Another Day in the HR Field

Recently, a client asked me if they needed to adjust their drug testing policy so a transgender employee could choose the gender of the person observing them urinate for a test. Obviously, the person wanted the employee to feel comfortable with who was in the room with them. First of all, having another employee watch you urinate can be uncomfortable for anyone, for any reason, but it is a requirement for some drug tests in order to ensure that the testee doesn’t bring in a bag of someone else’s urine to exchange as their own. If the reason is not obvious, it is so they do not test positive when they know they have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol. So, I did some research and thought it would be good to share this information for other employers, managers, small business owners and HR managers who may have similar questions. What are the requirements to be an observer for a direct observed collection? According to the Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing ...

I will be co-hosting with the UIS Continuing & Professional Education department a summer HR Workshop Series.  Each week a different topic will be presented covering COVID Workplace topics the first three weeks with the last two weeks focusing on helping employers meet the Workplace Transparency Act compliance training requirement by year-end.  Here is what is in store for the next five weeks for all those who register, grab a lunch, and sit down at their home or office computer. COVID Training Thursday from Noon-1p.m. 7/9 - Noon -1pm HR2033  Encouraging and Maintaining Remote Employee Engagement – COVID 19 sent over 68% of employees home for at least two months and many of them are still there working day in and day out either permanently or until there is an antidote for the virus.  So in the meantime, what is a manager to do when it comes to keeping those employees motivated, productive, and engaged in the workplace? We will di...

The 3rd in a series about Strategic Human Resources Management: I have been in HR long enough to remember the years when no one in the field (at least around me) was talking about Strategic HRM, to everyone talking about having a "seat at the table" so they can be Strategic, to now actually seeing that it has and can make a difference when companies set their mind to it!  So yes Strategic HRM is not just a theory, it is a reality.  How you may ask?  I know I have for years wondered the answer to that very question especially before I started consulting because I was never employed by an organization I felt was practicing Strategic HRM or even knew what it was.  Well, first, as I mentioned in a previous blog post , the HR pro in charge must make sure they are doing HR basics correctly or top management will not even consider them capable.  Second, you must have top management's full support and it is best if they actually own the initiative.  And third,...

One of the most important outcomes of my Organizational Behavior class is the self analysis each student completes during the course.  There are several assessments covering topics such as personality, leadership, decision making, and more.  This coupled with a semester long look at how individual, group, and organizational behavior affects the results (good or bad) of a company leaves each student with their own impression of what it takes to be a good leader or manger.  The following is a brief summary of just how one of my A students Galen F. Schneider views the world as it relates to the topic in the Title above:          Five big traits every good manager needs to possess in order to succeed not only in the business world, but also as a manager, are: 1.        A high motivation to manage 2.        A moderately high to high self-monitoring tendency 3. ...

Over the last four years, human resource professionals have sought ways to stay with “the curve” for dealing with social media. Social media sites, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter have began to take center stage for firms of all sizes. As firms race to have a presence out there, they also must find ways to use social media as a tool to increase brand awareness, manage customer image, promote products and services, and to attract people to the firm. While those tasks are not new, what is new and changing is the means by which it is done. Whereas print, radio, television, and face-to-face networking may have been the means twenty years ago, today social media is beginning to take over. So how do human resource (HR) professionals utilize the tools of social media, specifically Twitter? One of the most significant ways is though recruitment. Despite the risks perceived by utilizing social media, including Twitter, firms have determined that the risk is worth it to reach young recrui...

Teaching Human Resources (HR) has truly been very rewarding for me. I believe that Human Capital is one of the strong pillars of a company that has the potential of giving the company its competitive advantage. Achieving operational excellence is no more a secret to any one company. But in my opinion, what gives a company its true edge is its work force. I think it is important to cultivate this notion amongst our future generation of business people. This has always been my ultimate motto to teach HR not just to budding HR professionals but to all the individuals who would be involved in the business world in some way. It is my belief that if employees are well respected, they will in turn reciprocate. It is fascinating to see how my students understand the true value of human resource management. They understand that one does not need to have HR in their title to learn and implement the nuances of HR. After every course that I teach, I ask my students to fill out an optional question...