Tag: humanresource

To Gig Or Not To Gig….

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You spend most of your day doing exactly what you wanna do when you wanna do it.

Alana has a craving that she wants to fill real time but she can’t leave the house. She gets on her Uber Eats App, orders ice-cream. 20 Minutes later a delivery person shows up with a bag that she’s able to indulge and satisfy her craving.

Going to the airport and can’t be bothered with the parking headache? Enter Uber. You call a cab on your App and within minutes a driver shows up. You get to the airport and what’s more you do the reverse on your return.

A full-time employee messes up, they’re fired at will and an immediate skilled replacement is contracted until the employer chooses to fill the position long term. Alas often it seems workers in the Gig economy are ‘hired‘ to work on demand for a revolving period, then exchanged for a replacement for yet another short term. The perceived benefit —no payment of fixed benefits costs.

Gig Economy Defined

In a Gig economy, temporary, flexible jobs are commonplace and companies tend toward hiring independent contractors and freelancers instead of full-time employees. ~Investopedia.

We could go on and on. Convenience is the order of the day. We want it done and right away. In our microwave society everything is almost immediate.   If that need is not met, we scream in complaint, throw a fit, become enraged, cancel orders and more.

Autonomy

A young millennial smiled in response to a news-reporter’s question. She spends most of her day doing what she wants… when she wants. She commutes around town charging scooters. This is a common comment from this generation. Autonomy is the order of the day. Gone are the days when they leave school and get a life-time job. They want autonomy. They want to work when they want to work because they enjoy tremendous flexibility, independence and rid themselves of monotony.

Susan Milligan in a Society for Human Resource(SHRM) article asserts that there are two types of gig workers. Those who have no desire to work full-time and those who are in the midst of a job search for full-time opportunities but will work to get an influx of cash while they search. I dare say there are still those who work full-time but need to increase their income to save for a specific goal, as an Uber cab driver shared with me in New Orleans. Her daughter needed to travel for a school event so she was driving at nights to give her the opportunity to attend.

As this phenomenon becomes more widespread, the downsides of a lack of sustained income, benefits, responsibility for their own taxes sometimes attracts stress. But it seems the supplemental income drives the benefits for temporary or long term gain. The ideal getaway can be had by doing some gigs on the side or on a sustained basis. No need to be turned down due to scheduling issues. They go when they want and where they want.

The Change. The Times.

Signs of the times. Caution to employers or older generations who want to hold on to tradition. A career that lasts a lifetime – work for years with the same company then move on when retired or sadly these days, are replaced by the rapid changes in technology and innovation.

As I have always cautioned, to stand still is to be left behind. Embrace the changes, do what you must and survive the long haul. Thoughts? Do share. We would love to hear.

Cheers!

13 Things I Learned From Working With A Micro Manager…

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 Give me guidance, not micro management

Micromanagement. It’s negative. Besides the organizational impact of higher turnover, stress, lowered productivity, team members suffer dire consequences when being micro-managed. We dare say that many still practice it… but is it wise? Is there a basis for micromanagement?

Micromanagement is a management style whereby a manager closely observes and/or controls the work of his/her subordinates or employees. Micromanagement is generally considered to have a negative connotation, mainly due to the fact that it shows a lack of freedom in the workplace

Below are some simple examples of reasons learnt from working with a Micromanager.

  1. Not to micromanage
  2. It’s frustrating
  3. Time goes by slowly and you long for weekends and holidays
  4. It induces lack of confidence
  5. You question yourself “am I doing it right?“
  6. You double and triple-check your work to make sure there are no mistakes
  7. You become insecure, often asking yourself; “am I going to lose my job today?”
  8. Productivity increases when the boss is absent because employees are ‘happier’. The opposite is also true because employees feel relieved, relaxed and become unproductive
  9. The micromanager rarely gives praise because he/she is focused on finding mistakes
  10. Micromanagement causes increased Stress which leads to health issues and absenteeism
  11. Individuals make irrational decisions when they become frustrated. Some even throw in the towel and resign without knowledge of the next steps.
  12. Turnover is high
  13. The micro manager is a control freak because he/she is often insecure 

Were you ever micro-managed? How did it affect you? Do share. We would love to hear.

Cheers!

Paid Leave! Paid Overtime! Life’s Good!

FAMILY LEAVE

The United States lags behind over 70 countries now offering Paternity leave (Peck & Covert, 2014). It may take some time to catch up. But the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) revealed that major Silicon Valley companies and others have already voluntarily started the trek granting leave benefits to both women and men. Way to go Silicon Valley. Life’s Good! Others will follow.

paternity leave

 

OVERTIME: From $455 to $970 A Week…

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Imagine a wage hike from $455 to $970, a week! Workers would be thrilled! The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), discussed the proposed changes to federal regulations that would increase the number of workers eligible for overtime pay. David Mark explained that under the current federal rules employees earning up to $455 weekly or $23,660 per annum, would qualify for overtime pay. However, if changes are made this would more than double to $970 weekly, or $50,440 per annum. No doubt a dramatic boost in take home pay for over 5 million people.  This would certainly be a nightmare for employers who knowingly or unknowingly misclassify some workers, but definitely a dream come through for employees. Fleeting? Maybe. Stay tuned for more on this issue.

<a href=”https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/fleeting/”>Fleeting</a&gt;

Workplace Trends

flexible work

In a major survey with human resource executives, managers, and more Forbes Magazine writer Dan Schawbel predicts 10 workplace trends expected in 2016. These are based on companies doing more with fewer resources in the midst of advances in technology and security issues arising as a result. Some challenges include the war for talent, adapting to change, and the need for workforce training. Compare and Contrast these trends and check your industry knowledge, and readiness.

  1. The acceptance of boomerang employees and the challenges for job seekers.
  2. The leadership gap will start being filled as boomers retire in numbers.
  3. Workplace flexibility becomes the biggest topic of conversation. Includes employees being reachable outside of office hours on their personal time. Work week up from 40 to 47 hours.
  4. Wearable technology (e.g. Apple watch, Fitbit) is being taken more seriously and disrupts business as usual. Wearables take advantage of our 24/7 business environment and helps workers retrieve information and be more efficient.
  5. Companies get serious about office design and use it as a way to increase collaboration and attract top talent.
  6. Obamacare takes full effect, causing premiums to surge and companies to pass more costs to employees. In order to remain profitable, companies will have to hire freelancers and remove some or all full-time workers.
  7. Companies figure out how to automate more jobs and modernize their workplaces at the cost of employees. But new jobs will be created.
  8. The first group of Generation Z will enter the workforce. They will choose work-life balance over salary, and will be seen more connected through technology.
  9. More professionals seek gigs instead of full-time jobs as the sharing and freelance market place expand.
  10. Maternity leave becomes bigger discussion as employee benefit

<a href=”https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/contrast/”>Contrast</a&gt;

How I Became a Human Resource Manager

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I never dreamed of a career in Human Resources. From an early age, I would look to the stars and dream of being involved in healthcare, or the airline industry. Of course these are two very different industries but my passion for people was evident from then. After graduating high school, I got the dream call for an interview as a flight attendant. I am always punctual, but for some strange reason I ended up being 10 minutes late for the interview, and was ‘disqualified’ from that opportunity.

I took it as a sign when I was hired by one of the nation’s big commercial banks. That opened the doors to human resource management for me; or as it was called back then—personnel management. I was exposed to benefits administration, performance management, and more. Being the fast learner that I am—I learned, and learned, and learned.

This boosted me into the next position with a major international pharmaceutical company, that further exposed me to human resource management at the global level. I learnt not only the facets of HR at the local level, but had to interpret laws and practices for different countries that fell under my portfolio of responsibility. In my job I had to travel across countries throughout the Caribbean, and Latin America.

Education

What about education? As I journeyed, I felt led to receive formal training. Armed with a Bachelors in Business Management, I pursued a Masters in Human Resource Management. I also decided to minor in HR Development, while studying Doctorate in Education, Major Organizational Leadership. This then propelled my current role as Coach, and Human Resource Consultant.

As laws, technology and people change, there is no doubt that it is an advantage to become a member of organizations such as the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). This syncs with organizations such as local Human Resource Associations. Personally, I continue to participate in local, and national conferences. These days I conduct personal development Success workshops, backed by my research and subsequent publishing of book on Leaders and Success Strategies.

Success and Challenges Along the Way

Naturally, there have been challenges along the way. My most challenging feat arose during my first encounter with an international merger, between two giant pharmaceutical companies. Embracing two different cultures, employee relations issues, diversity, compensation, and benefits management in different countries was a challenge, to say the least. But as I look back and reflect on the Employer of Choice award, I am pleased. This experience molded me into my love for change management today. This passion has taken me across different industries including healthcare, hospitality, and others to name a few.

Even though there have been ups and downs since then, I have never regretted my decision to enter this profession. Every time I help a client improve their business, it makes me feel totally satisfied. Hearing the frustrations in their voices when they first contact me, and then seeing the satisfaction on their faces when things improve… is exhilarating!

In addition, The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) shared the result of the annual compilation of the most in-demand jobs done by CareerBuilder, and Economic Modeling Specialist International. Not surprising, Human Resource jobs were included among the top 20 positions-yea! The article stated that Human Resource Managers require a college degree and that this career position has grown by over 14,218 since 2010. This confirms that yes, it is a fine time to get into Human Resources.

So if you have the people skills, the spirit of resilience, and other facets mentioned, then go for it! Despite the stresses of the position, the job is totally satisfying….and oh by the way, it pays too. So what are you waiting for? Get started today, and if you’re like me, you’ll have no regrets!

Interested in how others got into this profession, read SHRM’s https://shar.es/1CXf4p via @SHRM