Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Today’s epinion comes from business and leadership blogger Dan Oswald (CEO of BLR) in a recent edition of The Oswald Letter. It might seem surprising, says Oswald, for a college football player to say being kicked off the team was the best thing a coach ever did for him—it wasn’t receiving a scholarship, which provided […]
Pay compression is particularly difficult to address in times of economic hardship, says Wudyka, but there are steps you can take to eliminate it. Wudyka is managing principal of Westminster Associates in Wrentham, Massachusetts. His tips came during a recent webinar sponsored by BLR. 1) Revisit/rebuild “grade structure.” The first thing we can do is […]
Inevitably, Wudyka says, when I evaluate organizations’ compensation, there is pay compression somewhere in some range or grade. Wudyka is managing principal of Westminster Associates in Wrentham, Massachusetts. His tips came during a recent webinar sponsored by BLR. Defining Pay Compression Pay compression occurs when the pay rate of an individual is “uncomfortably close” to […]
West, principal at Employment Practices Specialists in Pacifica, California, offered her suggestions at SHRM’s annual conference and exhibition, held recently in Las Vegas. Here are her six scary phrases: 1. ‘You’re overcommitted’ When you say this, the applicant will hear: “Has kids and won’t stay late.” Sounds like discrimination. 2. ‘You lack skills necessary to […]
Employment law attorneys aren’t allowed to say “document,” West says; they are always required to say “document, document, document.” There’s a good reason for using the famous three words, she adds, because documentation is that important: It gives you credibility It’s how you show the world that you did what you say you did It […]
‘I Can’t Live on What You’re Paying Me’ Conversations In a previous Advisor, we covered the basics of dealing with tough compensation questions. Today, more tough questions from a recent BLR webinar featuring Teresa Murphy and David Wudyka. Wage and Hour Mythbusters Wage and hour should be the easiest job in comp, but there are […]
Challenge # 4: Organization Development [Go here for challenges 1 to 3.] Gore worked on the "reinventing government" program at the country’s largest employer, the US Government. He says the key to finding better ways of doing things is to start at the bottom. His teams met first with the janitors and worked their way […]
Consulting with HR before any termination should be an absolute. And not just to help with the firing itself; HR needs to be involved long before that. What sorts of things can go wrong when HR’s not involved in the decision to terminate? Let’s list a few of the expensive problems that can crop up: […]
Culbert, author of Get Rid of the Performance Review!, is a consultant and professor at UCLA. To achieve the best results for the organization, Culbert recommends that all managers and supervisors: Help subordinates see that the boss understands their perspective. Too many managers, helped along by rigid performance review processes, frame situations on the basis […]
Culbert, a professor of management at UCLA, goes on to say that the performance review is "a pretentious, bogus practice that produces absolutely nothing that any thinking executive should call a corporate plus." In Culbert’s book, Get Rid of the Performance Review!, he advocates instead the performance preview, which he says will actually accomplish what […]