Another Day in the HR Field

I admit, adding #Blogger to any of my online profiles looks like an untruth especially, if you look at the gaps this past couple years with my blogging efforts.  However, I plan to do better going forward starting with this blog I intended to write in August just before I spoke to the Women Entrepreneurs of Central Illinois (WE-CE) at Engrained Brewery Company on Lincolnshire Boulevard here in Springfield, IL.  While it was a fantastic turnout and I delivered my top five HOT HR issues list, I have since had the opportunity to learn more from the following work prep and attendance at various events: HR Management Development meeting with a client in and his team; The start of my fall class line up with two Managing Organizational Behavior (1 Online & 1 Face2Face) and two Human Resources Management (1 Online & 1 Face2Face) courses; HR Audit conducted at a clients client location in Southern IL; Full Day HR Training for another clients client (yes, I sub contract);...

The DOL has published the long awaited overtime rule and it's effective date is December 1st of this year.  Read more here: https://www.dol.gov/featured/overtime

In honor of the GFWC ILLINOIS annual conference at the President Lincoln Hotel here in Springfield, IL today and tomorrow, I thought I would put my suggestions in writing for future reference. I am honored to be asked to speak on Conflict although like most it's not my favorite subject. Nor am I an expert as I have my own unresolved conflict currently brewing that I should take my own advice on. However, in human resources you often have to be a mediator of conflict between coworkers and manager/employee disagreements.  So unless you are the king of conflict denial or the queen of pushing conflict under the rug, you may have a desire to fix your conflict situation at the earliest possible time. If not you should. Life is too short to live with conflict. If you don't have a desire to resolve, then get ready for the big explosion that is bound to happen sooner or later. You can be sure someone will get hurt post explosion because things are almost always said that is not...

Well, it's time once again for reflection, documentation, and most importantly improvement.  I have personally had quite a hectic year.  Actually, it's been a couple hectic years with the loss of three of my four family members of origin (dad, brother, and now mom).  My second brother and I are the only one's who are left in the family and we have certainly taken a big hit as the last two were sudden and unexpected.  As a result, my available time for blogging has really taken a hit going from an average of 28 posts since my first full year of blogging in 2011 to 15 and 12 the last two years.  I don't expect this coming year to be any better because my brothers trial should be coming up soon depending on grand jury decision in March.  He was pushed off the road by what we suspect to be a drunk driver.  Later this month on February 27th will be one year since the incident and the person has yet to be arrested or charged. So getting back to business th...

Here is the direct link on the Women Of HR blogsite:  http://linkis.com/womenofhr.com/Aq7NF

Although difficult to write and dedicated to my brother Donald Rogers Jr., this piece is a must read for all managers who have 3-5 day bereavement leave policies in their workplace.  http://womenofhr.com/bereavement-leave-fails-when-it-comes-to-flexibility/

This morning, I was interviewed by WTAX talk radio about the title above.  This coming the morning after Governor Bruce Rauner’s AFSCME arbitration veto failed in the Illinois House and as we approach the Labor Day weekend which was initially started by a union. This was a victory for the governor.  The requests of the governor is not unlike the majority of employers in the US.  He simply want’s a pay freeze and wants workers to pay more for health insurance.  The state is in a budget crises for god’s sake, why you would want to freeze wages until it can get resolved.  We have people leaving this state left and right due to the high costs to live and operate a business in Illinois.  Obamacare has increases health care costs all over the US.  Every single employer who falls under the requirements of the new law to be imposed next year are seriously considering how they are going to survive.  AFSME wants an 11.5% wage increase which I have never ...