Current job seekers have been warned on many occasions to be careful with the information and pictures they put out there in virtual space. And Hiring Authorities have been cautioned regarding the legal backlash that could result in using social media as a screening/selection tool for candidates. Discrimination being the top possible claim, and who wants to take that one home for the team? No one!

Like with any activity done outside of the workplace, it should be the candidates and your employees personal business, not yours. So why continue the act of snooping? It’s easy to say, “Well it’s out there for everyone to see”. But on the same token, social media has to be used in moderation, not out of obsession.

So here is what I say to Recruiters, HR, Business Owners and Hiring Authorities across the globe, use it as a Character Reference. If you want to cruise social sites and Google candidates for information, make it a part of the character reference portion of the process.

Once they apply to your business for a job, they will give you their professional references. You should consider having them fill out an authorization for a background screening with a subsection that outlines the possibility that social sites will be utilized in the verification process. Not doing so is comparable to calling someones’ distant relative who wasn’t included in the personal reference section of the application. That person could jeopardize their candidacy. So stay clean and be honest, and let them know that you will be using social sites in the verification process. This will allow them time to clean up their act. And it will provide a paper trail for your company in the event that a candidate files a claim against you because they didn’t get the job. Some candidates may even save you the trouble by providing their site url, at the least the one they want you to see.

As with all things, use Social Media in moderation. Don’t get overly obsessed with reviewing profiles of the candidates. The information is out there for you to use, not to abuse.

Playing around on the internet and posting messages on social networking sites during sick days, is a sure fire way that your employees can be caught in a lie. And you don’t even have to spy on them, because the proof is going to be there indefinitely.

If you’ve been awake for the last 2 years, you will know that social networking is exploding, and it’s not even close to being a fad that will fade in the next century. The most popular (8)  joints are:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Ning
• Myspace
• Plaxo
• Hi5
• Bebo

Now another issue regarding days off is a valid reason.  They will not only lie about not coming in, but they will also lie with proof.  I am talking about fake notes. Yes fake doctors notes and obituaries, just to get out of going to work. Here are a few websites who offer this service:

• www.jumptags.com
• www.phoneyexcuses.com
• www.myexcusedabsence.com
• www.thefakedoctorsnote.com
• www.bestfakedoctornotes.com
• www.scumdoctor.com

Hopefully you will never have to use any of these resources that I have provided for you here. But this is one blog post that you should keep in mind for your next faker.

If your company doesn’t have a culture, now is the time to get one established along with a set of behavioral standards. A policy has to be written and signed off by all employees, even those out in the field. This policy will fall somewhere in between harassment and hostile workplace tolerance. Which actually should be ZERO. It should cover all the events that are considered bullying, i.e. screaming, shoving, setting traps, nagging, scheming and physical contact etc.

Now wouldn’t it be nice if women solved problems similar to men? Like either duking it out followed by a handshake and a beer. But this isn’t the case. What we have here is simply one woman picking another woman to pick on who appears to be a little weaker or presents some sort of threat to her position. Other factors could include stress on the home front, or just the need to be evil.

But if you would like to hear my opinion, i think that if a woman is taking her career seriously she wouldn’t have time to worry about what other women are doing and if she poses a threat, so MYOB.

No body likes a bully, and no business owner wants their profit to suffer because of a bully. Nor wanting to end up in court or face an act of violence in their place of business as a result of retaliation from the victim.

At any rate, action should to be taken immediately in order to exterminate the fire so everyone else involved can get back to work.

GINA stands for Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, and the bill was finalized back in 2008. It’s a very simple rule that applies not only to employers, but also to the health insurance providers. As an employer, make sure that your group health insurance provider is not requesting genetic information from your employees, this will certainly keep you out of hot water.

You may order a poster from any compliance poster provider such as www.laborlawcenter.com or www.complianceposter.com. In the meantime, you can utilize this pdf for your reference http://www.eeoc.gov/self_print_poster.pdf

For more information go to http://www.genome.gov/Pages/PolicyEthics/GeneticDiscrimination/GINAInfoDoc.pdf

Older workers (watch my mouth), 50 plus are finding themselves at a disadvantage because of their level of experience. In a study done by the AARP, they found that “the same resumes got more calls for interviews if they appeared to come from a 32-year-old than from a 57-year-old.” That’s right, apparently employers are reluctant to consider older workers. Smells like a strong brew discrimination cooking, if you know what I mean.

At any rate, older workers should not be made to dumb down their resume and throw out all of their experience and hard earned time out the window. Keep your head up gang!

Employers, look alive, because these seasoned professionals have a lot to offer. And so what if their next boss may be young enough to be their child, they still deserve respect, and they still have seen things that no one fresh out of college could possibly relate to or provide input.

Here are a few adjustments to make it a little better:
1) Stop discarding the resumes that are more than one page.
2) Don’t narrow your educational requirements. Not everyone with a major followed in that particular career path.
3) Using social networking sites to find pictures, is a no-no.
4) Viewing them as a liability for your health insurance plan is absurd.
5) All interview questions should be the same, including the one that allows them to share their scenarios.
6) Stop being so easily intimidated.
7) Younger doesn’t always mean cheaper labor.

All-in-all, make sure that you have your organization’s best interest at heart. Will this person be able to adjust and represent your company culture? Will they be able to contribute effectively for your company? And by the way, remember, you won’t be in your 20′s forever.

Is there an emotional connection to what your title is? Does it really matter what your title is, just as long as you do a good job? How far off the mark is your current job title, to what it is that you really do on a day to day basis?

Take the poll here:
If your job title were to change, would it affect the way you felt about your job?

http://polls.linkedin.com/poll-results/61636/yodqj

Call it… my imagination has ran a little wild, but here is a different way of looking at your HR department. Let me set up the playing field:

• The Ball = The Objective
• Team Members = All Departments and their Employees within
• The Coach = Company President
• Yard Lines = Charts the progression of the Objective
• Line of Scrimmage = The place where management meets on a regular basis to document the progress of the project at hand
• Center = The designated member within the organization who is responsible for giving the ball to the HR Quarterback
• End Zone = The ultimate Goal or final destination of the Objective

Ideally every organization should be running in offensive mode. If not, then there is no control over the Ball, in fact the Ball is in the hands of the enemy and the organization is in defense mode. But all members must work together to get the Ball back under control. Once you’re in offensive mode, then you have a place for the HR Quarterback.

The HR Quarterback has spoken directly with the Coach and knows what is expecting out of the team members within the organization. The Coach hands the Ball to the Quarterback and expects a report at the end of every Quarter. The HR Quarterback takes the Ball to the Line of Scrimmage where the snap is to take place. It’s time to play ball!!

Notice, the HR Quarterback is out on the playing field because he/she already knows the needs of the organization. The old strategies and techniques have been studied and the new ones are being analyzed on a regular basis. He/she has a good idea of what will work by utilizing a variety of technologies available.

The HR Quarterback is well informed about the new legislations that affect the organizational structure, and ways of retaining the top performing employees through various mediums. Therefore, taking care of the employees is paramount, because without them, there is no company. Strengths and weaknesses of the employees are constantly monitored prior to their annual performance. Regularly scheduled rewards and recognitions are given to employees who have gone above and beyond their individual duties. If there are members who are in need of a little more training, then the HR Quarterback arranges time for the training to occur, realizing that there is no room for a weak link.

When a strong performer is noticed, then they can be place strategically within the organization in order to effectively drive the company closer towards the goal. And if all fails, the HR Quarterback is willing to drive the objective all the way into the end zone alone.

Well, that’s my football rant for today. Hope you all enjoyed reading. By the way, do you know an HR Quarterback who you would like to recognize?

Going through an interview followed by a skills assessment is one thing. But undergoing a constant drilling session with a disapproving and doubtful person is another. The feeling of being picked apart by a hiring authority can be quite draining and very discouraging.

 Why are candidates made to feel worthless when they go into an organization seeking employment? The hiring authority should be aware of their attitude towards the candidates? Understandably so, they has alot work to do, and granted there is an overwhelming number of applicants out there to sort through. But keeping the needs of the organization in mind is critical.

What progress has been made if a candidate is treated poorly by a hiring party from an organization? Chances are, the candidates will go back and tell at least 10 other job seekers that the organization is bad news. It’s foolish to think that it’s ok to treat candidates with little dignity, putting them on the spot and making them fill out endless personality analysis questionaires, and everything shy of a blood sample. All of that, and they never get a single follow-up postcard or email stating a decision. Remember, the hiring process is also the place where an organization can brand themselves, for the good or for the bad.

Don’t be the rat, who’s primary job is eating away at and poking holes into the candidates. They have enough to deal with already than to have their time stolen and character attacked.

When the economy does a 360, the rat will be starving for cheese, but the cheese will stand alone.

H1N1 is a new strain of virus which is highly contagious and spread from human to human. Often times a person is contagious 1 day prior to showing symptoms of being infected, and 5 to 7 days after being sick. The virus lives on surfaces for 2 to 8 hours.

Developing a plan is simple. Organize a meeting with ALL employees whether they are in the office or working remotely and discuss this issue with them along with your plan. This creates not only awareness but an educational opportunity. Your preventative plan should include the following:

• Encourage the use of antibacterial soaps that are available for your employees.
• Educate them on the importance of sneezing and coughing into their elbow, not hands or open field.
• Routine cleaning of desks, phone, tools and other objects that are touched frequently.
• Increased physical distance from coworkers.

If an employee is diagnosed, then obviously they should be ordered to stay at home at least 24 to 48 hours without fear of losing their job. Make sure that your leave policy is in place in order to cover sicknesses such as this. Reasonably so, ask for a doctor’s note to verify this sickness within a reasonable amount of time, after the sickness is over.

As you would want for business to continue as usual, make sure that you have a backup plan, whether its cross training or utilizing a temporary worker. Also, keep this in mind in the event that your employee has to take time off in order to take care of a sick household member.

More information can be found here: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/business/guidance/

There is no such thing as a floating or glowing candidate, who comes into your place of business, says all the right things and has the perfect combination of goals and qualifications. If you believe that, then you’re certainly in la la land. To be honest, all of us are in search of “the one”, but chances are you will have to do quite a bit of searching and networking to find the right person. And once you have hiring the ideal person for your team, then it will take a courting process in order to figure out if that person is in it for the long haul. In fact, that person may have a set of non-transferable skills or an attitude hotter than a truck load of lava that will lead you down a path of matrimonial torment. So don’t set yourself up to get burned. 

So before you get wrapped up in all the beautiful and wonderful things an applicant has to say, do your research. Skills assessments are a great place to start. There are non-discriminatory ways of testing your candidates to make it even across the board. Try to avoid heavy psychological evaluations and constant computer tests that leaves your candidate exhausted from 3 hours of battery.

Secondly, you will want to verify their education and certifications, because there are over 30% of applicants who state that they have a degree when in fact, they do not. But go according to the needs of your organization; if degrees are a requirement or not.

And thirdly, verifying their prior place of employment. They may not be welcome in their last place of work, so be cautious. Their track record could consist of theft, insubordination and misconduct. In some states you can only ask closed ended questions, but you can always tell by the tone of verifing voice on the other line whether or not you have a winner.

Happy hunting!! If you choose to outsource these functions, feel free to send me a request for services at ahrsolutions@aim.com. Have a great day!