words.
2. Hire, train and develop people who are committed to your vision, especially influencers such as managers and supervisors.
3. Find ways to demonstrate appreciation and support for your employees. Employees who feel valued and appreciated are more likely to provide outstanding customer service. Customers who feel valued and appreciated are more likely to spread the good word and become your advocates.

And, going forward: By inspiring a workplace that fosters employee commitment, loyalty and accountability, you can continue to reap the benefits of cost-free, word-of-mouth advertising.

Links to Other Recommended Reading:

Get Creative in this Economy: Offer Alternative Work Schedules

Reasons for Telecommuting: Employer and Employee Benefits

Goofing off at work can be kind of an arbitrary activity and judgment call.

Some people see socializing during work hours as opportunities for networking, bonding or building strong working relationships. I’ve known employees who spend 20 to 30 percent of their day socializing, and I’ve known others who hardly socialize at all. Most people know how to pick up on co-worker signals that it’s time to wrap up conversations and get back to work. Then, on the other hand, a few simply have no sense of boundaries or appropriateness. They’ll waste all your work day, if allowed to roam free. Most people figure out ways to ignore or run away from these types.

In my opinion, shopping online while at work is another ‘depends-on-how-you-look-at-it’ kind of activity. Obviously, employers are concerned because of productivity and IT security issues. Again, as with other workplace socializing issues, there will be some employees who have no sense of boundaries or appropriateness. Some may choose to spend only their lunch or break times shopping online, and others may spend hours of valuable company time to shop online.

According to Careerbuilder.com, nearly one-third of workers plan to holiday shop online while at work this year. "While employers are unlikely to terminate workers for online holiday shopping during the workday, employees should proactively police their personal Internet usage," said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources for CareerBuilder.com. 

Another survey published by ISACA, previously known as the Information Systems Audit and Control Association, reported that nearly 63 percent of employees surveyed plan to holiday shop online while at work.

If you are one of those pragmatic type employers who see online shopping while at work as an inevitable activity for some employees, here are a few ideas for controlling or managing this seasonal challenge:

1. Set up an “Internet Café.”  The IT department could temporarily install a few computers (that are not hooked up to the network) in a central location. Employers could determine times that employees could access one of these computers to take care of their online shopping needs, free from work interruptions, etc. The employer gain here is that once employees can free their minds of time-and energy-draining shopping chores, they can then give work their full attention and focus.
2. Allow access from individual employee computers but have the IT department install “blockers” that prevent access to unsafe or questionable sites. Employers could also use this strategy as a good-will or morale-boosting gesture. A message could be communicated that you understand how difficult it is to juggle work and family duties, and here is your holiday gift or employee perk—employees will be permitted to holiday shop online at work but with pre-set time limits that you expect to be followed. You can also remind employees to meet all customer service needs and work deadlines first. You might even be pleasantly surprised that most employees will behave professionally and productivity rates may even increase for you.
3. Train employees about safe computer practices. Make sure they learn how to determine if a site is not secure before they shop online.  For instance, according to ISACA, “Providing a workplace e-mail address to an online retailer can leave a computer network open to a variety of threats and productivity wasters including spam, phishing attacks and viruses. Yet more than two in 10 (22 percent) respondents have clicked on an e-mail link to go to a retailer’s web site from their workplace computer and used their company e-mail address as the contact for a purchase. In addition, one in four (26 percent) respondents either does not check or is unsure how to check the security of a web site before making a purchase.”
4. Ask employees that they not provide their work e-mail addresses to online retailers, and ask them to delete ‘cookies’ from their computer when they are finished shopping.

This employee online holiday-shopping issue may also be a good time to remind employees of your Internet policies. If you don’t have any policies, most HR professionals recommend that employers develop e-mail and Internet policies to inform employees what is permitted while using employer systems.

Do you agree? We've had quite a year in 2008. HR trends and employer concerns tend to reflect the times, business, social and economic times.

Do you want to know what others were interested in reading this year on HRTools.com? For quick reference, links and summaries for my top three most popular articles in 2008 can be found below:

1.  Signs That Your Employees Need Sensitivity Training

When employees’ behavior is the antithesis of diplomacy and tact, they can hurt and take down your business. In short, you should care based on three practical business reasons:

1. Sensitive employees are more likely to treat co-workers with respect.
2. Sensitive employees are more likely to treat customers with respect.
3. Respected employees and respected customers help your bottom line. 

2. Prevent Employee Gossip From Hurting Your Business

According to a recent Randstad survey, gossip is listed as one of the top three pet peeves found in the workplace. Gossip has probably been around since the beginning of the time. Gossiping at work is nothing new and it is as common as a paper clip.  However, when employees feel betrayed by malicious or unfounded rumors and gossip, a thread can be torn that can unravel the fabric of an organization.

When rumors and gossip get out of hand, businesses can suffer unnecessary costs and repercussions.

3. How About Those Tattoos in the Workplace?

When social changes and trends affect the workplace, inevitable conflicts of interest and misunderstandings can evolve between employees and employers. When individuals are compensated to represent the public image and branding identity of a business, employees are generally expected to conform to acceptable dress and grooming standards.

With an increasing percentage of the fastest-growing workforce age groups in America participating in visible body-art expression, employers can often feel strained to choose between customer expectations and employee expectations.

Meanwhile, be sure and look for more helpful information on HRTools.com in 2009!

10 Reasons to Hire War Veterans and Other Military Service Veterans

Veterans Day is this month, and President Bush has proclaimed the week of November 9 through November 15, 2008, as National Veterans Awareness Week.

Veterans’ Experiences and Expertise Transfer to America's Business Needs

U.S. employers are asked to consider hiring war veterans and other Armed Services veterans because of their potential and proven abilities. In addition to acquired technical skills, veterans gain expertise in other areas such as leadership, management and teambuilding.

We have seen images of soldiers protecting the streets of Baghdad and other dangerous areas in the Middle East. They are highly trained to serve in combat situations and to meet the countless everyday-new challenges of their mission(s). When they complete their service, these men and women are considered "war veterans."

The U.S. also has approximately 800,000 other highly trained people on active duty, serving in the Armed Forces and supporting various missions around the globe. These non-combatants are also veterans.

It is not only goodwill to hire war veterans and other Armed Services’ veterans; it is also good business. Our Armed Services invest heavily in training and development programs. Take advantage of this "ready-made" highly skilled and well-trained labor pool. You and your business will be rewarded by employees who also have valuable global experiences.

According to a U.S. Department of Labor Web site, HireVetsFirst, there are 10 good business reasons for hiring war veterans and other Armed Services veterans: 

1. Accelerated learning curve: Veterans have already proven they can quickly learn advanced skills, develop abilities and grasp new concepts.
2. Teamwork: From the first day of basic training, veterans learn that genuine teamwork grows out of responsibility to their peers.
3. Leadership: The military trains its people to lead by example, and also by motivation, delegation and inspiration.
4. Diversity and inclusion in action: Veterans have learned to live and work closely with others regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, etc.
5. Performance under pressure: Veterans have learned to perform under tight deadlines and limited resources. They know how to see a task through to its successful completion.
6. Respect for procedures: Veterans understand the value of respecting procedures. They have learned to operate within a ranking system and increasing levels of supervision.
7. Technology and globalization: Because of their experiences and training, veterans understand technical trends affecting business and industry.
8. Integrity: Employers can take advantage of security clearances that veterans have acquired. This track record usually translates into qualities of trustworthiness and sincerity.
9. Conscious of health and safety standards: Veterans have operated in a drug-free environment, and they have learned proper safety and health behaviors. They know how to protect individuals, materials and property.
10. Triumph over adversity: Veterans have learned to overcome great adversity and other personal discomforts with resolve and courage.

Small business employers and their customers can benefit from employees like these veterans. They have graduated from various technical schools that included a broad range of computer systems’ training. Typically, you will also find that a majority of these veterans are more mature and responsible than their civilian peers.

Employers can also benefit from additional government initiatives and support. In August 2008, the U.S. Department of Labor announced its America’s Heroes at Work program. This program helps equip employers and the workforce development systems with the necessary tools and resources to help returning service members succeed in the workplace.

Source: HireVetsFirst at hirevetsfirst.org

The word is out, so employers shouldn’t feel alone. In these tough economic times, some employers find they cannot afford to give their employees much of a pay raise, if at all. Some financial analysts have termed these tough economic times as the “panic of 2008.”

In fact, according to CCH Human Resource Management NetNews, “In response to the weakening economy and increasing cost pressures, a new pulse survey from Hewitt Associates, a global human resources consulting and outsourcing company, reveals that many employers will be doling out smaller-than-expected pay raises and bonuses to employees in 2009.”

Even so, the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) estimates that it can cost up to a third of an employee’s annual salary to recruit and replace that employee. So it’s in the employer’s best interest to appreciate, reward, recognize, motivate and keep their experienced and talented employees.

In lieu of the traditional salary percentage or hourly wage increases, what can cash-flow-pinched and credit-deprived business owners do?

‘Think Outside the Box’ for Pay-Raise Alternatives

Employers may be agonizing and wondering, “How can I possibly tell my hard-working employees that I cannot afford to give them pay raises right now?” While this news may not shock them, understandably there will be some disappointed faces. 

So what can employers do to show their concern in ways that will boost employee morale and boost their spending power? Most employees want and need traditional pay raises or bonuses. For those employers who cannot accommodate traditional pay raises during this down economy, consider some innovative alternatives for helping employees find some financial relief.  

While not every small-to-medium-sized business can adopt all the following ideas, many employers can mix and match to suit their situation. Or, until better times return, many struggling employers can come up with their own innovative alternatives to the traditional pay raises.

• Allow ‘Wear Jeans to Work’ days. If such casual attire will not negatively affect productivity or cause customer-service operations to suffer, consider having voluntary ‘wear-jeans-to-work’ days. While not every single employee will jump for joy and jump on the jeans-wearing bandwagon, more and more employee polls confirm its wide appeal. In fact, my company recently released some internal polling results. By an overwhelming majority, employees chose wearing jeans over a number of other reward-type options. Why? Many employees have a closet-full of jeans and they love wearing jeans. They value the cost-savings that wearing jeans to work provide. Jeans are durable, easy to care for and they are comfortable. Jeans can be worn year-around, and trips to the cleaners may be reduced. When employees can wear what is already stocked in their wardrobes, they will appreciate the extra funds (they normally spend on purchasing work garments) that can go for other necessities, or better yet that can go into a savings account.
• Review and implement alternative-working arrangements.  Flexible and alternative scheduling programs can help employees save on gas, commuting and other work-related costs. Thanks to numerous technical advances, many businesses are implementing telecommuting and flexible-scheduling programs. With two-parent working families juggling commuting, parking and childcare expenses, these costs can be offset through various alternative-scheduling programs. Not only that, if working-parent employees feel supported in these areas, they may be more inclined to remain committed and loyal employees. 
• Encourage and reward brainstorming for cost-pressure-relief (CPR) ideas.  Employers might be pleasantly surprised at how many ideas their employees have for saving on precious business resources right now. Bring back the old “suggestion box” and ask employees to share their ideas for cutting costs and increasing revenues. It’s important to also let employees know “what’s in it for them.”  For instance, employees, whose CPR ideas are implemented, could earn “perks” such as prime parking places for a year, extra time off with pay, lunches with the CEO, etc. 
• Give additional paid-time-off to employees. This is always a crowd-pleaser and works as a great incentive. Before taking time off, ask employees to give reasonable notice and get supervisory approval. Also make sure employees understand it’s their responsibility to make sure their duties are covered in their absence. 
• Negotiate with local vendors, or vendors you do business with, to donate gift certificates. Some vendors will enthusiastically support your efforts. The gift certificates could be for goods or services. For example, a restaurant may participate by giving employees a “buy-one, get-one-free” meal coupon. Employees can enjoy a lunch for two at the price of one. This makes employees happy and also gives the merchant some free “word-of-mouth” advertising.

History shows that these “panic” times will not last forever. In the meantime, employers with limited financial resources can seize on opportunities to show employees that they value their contributions, productivity and loyalty. Employees who feel valued and appreciated are usually more productive. Even in a down economy, leaders can innovatively manage and grow their business.

Are Some People Smarter with Their Feelings? Attract, Hire and Develop Employees with Emotional Intelligence

In a previous Insight, I discussed how research confirms that emotional intelligence separates top performers from the pack.  Emotionally intelligent people are smart with their feelings. If you are convinced that emotionally intelligent people are better equipped to help lead your organization to success, you may wonder, "How do employers attract and hire emotionally intelligent, high performing people?"

Since these behaviors or attitudes reside within the control of each individual, how can a business seize on their potential to produce positive results? Especially in today’s competitive and stressful environment, employers need to set the threshold higher. In addition to recruiting people who demonstrate job skills and knowledge, employers should look for emotional intelligence.

Employers should first tailor their recruiting and screening processes.

The workforce consists of human beings who naturally respond to their environment and surroundings "from the inside out." Employers should tailor their recruiting processes and screen for emotionally intelligent candidates. Once hired, many HR professionals believe that continuous coaching and training further develops emotional intelligence.

Six Seconds, a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation specializing in emotional intelligence research and organizational training, has worked with numerous Fortune 500 companies and government and nonprofit agencies. As stated on their Web site, "Emotions make or break trust, loyalty and change—which is why emotional intelligence (EQ) is proven to be essential for success."

How the "wrong stuff" affected a world-renown organization, NASA.

Do you remember the Lisa Nowak story? Nowak gained international attention when the story broke in Feb. 2007. This NASA astronaut — a highly intelligent, highly educated and highly trained mission flight engineer — allegedly drove almost 1,000 miles, from Houston to the Orlando airport to confront and physically threaten a romantic rival. Sadly, this NASA astronaut and mother of three apparently had no emotionally intelligent thoughts during that 1,000 mile trip.

She is awaiting trail pending three formal charges, including attempted kidnapping with intent to inflict bodily harm or terrorize. While employers cannot be expected to control their employees on a 24/7 basis, this bizarre story must have thrown NASA’s public affairs into a tizzy. As the Wikipedia article states, "There was widespread reaction to Nowak's arrest with concerns expressed about NASA's astronaut selection and screening process and planned 30-month missions to Mars.

What evidence is there that emotional intelligence helps businesses succeed?

Cary Cherniss, Ph.D., a professor at Rutgers University who specializes in the study of emotional intelligence, stated on the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations Web site, "The ability to manage feelings and handle stress is another aspect of emotional intelligence that has been found to be important for success. Emotional intelligence has as much to do with knowing when and how to express emotion as it does with controlling it."

Cherniss provides compelling evidence that the emotionally intelligent make a significant difference when performing in a highly competitive business environment. His report, "The Business Case for Emotional Intelligence" can be found on the Consortium Web site. In a reader-friendly way, he makes his case with 19 real-world examples, figures, statistical data and other compelling evidence. If you read this report, I think you will agree that American businesses have a much greater potential of succeeding by hiring, fostering, developing and investing in emotionally intelligent employees.

Consider my empirical evidence gathered during a 25-year career.

In addition to published scientific research, I have 25 years worth of empirical evidence that convinces me: The level of collective emotional intelligence (or lack thereof) can make or break a workplace. And at a personal level, a lack of emotional intelligence can stunt an individual’s career growth. Also, based on my experience, emotional intelligence at the adult level has little to do with chronological age.

Why are business and organizational leaders, employers and managers showing a growing interest in this area of human behavior? According to the previously referenced WSJ article, Gardner’s "…popularity beyond academia reflects managers’ desire to understand what makes workers, peers, and bosses tick. Many companies, for example, are trying to boost employees’ ‘engagement,’ or emotional commitment to their jobs. Dr. Gardner says managers often ask him how to change minds ‘since that is something that they have to do a lot.’"

Changing times demand adaptability. 

Times are undeniably difficult for everyone right now.  Americans are stressed and angry. Fluctuating oil prices have caused unprecedented gas prices and the housing market is in the tank for many areas of the country. A credit crisis looms, and Wall Street and the stock market are out of control. We have seen billion-dollar government bail-out packages and some Americans’ retirement funds have been reduced by nearly 40 percent. Retail sales are down and unemployment rates are rising. Should I stop?

Business owners must be doubly stressed, as they need high-performing and engaged employees now more than ever. We’re all expected to interact intelligently, to think and behave rationally and logically. However, when emotional stress is at an all-time high, sometimes even the slightest irritation or misunderstanding can get blown out of proportion.

Merriam Webster Online defines intelligence as the ability to reason or “the ability to learn or understand or to deal with new or trying situations.”  Since life is constantly evolving or changing, one can reason that the human race has survived throughout the centuries due to its intelligence abilities.

But wait, isn’t there more to life and working than merely surviving? How do some humans adapt in ways that make them shine above the rest of the pack? 

Top performers usually rate high in emotional intelligence, research says.

Early in my career, a new term — emotional intelligence — started gathering attention and earning recognition. Now research shows that emotional intelligence plays a bigger in role in business than the intelligence quotient (IQ) and it significantly affects the bottom line.

Daniel Goleman, psychologist and author of the book Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ (which was on the New York Times Best Sellers list for over a year-and-a-half) found that 80 percent to 90 percent of competencies that differentiate top performers are in the area of emotional intelligence. When the CEO of Johnson & Johnson read an article about Goleman’s book in the Harvard Business Review, he was so impressed that he sent 400 copies to senior executives in the company worldwide.

What started all this interest in emotional intelligence? This year (2008) marks the 25th anniversary of Professor Howard Gardner’s groundbreaking “Multiple Intelligences” theory published in Frames Of Mind: The Theory Of Multiple Intelligences. On May 5, 2008, Gardner was honored by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) as one of the top five influential business thinkers. The article can be read here. He was also honored, for the second time, in the May/June 2008 issue of Foreign Policy and Prospect magazine as one of the world’s leading public intellectuals. 

Gardner’s theory asserts that human beings have a number of autonomous intelligences in addition to the intelligence commonly measured with an IQ test. He identified seven areas of intelligence that affect human behavior. Two of the seven areas are interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences, now popularly coined as emotional intelligence. 

What are the characteristics of emotionally intelligent people, and how do they make a difference in the workplace?

Emotionally intelligent people are smart with their feelings. According to Goleman, emotional intelligence is “the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships.”  Basically the concept of emotional intelligence focuses on:

• self-awareness
• self-management
• motivation
• empathy
• social skills

Businesses need people who know how to identify and use their feelings in smart and productive ways. Emotional intelligence means more than simply being nice and it does not mean giving free rein to our feelings. Coming from a place of self awareness, emotionally intelligent people see the bigger picture. And they don’t have to park their feelings outside when they enter the workplace. They are better able to resist instant gratification for the greater good and goals of the team or organization. They work to understand customer needs and empathize with other perspectives. They take a long-term approach with customers and co-workers, because they are interested in long and meaningful relationships. To emotionally intelligent employees, customer and team loyalties are just as important as a paycheck or a big commission.

So how do employers find and develop such people? Look for my next HRTools Insight to learn more about how employers can attract, find, hire and further develop emotionally intelligent employees. 

This series is dedicated to a former boss and mentor (SH), who consistently epitomizes an emotionally intelligent life.  

Hear This: Unleash the Power of Listening and Improve Business Relationships

Do you get agitated when watching today’s television "news" broadcasts? The moderator asks a question and within seconds, seven news analysts are shouting over one another. I just change the channel. With only two ears and one brain, I cannot process what all seven people are screaming and shouting about. How can they possibly be listening to each other?

According to Michael Nichols, professor of psychology at The College of William and Mary and author of The Lost Art of Listening: How Learning to Listen Can Improve Relationships, the essence of listening, "…can be achieved only by suspending our preoccupation with ourselves and entering into the experience of the other person."

We Learn More by Listening
Listening does not always come naturally and it takes effort. Most people involved in a conversation are busy thinking about what they will say when the other person stops talking. Larry King, host of CNN’s Larry King Live, says it best, "I remind myself every morning: Nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So if I'm going to learn, I must do it by listening."

Improve Your Competitive Edge with Powerful Listening Skills
While serving in a variety of business communications roles during my 25-year career, I have seen how excellent listening skills improve business relationships. Excellent listeners enjoy greater business advantages over poor listeners by:

You can probably think of at least 20 to 30 other powerful reasons why a business can be more successful when leaders and employees have excellent listening skills. Some managers even find that when employees are allowed to speak freely about a problem, they often solve it on their own simply by talking it through with someone who truly listens.

Five Ways to Improve Listening Skills
I have found that the following five behavioral techniques greatly improve listening skills:

1. Give your undivided attention to the speaker. If you’re speaking face-to-face, maintain good eye contact. Even if you’re talking on the phone, stop everything that you are doing. Many of us have multi-tasking tendencies. However, our focus should be on the person talking, thus reassuring them that they have our full attention.
2. Be sensitive of the speaker. If they appear nervous, ignore the body language and instead pick up on the message and the words being expressed. Also, by helping speakers relax, you will find them growing more at ease with you. Normally, relaxed speakers convey more authentic or candid thoughts and views.
3. Avoid interrupting, giving advice or steering the conversation away from the point(s) being made by the speaker. A listener can make comments or express body language without interrupting the speaker. For instance, a good listener can be responsive by sharing an appropriate smile or a word or two that do not interrupt the flow. Simple body language techniques such as shaking one’s head or raising an eyebrow will connect the listener with a speaker. Simple words like "yes" and "go on" let the speaker know you are engaged.
4. Listen very closely to points that you may disagree with. A poor listener often has their mind made up and shows it. Instead, be open and take a naïve approach to what the speaker is saying. Acknowledge what they are trying to get across. It doesn’t mean that you have to agree with or condone what is being said; it just means that you’re not constantly thinking about your next rebuttal.
5. Mentally collect and organize the speaker’s main points. Try not to think about something else while another person is talking. Also by mentally processing what the speaker is saying, a good listener avoids the trap of immediately reacting before it’s their turn to speak.

Can you think about a time when you have had someone really listen to you? When it was their turn to follow up, they even summarized what you said. It’s like "Bingo!" That person got it. A sense of connection is reached when a speaker knows that they’ve been listened to and understood by their listener(s). Even if disagreeing with a speaker’s views, a good listener first conveys an understanding of what the speaker said.

Again, quoting author Michael Nichols: "Few motives in human experience are as powerful as the yearning to be understood. Being listened to means that we are taken seriously, that our ideas and feelings are known and, ultimately, that what we have to say matters."

Oh, one other important business advantage to listening: It costs nothing! Not only that, when employees and customers feel that they matter, a business can soar to greater than ever-imagined heights!

If we can’t clean up after ourselves, how can we expect to clean up the planet?

Where I used to work, there was a sign posted, “If you make a mess, clean it up.” I remember thinking; geez, you’d think we are in nursery school. According to a recent workplace survey, that cautionary sign is apparently necessary for grownups, too.

You may have read my recent post about coping with annoying employee gossip?  Gossip is listed as one of the top-three pet peeves in the workplace (according to a recent Ranstad study). A second major pet peeve is workers leaving messes in “communal spaces.”  This behavior aggravates many employees. Aggravated employees can lose focus and be unproductive.

Work Rooms of Shame and Pungent Odors
We have all seen and smelled the “bread-crumbs” evidence, and I’ve probably been guilty myself. The meeting adjourns. Conference rooms left with soiled napkins, dirty paper cups, crumpled-up snack wrappers, leftover food and paper airplanes. A mess left for the next meeting attendees to deal with is, without a doubt, annoying and inconsiderate. Cleaning up after co-workers is also an inefficient use of time. 

An even worse scenario: Imagine hosting a prospective client or job candidate and walking into a meeting room smelling of leftover fajitas or tuna fish sandwiches. What about the sluggard who leaves dirty dishes in the break room sink and spills coffee on the counter and floors?  Not only are messes a safety hazard, they can affect employee morale.  Seeds of resentment can sprout into full-grown resentment and infest the workplace like weeds in a garden. 

Maintain Your Image and Employee Morale
What can a business owner or HR manager do to persuade employees to be more considerate?  Here are some ways to influence employees and enlist their support for keeping communal work areas clean, tidy and fragrantly pleasing: 

1. If you are the boss, be sure and set an example.  A workplace culture develops from the top down.
2. Design and post signs. The universally recognized “X” works well and indicates that messes, stinky foods, dirty dishes, etc. are not allowed.
3. Make sure a sufficient number of waste cans, furnished with garbage liners, are strategically placed. This way, if someone has a lunch meeting, smelly garbage can be tossed right away.
4. Maintain ample cleaning supplies such as paper towels, dish detergent, etc. Let the employees know where they are stored.
5. Instruct meeting leaders to begin every meeting with a few housekeeping rules.  Simple reminders set expectations and help keep everyone on their toes. 
6. Develop and distribute a clean-work-area policy.  Ask all employees to sign it.  This process communicates expectations and encourages participation and adherence.
7. Never single anyone out and embarrass them in front of their peers.  However, if one employee isn’t getting the message, speak with them privately.

Finally, let your employees know that a clean, communal work area benefits them as well. Clean work areas are safer and healthier. Remind them, too, that a clean work area is not a goal—it is an ongoing process!

Employee Accused of Embezzling $6 Million From a Small Business
An independently owned and privately managed Houston business is in the news. This family business started with a handful of people over 50 years ago. Today they have over 300 employees.  One of these employees is charged with stealing $6 million from this business. Working as an accounting clerk, the accused was employed 16 years by this company. 

According to court records, the accused deposited checks meant for the employer into her own bank account and pocketed millions.  She reportedly used the money to live a “lavish lifestyle.”

Apart from the right and wrong of it: I have never figured out how employees embezzle company funds for extended periods of time. Embezzling $6 million boggles my mind! So putting myself in the shoes of a small-business employer, I decided to learn more about employee embezzlement. According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, U.S. organizations lose an estimated seven percent of annual revenues to fraud.

Are there ways that you can protect your business from employee embezzlement? While there is no 100-percent foolproof system, the following steps are based on information provided by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM):

• Employee-background screening is an obvious first step.  During reference checks, ask previous employers if they would consider rehiring the candidate you are considering. Also, you can pose the following to candidates: “We do background checks on all finalists. Do you have any concerns about that?”  Oftentimes, a “shady” candidate will voluntarily withdraw their application upon hearing that question.
• Create a system of checks and balances. Have one employee perform the accounts-payable records and have another employee receive and reconcile the bank statements. Embezzlers often remove and destroy original checks returned by the bank.
• Have employees take a one-week vacation once a year.  During this time, ask another employee to perform the vacationing employee’s duties. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce also recommends this approach.  As stated on their Web site, "Because an employee who never takes a vacation could be concealing acts of dishonesty, all employees, but especially the ones who have access to your business records, should be required to take a vacation annually."
• Never sign a blank check.  Always make sure that the payee’s name and the amount are filled in before signing the check.
• Treat unusual transactions with suspicion.  Look behind behaviors or explanations that do not make sense. 
• Consider investing in an annual internal audit. Many embezzlers are discouraged and/or discovered by professional auditors.
• Consider purchasing employee honesty or fidelity insurance. These policies can provide company-saving protection.
• Set up a whistleblower hotline number.  Some companies implement this program as a way for employees to call and speak with an HR specialist or an ethics counselor.
• Require ethics training.  In addition to developing a company culture built on integrity, some companies require ethics training seminars. The bottom-line message is something like, “Even though you may want to do something, don’t risk it because it’s not acceptable here.”
• Consider investing in a risk assessment. Risk assessments can uncover potentially costly irregularities. They can also provide a means for establishing money-saving fiscal controls. 

Finally, if you suspect someone of embezzlement, you should immediately seek counsel from an attorney.  The attorney will help you take the proper steps to avoid wrongly accusing an employee.

Homicide is the fourth-leading cause of fatal occupational injury in the United States. According to OSHA, "Violence in the workplace is a serious safety and health issue. Its most extreme form, homicide, is the fourth-leading cause of fatal occupational injury in the United States."

Would your business know how to respond to such a crisis?

Workplace violence, that includes physical assaults and threatening or violent behavior, is a growing problem in the workplace. A random shooting at a plant in Kentucky ended up with a co-worker killing five employees. Two others were seriously injured and taken to the hospital. According to Associated Press reports, the 25-year old gunman had argued with his supervisor over wearing safety goggles and talking on his cell phone while working on the assembly line.

Violence can erupt on the plant floor or in a professional baseball team dining room. The day after the Kentucky incident, a Houston Astros’ pitcher was suspended indefinitely for insubordination, after he reportedly grabbed the general manager by the neck and threw him to the ground. While these two workplace environments are different, both incidences reflect escalating behaviors ending up in violence.

Another growing workplace health and safety issue is an increasing concern over workplace bullying. Some organizational psychologists are even using the phrase "psychological violence" in characterizing workplace bullying.

What are the warning signs of escalating behaviors? Most people cannot imagine violent acts like random shootings or a throat-tackling taking place right before their eyes at work. In fact, violent acts can happen in the nicest of environments. For employers, supervisors and employees, it is important to recognize the warning signs that lead up to violent behavior.

According to "A Comprehensive Guide for Employers and Employees," published by MNOSHA (with the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry), there are five warning signs of escalating behaviors:

1. Confusion: individual appears bewildered, distracted or unsure what to do next.
2. Frustration: individual appears impatient or defeated.
3. Blame: individual holds others responsible for problems and is accusatory.
4. Anger: individual becomes visibly physical (pounding fists, pointing fingers, screaming, etc.).
5. Hostility: individual becomes threatening and/or out of control.

What can we do when we see these escalating behaviors? Here are MNOSHA’s suggested responses to those five warning signs identified above:

1. Confusion: listen, ask questions and give factual information.
2. Frustration: same as number one---and relocate to private area and offer reassurance.
3. Blame: same as number one---then disengage and bring in a second party to the conversation. Restate the facts and ask probing questions.
4. Anger: use venting techniques; do not argue or offer solutions. Prepare to isolate or evacuate and contact supervisor or security.
5. Hostility: disengage and evacuate. Attempt to safely isolate individual and contact security immediately.

Employee and Management Actions

No one wants to see human behaviors escalate to the degree that someone becomes out of control and hurts or kills other people. Remind employees if anyone (co-worker or customer) behaves in ways that make them uncomfortable, they should disengage from that individual and discuss the situation with their supervisor.

Management should not tolerate threats of violence or violent acts. Management should have a Safe Workplace Policy. Periodically, employees should be reminded of the policy, and they should take workplace-violence awareness and prevention training.

Additional Resource:   OSHA Workplace Violence Prevention Training Materials

Related HRTools.com information: 

Disaster Recovery Plans Provide Peace of Mind 

Prevent Cyberbullies from Attacking Your Workforce

I recently watched Ed McMahon and his wife as they appeared on CNN’s “Larry King Live.”  This 85-year old man who laughed his way into my living room (as Johnny Carson’s sidekick on “The Tonight Show”) almost every night for 25 years looked devastated.  He is suffering from a broken neck and a broken spirit. He explained that he has been unable to work since his neck injury 18 months ago. As a result of that and some other extenuating circumstances, he is losing his Beverly Hills home, valued at $4.8 million.

Most working Americans cannot imagine earning millions of dollars during their working careers and ending up at 85 years old with almost nothing. This is obviously a sad story of someone not properly managing their finances.

Many Americans fear facing increasingly higher gas prices, losing their homes, taking care of elderly parents, etc.

When your employees walk in the office or shop door, many are bringing their personal anxieties with them. Many Americans fear what the continuing high costs of commuting to work will do to their family budgets.  Many fear that they soon will have to face hard budgetary choices---choosing between paying for gas, groceries or their mortgage payment.

As a baby boomer, I’ve seen and experienced the many ups and downs that economic cycles bring.  I believe that times will get better. Americans are resilient, innovative and filled with optimism. Even though we’ve gone to the moon, I believe that we still have that old-fashioned pioneering spirit within us!

Meanwhile, what can an employer or supervisor do? 

Most employers not only care about their employees, they need their employees’ productivity, efficiencies and attention to customer service performance.

I asked my colleague, Dr. Cara Whedbee, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and one of our Insights contributors, to share her thoughts about this very important human resource, our employees. Here is what she said:

• “Treat your employees as you want to be treated.

If you take your work home with you and your home life to work, then they are no different. We are all human.

• Make allowances.

As humans, sometimes we let our worries from home affect our thinking all day long. Imagine that! So, if Bob is normally an even-keeled personality, but today he is extremely angry, don’t take it personally! Instead, ask Bob a very simple question: Is everything okay? Then shut-up and listen. If Bob tells you something you feel constitutes him needing some personal time, tell him to take a break for 30 minutes to an hour and then come back. He will be much more productive after the break if something is really bothering him, than he will be if he just keeps pushing through. 

• Encourage Boundaries. 

After you have been thoughtful and asked Bob the question above, and maybe even have given him a break, if Bob’s behavior continues, or you suspect something more serious than a break will cure what is going on, it is time to set some boundaries.

First, pursuant to objective job-performance requirements incumbent upon Bob, you will want to refer Bob to your HR personnel. If there is a need to counsel Bob for job performance issues, you can and should give Bob the opportunity to raise and discuss issues that could be affecting his work.  If Bob voluntarily raises any personal or medical issues as an explanation, speak immediately to your company’s HR professional who will either route Bob, depending on the circumstances, to a confidential Employee Assistance Program (“EAP”), give Bob a leave of absence, or determine whether he might be eligible for another legally entitled leave of absence (i.e., under the Family and Medical Leave Act).  Regardless of the situation, however, you should never assume that an employee has any type of mental or medical issue, and you should not play the role of either physician or therapist. 

• Never try to be the counselor for your employees! 

As noted above, much as you may hope to help Bob, you should not diagnose or try to counsel Bob on any assumed medical or mental health condition.  Do not put yourself in this situation simply because you think it would help. Instead, do the next best thing for you, your business and Bob, and use the approach above to counsel Bob objectively on job-related issues.  Ultimately there is a high likelihood that in going this route, Bob will be even more productive for you.” 

Additional Resources: 

The National Institute of Mental Health

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mental Health Group

Employee gossip is rated as a top pet peeve in the workplace. 

According to a recent Randstad survey, gossip is listed as one of the top three pet peeves found in the workplace. Gossip has probably been around since the beginning of the time. Gossiping at work is nothing new and it is as common as a paper clip.  However, when employees feel betrayed by malicious or unfounded rumors and gossip, a thread can be torn that can unravel the fabric of an organization.

Understandably, most employers are focused on “bigger picture” things like increasing revenues and reducing costs. They may not be aware that employee gossip is reaching an annoying stage or that it is getting out of hand.

Can a business suffer unnecessary costs as a result of employee gossip? Here are just a few obvious consequences, especially if the gossip is of a malicious or annoying nature:

1. Employee misunderstandings, which can lead to conflict. Conflict will affect productivity.
2. Employee mistrust of one another, which can negatively impact team performance.
3. Employee turnover, as some employees might feel powerless when targeted by gossip.They simply resign and go to work somewhere else.
4. Employee morale is affected. Once trust and credibility are lost, it is often difficult or impossible to restore those earned positions.
5. Supervisory burnout for those trying to resolve the problem. It can become so overwhelming (who said what to whom, who was involved, etc.) that the supervisor wonders if the job is worth the emotional toll.

What can employers do to prevent gossip from getting out of hand? 

Here are some practical tips that may help prevent malicious or annoying gossip from reaching out-of-control levels:

1. Employee communications: Consistently and regularly keep employees informed and in the loop. Schedule regular meetings where employees can share information and voice concerns. Some companies provide a 'hotline' telephone number that employees can use to call in and express concerns.
2. Employee training: Training and development seminars and courses can help employees understand how malicious gossip is hurtful to others.  Training can also help employees understand how to tactfully reply to other employees who want to gossip. For instance, employees can learn appropriate responses such as, “I hadn’t heard that about co-worker X.  Let’s go ask her about that.”  Or, by simply responding in ways similar to, “I’m not comfortable talking about co-worker X.”
3. Remind employees of an e-mail policy:  Sometimes gossip is spread through e-mails, as much as around the water cooler. Periodically inform employees that company e-mails are not always private and that they are subject to employer review. 
4. Build a supportive and cooperative culture: An environment built on trust starts out with a genuinely supportive culture, and it starts at the top. Show your managers and supervisors how much you respect and honor their contributions. Invite their feedback and show them how you respect and value their opinions. They are more likely, in turn, to model the same attitude and behaviors to employees.
5. Take the high road and set an example:  Never belittle or demean another employee in public. If you have an issue with someone’s performance, speak directly with the employee and in private.

Take charge and remember the Golden Rule approach. While it is unrealistic to think that gossip can be totally eradicated from the workplace, employers can take charge of the situation. Employee communications can specify written and verbal expectations and reminders of acceptable conduct in the workplace. By setting an example and providing additional training, hopefully employers can prevent seriously damaging gossip from taking root. As the Golden Rule says, “Treat others as you want to be treated,” which seems to be a timeless approach.

Do Leaders Like John McCain Deliver Pizzas?

I recently saw Senator John McCain on the national news, hand-delivering pizzas to a Midtown Manhattan fire station in New York.  My immediate thoughts were, “Well, here is a United States senator who is running for President of the United States delivering pizzas in a suit and tie.”  Nonetheless, he appeared dignified and humble as he handed off pizza boxes to a New York firefighter.

Watching this video footage about a U.S. political leader also made me think about a philosophy known as “servant leadership” and how it relates to business leaders. In fact, my company (Administaff) subscribes to “servant leadership” values.  Our business leaders are expected to participate in this service model, and it is part of our values statement.

While the words “servant” and “leaders” may seem like a contradiction in terms, I am studying how servant leadership applies to business leaders. I learned that Robert K. Greenleaf is recognized as the father of servant leadership.  He published a 1970 essay, “The Servant as Leader,” and he described a philosophy that has caught on around the world. He also founded The Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership.

10 Characteristics of Servant Leadership

Here are 10 characteristics of servant leadership summarized from views shared by Larry C. Spears, who served as president and CEO of the Greenleaf Center:

1. Listening: as in listening intently to others, followed by periods of reflection.
2. Empathy: as in striving to understand others and assuming their good intentions.
3. Healing: as in the healing of one’s self and one’s relationship to others.
4. Awareness: as in being “sharply awake and reasonably disturbed.” (as quoted from R. Greenleaf.)
5. Persuasion: as in seeking to convince others rather than coerce compliance.
6. Conceptualization: as in nurturing one’s abilities to dream great dreams.
7. Foresight: as in the ability to foresee the likely outcome of a situation.
8. Stewardship: as in holding the institution in trust for the greater good of society.
9. Commitment to the growth of people: as in possessing a deep commitment to the growth of each individual within an institution.
10. Building community: as in identifying means for building better communities among an institution’s workers.

This summer, researchers are gathering in Rotterdam (the Netherlands) to report on servant leadership results. The Erasmus Centre for Leadership Studies is hosting the first Global Servant-Leadership Research Roundtable (GSLRR).  This roundtable discussion event, scheduled for July 2008, will include researchers from all over the world. After the event findings are published, I will let you know what we learn.

Recruiting "We Can Do" Millennials

This year’s presidential race has captivated me. As a Baby Boomer, I am wondering, “How does Barack Obama do it?”

Regardless of a person’s political leanings, no one can deny that his phenomenal rise to “rock star” status is shaking up the establishment.  Not only that; he attracts and inspires young voters like no one before him.

Never in my life have I seen a political candidate engage the young people (commonly referred to as Millennials or Generation Y) like he does.  In the April 2008 issue of Fast Company in an article titled, The Brand Called Obama, Ellen McGirt wrote:

"Barack Obama is three things you want in a brand," says Keith Reinhard, chairman emeritus of DDB Worldwide. "New, different, and attractive. That's as good as it gets." Obama has his greatest strength among the young, roughly 18 to 29 years old, that advertisers covet, the cohort known as millennials -- who will outnumber the baby boomers by 2010. They are black, white, yellow, and various shades of brown, but what they share -- new media, online social networks, a distaste for top-down sales pitches -- connects them more than traditional barriers, such as ethnicity, divide them.

Implications for the American Workplace

Also, according to McGirt, “Any forward-thinking business would be wise to examine the implications of his ascent, from marketing strategies and leadership styles to the future of the American workplace.”  Perhaps McGirt is onto something. Companies looking to attract and engage college graduates may gain an advantage by analyzing Obama’s campaign strategy, which is significantly Internet and technology focused.

Certainly, and indisputably, his campaign bubbles with marketing and technology wizards. They have mastered the digital campaign world to the point where they are changing the face of politics, particularly through the digital social networking world.

Take for example, their record-breaking campaign contribution amounts. In the month of February 2008, his campaign reported over $55 million in contributions. Estimates for March 2008 predict that his campaign raised more than $40 million. Much of the campaign fundraising is accomplished via the Internet. 

Their Birth May Have Been Captured with Interactive Technology

Obama’s campaign Web site has a “Welcome Generation Obama” section where young people can interact and actively participate anytime, day or night.  Remember, this generation is the first generation born into and brought up with this interactive technology. It is how they relate to one another and connect with the world.  Their fathers were probably in the delivery room capturing and reporting their birth by video camera.  My, how times have changed. I’ve heard fathers from my generation express gratitude that they were not even allowed in the delivery room.

On Obama’s campaign Web site, he reaches out on a 24/7 basis to this voting block of technologically-savvy 18-29 year olds. By the millions, they are taking the e-wheel and instantly becoming political activist e-drivers. 

Obama Web site users personally take control and connect (and reconnect) to him, his campaign and other followers by accessing these powerful digital technological tools, gadgets or programs:

• Blogging
• Social Networking (links to 21 groups, such as MySpace and Facebook)
• Wirelessly communicating (mobile gadget transmits their text messages)
• Linking to e-mails
• Developing their own e-page (make friends, host events, etc.)
• Viewing online videos
• Reporting e-problems
• Checking facts (interactive)
• Choosing volunteering opportunities
• Getting involved (by registering for daily e-mail reminders)
• Locating local campaign headquarters

Obama’s top campaign strategists probably have a copy of the third edition of The Millennials: Americans Born 1977 to 1994.  Here is a representative sampling of the generational and marketing-rich information it contains:

• Every generation of Americans is unique, shaped not only by its numbers but also by the historical moment. Millennials are no exception.
• Already, three distinct characteristics are emerging; characteristics that will reshape American society as Millennials mature.

Social Networking Sites Provide Insights to Business Recruiters

Ironically, business recruiters for Millennial candidates can also gain insights when accessing their social-networking pages. Many of these networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace, serve as the epitome of the First Amendment rights and free expression often reigns. While business recruiters are charged with finding talented and qualified job prospects, companies also seek individuals who will represent their public image and who share compatible organizational values, ideals and goals. 

Remember: Regardless of information that potential job candidates freely and openly provide on these Internet sites, unlawful questions or comments relating to either state or federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) regulations must be avoided during the screening, interviewing and employment process. 

Body Language Awareness in a Cross-Cultural World

Have you been asked many times to appear for jury duty, yet you’ve never been selected to serve?  Do you wonder why?  Perhaps, it’s not what you say, but how you say it.

Most behaviorists agree that interpersonal communication is significantly affected by our body language. In his international best-seller book, Emotional Intelligence, author Daniel Goleman claims that 90 percent of our emotions are expressed nonverbally.

According to Elizabeth Kuhnke, author of Body Language for Dummies, “The science of body language is a fairly recent study, dating primarily from around 60 years ago, although body language itself is, of course, as old as humans.”  Today in less than a century’s time, we see an increasingly diverse workplace and Internet communications effectively shrinking our global reach. Therefore, we see the need for body language awareness increasing in direct proportion, as well.

Back to jury duty and the courtroom, Houston trial lawyer Jacalyn Scott offers an interesting insight into courtroom body language and how nonverbal cues play a significant role in a trial situation:

Interpretation of body language is important to all trial lawyers.  Not just during jury selection but throughout the trial. Reading people and their reaction to scenes, words, demonstrative exhibits and witnesses provides critical information to the observant attorney.  It is an essential skill that allows lawyers to adjust their presentations as the trial progresses.  Lawyers are —- or should be  —-  also aware of the fact that they are constantly being watched by the jurors and the lawyer's body language communicates to the jury as well. 

Most people not involved in the legal profession probably agree with this verdict. Staying out of courtrooms and avoiding these sorts of self-conscious, body-reading experiences is a preferred course of action.

Body Language Affects Cross-Cultural Communications

In the regular business world, though, given today’s diversity and the shrinking of our global village, we have an unprecedented challenge.  More than ever before, the American workforce needs to be educated and sensitized to the subtleties of body language, including those silent, yet potentially powerful, gestures. 

As more of us cross cultural borders in the workplace, we need to be respectful and mindful of how we come across to others.  For instance, someone traveling to Europe on business may offend someone in Austria by chewing gum.  (Perhaps, stateside, too; my American-citizen sister is annoyed when I chew gum.) 

Also, when a woman meets an Austrian man at a restaurant, he may kiss her hand and walk in front of her to the table. He takes the lead in this situation because he wants to make sure the environment is acceptable. Nice.  I like that sort of chivalry myself. No problem there; however…

To avoid potential misunderstandings or hurt feelings, Americans need to be aware about differences in cultural body language.  For instance people from Bangladesh may consider a “thumb up” gesture (the American equivalent to saying “Great!”) as a serious insult. In fact, the “thumb up” gesture is also considered rude and even obscene in places like Nigeria and Sydney, Australia.

Universally speaking, there are some near-absolutes in body language—but even those have exceptions.  For instance, it is globally unacceptable to pat or pinch someone on the derrière.  However, professional sports fans do occasionally see hefty linebackers or cheetah-like soccer players patting a teammate’s fanny. As an unspoken rule, though, it is never too long of a pat. Certainly, a long lingering pat on the fanny would make most sports fans demand for a referee whistle and call — too much time lingering or something like that.

When in Doubt, Just Applaud…or Ask

While it is practically impossible to know and understand all the universal gestures and what they mean, it is probably best to ask when something is not understood.  Bryan Pawlik, a marketing specialist with Administaff, lived and studied in China for three years. He is returning this summer to complete his Master’s degree. Bryan recalls a few examples of cultural differences and how adjustments can be made, once people are aware of them.

In China, when a speaker or performer claps at the same time an audience claps, it is interpreted as a thank you or mutual appreciation. This often happens during company meetings and formal gatherings. In America, this gesture might be perceived as impolite or arrogant. 

My favorite is the staring. Being a foreigner in China, this (behavior) would drive me absolutely crazy. However, while I thought it was rude, it was just simple curiosity from the Chinese perspective and not intended to be perceived as impolite.

Ways to Learn about Body Language and Cultural Differences

Meanwhile, I found the What’s Up with Culture website informative and fun.  Offered primarily as a tool to help college students or workers learn how to prepare for international travel, it is organized by modules. It also provides insights for exploring various aspects of intercultural communication, including nonverbal styles and forms.

Some modules include amusing examples of how easily Americans can be misunderstood.  For instance, some Americans who consider burping gross and rude may find that some cultures consider it a “breech of manners and impolite not to burp” after a meal.  Can we reprogram ourselves to eat and burp? 

Our “global village” world is a fascinating place, and the cultures are blending more and more every day.  We can learn about, enjoy and accept the differences…or, we might run the risk of being misunderstood and possibly shunned. 

As they say in France, “Le savoir vivre!”

History repeating itself

I am having a déjà vu moment.

Today, I learned about a study that points to recently-discharged Vets having a difficult time finding civilian jobs.  Tell me it ain’t so.  It breaks my heart. 

This news takes me back to the painful period of the late ‘60s and ‘70s when the Vietnam Vets experienced similar times.  A Vietnam Vet once told me that when he returned home, he didn’t want people to know he had been in the service. Determined to turn this shameful experience into a positive one, and with the help of the GI Bill, he pointed his boots forward. He headed back to college to finish what he started before he was drafted. Fortunately for the energy-industry community, he has contributed a great deal during his 35-year career as a highly-respected scientist.

Back to today

According to this Feb. 2, 2008, AP story: “Strained by war, recently discharged veterans are having a harder time finding civilian jobs and are more likely to earn lower wages for years due partly to employer concerns about their mental health and overall skills, a government study says.  The 2007 study by the consulting firm Abt Associates Inc. found that 18 percent of the veterans were unemployed within one to three years of discharge, while one out of four who did find jobs earned less than $21,840 a year.”

Let’s look forward and be reasonable

I am a red, white and blue, flag-waving, optimistic American woman, who also believes in the fair-mindedness of American business people.  At minimum, these Vets deserve---as this study suggests---not to be stereotyped. Instincts also tell me that our service people returning from duty in the Middle East haven’t been back long enough to justify these concerns.

Consider our Vets’ soft skills

Thinking about all this reminds me of a former boss and his philosophy about recruiting and hiring. He always selected the applicant possessing strong “soft” behavioral skills over someone with a poor attitude who also knows a lot.

He pointed out that someone with a “can-do” attitude is always trainable. Incidentally, he managed the most functional, high-performing teams I’ve ever seen in the workplace.

Although businesses need people who treat customers with a sense of empathy and respect, these attitudes are not normally attained by earning a degree at the average university or college.  Expertise is important, but at the end of the business day, positive behavioral skills and attitudes are what elevate an organization above its competition.

What sustains customer loyalty?

I am not saying that 100 percent of today’s Vets possess these “soft” behavioral skills.  But, almost every Vet I know meets or exceeds the above targets. Maybe, we can prove this study wrong.  Let’s give our Vets fair opportunities to show how much they can contribute in the civilian workplace.  We need people like this.

Who put the bomp in the bomp-a-bomp-a-bomp
Who put the ram in the ram-a-lam-a-ding-dong
Who put the bop in the bop-she-bop-she-bop
Who put the dip in the dip-de-dip-de-dip
From, "Who Put The Bomp in the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp" by Barry Mann, 1961

Two questions:

1. How could anyone not understand us Baby Boomers, as we engaged in some of the most memorable doo-wop lyrics of the 20th century?
2. Not only that, what happened?  It seems like yesterday, I was the youngest person in the office.

Boom! Today, we have four generations

When I started working in the late ‘70s, for the most part, the workplace had two generations represented. Now, sociologists and other experts say that the workplace has four distinct generations who communicate in different ways. How does a manager become fluent in so many communication styles?

In reviewing these generational differences, The Families and Work Institute with The American Business Collaboration published a report based on 25 years of study.  In this report, they cover the four generations represented in today's workforce: (1) The Traditionalist (or Matures); (2) The Baby Boomer; (3) Generation X; and, (4) Generation Y.

From my own personal experience, as a baby boomer working in the ‘70s and ‘80s, I remember that “good communications skills” meant formal writing and speaking skills. Today, to a Gen Y or Gen X professional, that term might mean savvy e-mailing and text messaging skills.

Booted out of the nest by our “Greatest Generation” parents, we—barefoot hippies, groovy flower children, rebellious rock and rollers—grew up. We adapted to office politicking and 10-12 hour workdays and on weekends, too.  Especially, those who wanted to get and stay ahead.

Back then, it was unusual to address any of our workplace elders—the Traditionalists— by first name or just drop in for a casual conversation. Titles such as Mr. and Mrs. (possibly, “Ms.”) were used and appointments were scheduled.

What do you mean by that?

In recent discussions with a Generation Y co-worker, we shared communication experiences. She recalled one with a Baby Boomer co-worker at a previous job.  After a disappointing misunderstanding, due to the co-worker’s selective memory and playing a verbal blame game, this Gen Y professional now documents everything by e-mail.

Remember, too, this latchkey generation (Y) learned digital self-reliance early on! They are also well connected. They know how to spread news to thousands with one click of a mouse. In fact, some technically-challenged Baby Boomers find this generation as challenging or even threatening.  It is like different languages are being spoken.

Baby Boomers have obviously adapted in many ways over the years. Likewise, we can learn to adapt our perspectives and communication styles to achieve harmonious working relationships. I believe we have the opportunity to take the lead here. We can strive to really listen to and understand our younger co-workers.  

Live to Work versus Work to Live

Actually, Generation Y’s views about life and work give me pause. Baby Boomer attitudes are more about living to work; whereas, Gen Y attitudes seem more about working to live.

I find their independent thinking, sense of humor, and obsession to try and learn new things, refreshing and stimulating. I also admire their commitment to balancing work with other meaningful life pursuits, such as family and environmental concerns.

I highly recommend that working Baby Boomers review the various studies, trends and characteristics relating to the four generations. For more personalized viewpoints, check out the HRTools’ blogs—Generation Y, a blog about hiring and retaining Gen Y employees, and—HR Correct, a blog about Gen X in the workplace.

Meanwhile, the following "serves" to illustrates my point. Next time you go out to a restaurant, take notice. The wait staff, depending on their generational perspective, serves with totally different service perspectives. Our four generational types have their own unique perspective about good service and how customers and service personnel should interact:

1. Harry, The Traditionalist, serves well because, “it is the right thing to do.”

2. Doris, The Baby Boomer, serves well “to win approval, to be respected.”

3. Jason, Generation X, serves well because, “it’s efficient and it contributes to the bottom line (tips).”

4. Ashley, Generation Y, serves well because, “it’s a positive part of the environment and everybody gets along.” 

Enjoy the Ride!

The bottom line is that the multigenerational workforce is complex and complicated. It requires that we remain flexible, open, and respectful.  Effective managers are those who can smoothly shift generational gears automatically and quickly. Enjoy the ride!

Rolling along with hot cocoa 

Last weekend, we rolled through the Texas Hill Country via an historic steam-engine passenger train out of Austin. In January, Texans never know. Temperatures may rise to 80 balmy degrees or---as it did on Saturday---fall to 30 shivering degrees, with a wicked wind-chill factor to boot.

Arriving on time, we joined about 150 passengers waiting in line, and we watched as the train cars switched tracks. With pre-purchased tickets in shaking hands, we impatiently waited for the train conductors to shout “All Aboooooard!” Sensing that track-switching would take awhile, I left the line to find the ticket office. I wanted to upgrade our “no-heat,” coach fare tickets to the more expensive, “with heat,” coach fare tickets. My family eagerly awaited my return, but they could tell by the look on my face: All sold out.

Thankfully, I brought a warm blanket to wrap around us; and, the train had plenty of hot cocoa.

They could be home by a fire

As we boarded, I noticed that all the train attendants and conductors appeared to be 60 or older. On this frigid day, they wore layers of clothing.  They also proudly wore Austin Steam Train Association caps, buttons and jackets. As evidenced by their rosy cheeks and gloved hands rubbing back and forth, they, too, were cold. Even so, they warmly welcomed us and remained consistently attentive, helpful and entertaining for nearly eight straight hours. I thought to myself, "They could be home by a fire."

We found our seats and huddled together under the blanket. Like sunflowers, we leaned towards the bright morning sunlight that beamed through the train windows. As the train left the station, a senior announcer greeted us over the public address system. 

He began by explaining a few policies, such as wandering children have to be accompanied by an adult at all times. He further explained that all the train personnel were volunteers, and they are always looking for more volunteers. One volunteer was a biomedical engineer, another---an orthopedic surgeon, another---a real estate agent. I was impressed, but after spending an entire day with them, I was also amazed and inspired. 

Their rocking chairs must be idle

As it turns out, these elderly Austin Steam Train Association volunteers dedicate entire days to welcoming, helping, entertaining and educating train passengers. They led us in songs, and they pointed out interesting sights and shared trivia. 

• The train passes the 10th tallest structure (a cellular phone tower) on the planet near Burnet, Texas.
• The train crosses the oldest, operational river-crossing railroad bridge in Texas, crossing the San Gabriel River near Leander. 

To entertain the children, they changed into costumes (hopefully, in the heated coach car!), passed around balloons and measured heads, in order to shape and sculpt customized balloon hats. They also readily posed for pictures.

At sunset, the train rolled back into the station.  The volunteers thanked us for joining them. They reminded passengers that they are always looking for more volunteers. We hugged and thanked them for making our train experience a memorable one.  I don’t see any rocking chairs in their future; if there are, they will be idle. This experience also reminded me of how proud I am to work for a company that is an ardent supporter of community volunteering.

P.S.  These dedicated train association volunteers also serve passengers on 100+ degree Texas summer days, and some cars are not air conditioned! 

Just cause you can’t see it . . .

Have you ever viewed a bug (insect style) under a scanning electronic microscope?  A chemist friend of mine shared examples one day. If you think bugs are creepy at a 20-20 vision range, an up-close-and-personal SEM image will definitely creep you out.

It occurred to me. It is a blessing that we cannot see human-hosted bugs --- such as the influenza (flu) viruses --- with the naked eye. These viruses look for us in all the right places, whether or not we are aware of it. One night we go to bed feeling fine and like an adult.  Then the next morning, we wake up feeling like an overwhelmed child:  sweating, shivering and aching, and like someone is pounding our head with a jackhammer. 

Biologists describe the flu bug as having crowns and spikes. Visualizing some flu bug with spiked hair infiltrating noses, mouths and ears might make any work or shop alcoholic anxious to venture out of the house.

Maybe the airlines have a good point?

Speaking of working and shopping, what can and should a business do to prepare for a seasonal flu outbreak?  I’m really into the logic exemplified by the airlines’ safety approach. You know---what should passengers do if that oxygen mask deploys? 

By the time passengers are seat-belted and the airplane takes off, flight attendants demonstrate step-by-step safety instructions. The bottom line of the instructions is: Stay put, save yourself first and then assist others. 

Likewise when workers get the flu, I advocate the business HR mantra, “Stay home and take care of yourself first.  Then, come back and assist us.” 

Hop on, I’ll take you to work

It’s always a tough call in the workplace.  Do we want workers to stay home at the first sniffle, sneeze, ache or chill?  Too, some committed workers do not want to call in sick.

I say, let’s reassure them that we want them back, but in good health and virus-free.  Let’s keep the seasonal flu virus from spreading by encouraging infected workers to stay home. Lysol and antibacterial soap do little to keep virus-related illnesses from spreading and nearly everybody loses.

For more information about the influenza virus, visit the Center for Disease Control online.  This Web site also provides current outbreak (surveillance) data. 

Seasonal Versus Pandemic Flu

Although both are serious, seasonal flu and pandemic flu are not the same. Pandemic flu is more deadly and serious. It involves a global outbreak of a particular strain, such as the Spanish Flu of 1918, when an estimated 50 million people died. OSHA and the U.S. Department of Labor published a free online handbook to help business owners prepare for such a catastrophic event.