Just off the top of my head, here are things you need to know about Human Resources in order get ahead in 2009.
- Start believing the grapevine because it often reflects the writing on the wall.
- Gossip — because your career depends on it.
- Stop telling us about your grandchildren. We fire old people [and boring people] at a disproportionate rate.
- Do not confuse an office friendship with a Facebook friendship with a real friendship.
- Your suspicions are confirmed: we are reading your email, we are thinking about outsourcing your job, and the secretary is timing your lunch break.
Want to get ahead in 2009? Change your behaviors accordingly.
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A great reminder in this time of downsizing and budget cuts that we all need to crank it up a notch. The work that we do every day isn’t just work, it’s a competition and you need to be the one out in front.
Thanks for the reminder that in these times of downsizing, outsourcing, and budget cuts that we all need to bring our best, A+ work, every day. It’s not just a job that we go to every morning, it’s a competition, and we all need to stay out in front in 2009.
All confirming suspicions i’ve held for a long time.
Happy New Year!!
Stop saving everything; shred half of the contents of most personnel files.
Wow I’m lucky to be alive.
Larry
Pheww…..
Lucky for me I don’t have a secretary!
@Debra I’m leaving the duplicate comments. I like them both!
@Sherry You know the truth before most people!
@Rebecca That’s a whole chapter in my forthcoming book. Christ. Also, please, do not ask me for a copy of your personnel file when you are mad at your supervisor. There is *nothing* in there.
@mszypko My secretaries are my kitties, but they make horrible coffee.
@Larry Oh my god, your site is brill.
Thank you. Could use some cleaning up and 2.0ing but who has the time?
I am sorry, but I can’t disagree more with this whole notion of “cranking it up a little.” Most of us have already taken on 2-3 jobs and are doing more with less. Many US companies never fully replaced the workforce that was lost in the recession of 2002-03.
This latest version has only sank many of us to the bottom of the pool — if we weren’t there already. If you have room to crank it up and don’t mind completely sacrificing any family or home life, well be my guest. The rest of us will demand better working conditions, fair wages/benefits and a real life outside of the cube.
If my company thinks it can live without me, then fine, but they won
@Bryan My vision of cranking it up is your vision — swagger & ass kickins. Oh, and kittens.
To sum it up – Don’t trust anyone.
I’m with Brian. I certainly don’t mind rolling up my sleeves when the team needs help but I work my A$$ off and am already missing far too much of my son’s first years. You can only crank a lever so far before it breaks… I am lucky, I work for a good company and have a boss that is always yelling at me to go home and take some time off so I don’t lose it – for the 5th year in a row. In the US we have a culture that often fails to see the need for a healthy work/life balance. As HR Pros we need to help set a culture that recognizes the needs of our greatest resources. Burning through and out our Human Resources (people not the department
Time for some HR Activism with Attitude. Good reminder of true reality as opposed to the platitudes and bromides of falsely imposed ideality
@Rachl Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get you.
@Corey I’m with you in that we can’t all be slave-laborers working in a Kathie Lee Gifford sweatshop. There’s only so much we can do. I would like to put it this way: when you do something, make sure it kicks ass.
@RMSJR I love HR Activism with Attitude.
@ Laurie;
I try HRAwA occassionally on the continuum between infreqently and frequently. Then measure the results. I need to get my HR Rules out of my PDA up on my site, perhaps this evening? Who has time?