Records

Records are a necessity in every organization. We all need them to do our job. Remember when something you said or did came back to haunt you later? Well, the records you generate in your organization can come back to haunt you too.

One department manager in a Washington state organization proposed a plan for a number of other department managers to leave the company and start their own business. He was secretive about it because the business venture he was proposing would be in direct competition with their present company. The planning went well for awhile. It came apart when he saved his plan on a disk and then accidentally used the same disk to send another file to corporate headquarters.  Read the full article...

I think you will get a kick out of the following Office Guides. These rules were given to all new office employees at the Albert Lea, Minnesota Queen Products Division of the King Seeley Corporation in the early 1960’s. Although it is fading, I still have the original mimeograph.

The following guides to office practices are outlined to familiarize employees with our office routine. Careful attention to them will aid in avoiding possible embarrassment or misunderstandings.

1. Smoking is permitted throughout the office at all times. Please do not leave lighted cigarettes on desk tops or throw cigarette butts onto floors or into waste baskets. See the Office Manager if you need ash trays.  Read the full article...

Networking.

Networking can help you find answers to almost any problem you have. Talk with other HR people. How do they solve problems? Remember that you will not change your organization overnight. It takes time and effort. Part of that time needs to be spent learning how HR people in other organizations solve problems.

One of the most powerful tools you can use in this process is your business card. When properly used, that is. And “properly used” means using them to build a network of names. Got a meeting coming up where you will see peers in your field? Going to a seminar? Take your cards!  Read the full article...

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates discusses, in a recent article in Parade, was asked what he thinks of today’s young people in the military.

“They are the most amazing young people. They’re out there building roads, fighting the enemy, conducting tribal councils, figuring out how to get kids to school. Their willingness to accept responsibility, to put their lives on the line – their courage, their resilience – is just extraordinary. These kids are the next generation”.  Read the full article...