Sharlyn J. Lauby's Blog, page 31

Put Together Your Career Mixtape – hr bartender

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

A mixtape is defined as a compilation of music, typically from a variety of artists. It’s not dramatically different from a playlist, except that a playlist is typically digital, and a mixtape is a physical copy like a CD or old school cassette tape. 

The reason I’m talking about mixtapes today is because I listened to RuPaul’s MasterClass on authenticity and self-expression, and he mentioned that his goal was for the MasterClass to become someone’s mixtape. I took that to mean bringing together a list of takeaways that you could use in the future. And honestly, I can say after hearing his MasterClass that my list of takeaways is something that I might like to have on a card or in a journal and refer to them frequently. 

Just in case you’re not familiar with RuPaul, he is a drag queen and produces, hosts, and judges the reality competition RuPaul’s Drag Race. The show has won 12 Emmy Awards, 3 GLAAD Media Awards, a Critics’ Choice Award, 2 Billboard Music Awards, and a Tony Award. In addition to his work on Drag Race, RuPaul is an active supporter of voter registration and started an initiative called Drag Out the Vote. 

While RuPaul’s MasterClass was focused on authenticity and self-expression, I thought many of the key takeaways could relate to our careers. Then when I heard the comment about mixtape, it hit me that we should consider maybe having a career mixtape. Maybe not literally – although that could be fun – but figurately from the standpoint of constantly reminding ourselves to stay focused on what matters in our personal and professional lives. 

Be true to yourself. RuPaul called it “finding your frequency”. I believe it can take time to figure out the many facets of ourselves. And once we do that, it doesn’t mean we won’t ever change. Being true to ourselves is a never-ending process. And part of career success is being able to stay true to ourselves in our work. Think of it like staying true to your values. 

Take care of yourself. Some of this is tied to the previous takeaway (be true to yourself). Don’t be afraid to prioritize your personal wellness and wellbeing. It does mean learning the best way to take care of you. For example, how much sleep do you need to be at your best? What’s your optimal morning routine? If you want to do your best work, you need to take care of yourself.  

Find your supporters. You can call this group your personal board of directors or your network. Bottom-line? Find people who will support you. That doesn’t mean that the role of a supporter is to say “yes” to everything you do. Sometimes we need our supporters to say, “Are you sure you want to do that?”. Or “Maybe you should do some more research …”. 

Figure out how to reground yourself. We all make mistakes and have setbacks – in both our personal and professional lives. Know what you need to do when that happens to get yourself back on track. Learn how to forgive yourself, take those lessons learned and apply them to the future. You will not be able to grow your career if you’re unable to manage your mistakes. 

Find a mentor. Then be a mentor. One of the things that RuPaul talked about was the appreciation he had for the people who mentored him throughout his career. And because he had such great mentors that he felt it was important to mentor others. Whether you are a mentor or a mentee, mentoring can have a huge positive impact on your career. 

Some of you might be wondering if RuPaul talked about drag and dressing in drag and wearing makeup.  The answer is yes. What was fascinating to me about the conversation was the emphasis on practice. And we need to do that in our careers. If we want to stay relevant, we need to learn new things. And to learn new things, we need to practice. 

Like Malala Yousafzai’s MasterClass, RuPaul had conversations with other people. He chatted with people that he has been working with for decades. Think about that in the context of your career. Are you building long-lasting professional relationships? Relationship building is a core competency for human resources professionals. Is it time to prioritize reaching out to our colleagues – not to ask for something – but to catch up and find out how they’re doing? 

In addition, while RuPaul and his guests were chatting, it was also interesting to see how they weren’t always agreeing with each other. But they were laughing and talking about how what works for RuPaul is good for him and what works for someone else is good for them. It reminds me of the takeaway about finding your supporters. 

As we’re approaching the New Year, does it make some sense to think about a list of career-related things you want to remember. I’m hesitant to say career goals, because it’s not about making resolutions. Sometimes we just need a reminder to focus and do something. Create a career mixtape for yourself and leave it in a familiar place so when you need to open that book it’s right there. And it keeps you focused.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby

The post Put Together Your Career Mixtape – hr bartender appeared first on hr bartender.

Purn ogether Your Career MixtapesT hr bartender

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

I’m a tea drinker. I don’t hate coffee. I just like tea better. As such, I am constantly buying new teas to try. One of my recent purchases was Soderblandning, a blended tea from Stockholm, Sweden. The tea has an interesting story. It was created in 1979 by Swedish tea shop owner Vernon Mauris. He was preparing a tea blend when an extra ingredient accidently fell into the mixture. Not wanting to throw the tea away, Mauris decided to try to sell it and called it “mistake tea”. Later it was renamed Soderblandning after a local festival. 

Mauris’ “mistake” has ultimately become one of the tea shop’s most popular teas. And I read somewhere that it’s served at the Nobel Prize award banquet hosted by the Swedish Royal Family. 

It made me wonder – as I was staring at this little tea tin – how do we react to our mistakes? And are there ways for us to consider turning our mistakes into something better? 

Understand what mistake means. The definition of mistake means “to understand wrongly, misinterpret, or estimate incorrectly”.  Using this definition, an example of a mistake could be “I made a mistake and put extra bacon on the sandwich.” Or “I estimated that 75% of employees would respond to the survey. The reality is 87% completed the survey.” It’s important for us to remember that all mistakes are not bad. 

Get comfortable with making mistakes. None of us are perfect. We’re going to make mistakes. When we’re learning something new, we’re going to make a lot of mistakes. When you’re working on something, think about the different mistakes that could happen. If they don’t, then great! But if they do, then you had already considered this could happen and possibly even thought of some effective ways to respond. 

Hold yourself accountable. If you make a mistake, admit it. First, admit it to yourself. Then forgive yourself so you can focus on next steps. If we use the sandwich example above, if you accidently put too much bacon on someone’s sandwich, you might say “Okay, I won’t do that again next time.” Or “Darn, now I have less bacon for my sandwich.” Or maybe “Let me make some more bacon so I have plenty for all the sandwiches.” Admit the mistake, then move forward.

Be prepared to discuss it with others. After you hold yourself accountable, it’s time to manage the mistake with others. If we use the survey example above, we might have to inform others of the increased participation and suggest some additional actions. Like “I didn’t anticipate survey participation to be this strong. I think we need to keep the window for accepting feedback open a couple extra days.” Not acknowledging the mistake could possibly cut the survey off early and frustrate employees. 

Do a debrief. Regular readers of HR Bartender know I’m a fan of the two-question debrief. This is a perfect time to ask yourself: 1) What did I do well? And 2) What would I do differently next time? Even when a mistake happened, think about what things did go well because you want to continue doing them AND THEN figure out what you’d like to do differently next time.    

Please notice I haven’t spent any time talking about things that are bad or wrong. Yes, sometimes mistakes happen that are bad and wrong. We can apply the same principles. Realize a mistake was made. Admit it. Come up with solutions to mitigate it. Debrief so it doesn’t happen again. 

Often what makes mistakes bad or worse is when we refuse to admit they happened. For that reason, we don’t want to talk about them or come up with any solutions to change the situation. Because that would mean we have to say we made a mistake. Maybe instead of trying to hide our mistakes, we need to openly share them … who knows, they could turn into our next marvelous thing.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the streets of Orlando, FL

The post Turn Your Mistakes Into Marvelous Things – hr bartender appeared first on hr bartender.

Turn Your Mistakes Into Marvelous Things –

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

I’m a tea drinker. I don’t hate coffee. I just like tea better. As such, I am constantly buying new teas to try. One of my recent purchases was Soderblandning, a blended tea from Stockholm, Sweden. The tea has an interesting story. It was created in 1979 by Swedish tea shop owner Vernon Mauris. He was preparing a tea blend when an extra ingredient accidently fell into the mixture. Not wanting to throw the tea away, Mauris decided to try to sell it and called it “mistake tea”. Later it was renamed Soderblandning after a local festival. 

Mauris’ “mistake” has ultimately become one of the tea shop’s most popular teas. And I read somewhere that it’s served at the Nobel Prize award banquet hosted by the Swedish Royal Family. 

It made me wonder – as I was staring at this little tea tin – how do we react to our mistakes? And are there ways for us to consider turning our mistakes into something better? 

Understand what mistake means. The definition of mistake means “to understand wrongly, misinterpret, or estimate incorrectly”.  Using this definition, an example of a mistake could be “I made a mistake and put extra bacon on the sandwich.” Or “I estimated that 75% of employees would respond to the survey. The reality is 87% completed the survey.” It’s important for us to remember that all mistakes are not bad. 

Get comfortable with making mistakes. None of us are perfect. We’re going to make mistakes. When we’re learning something new, we’re going to make a lot of mistakes. When you’re working on something, think about the different mistakes that could happen. If they don’t, then great! But if they do, then you had already considered this could happen and possibly even thought of some effective ways to respond. 

Hold yourself accountable. If you make a mistake, admit it. First, admit it to yourself. Then forgive yourself so you can focus on next steps. If we use the sandwich example above, if you accidently put too much bacon on someone’s sandwich, you might say “Okay, I won’t do that again next time.” Or “Darn, now I have less bacon for my sandwich.” Or maybe “Let me make some more bacon so I have plenty for all the sandwiches.” Admit the mistake, then move forward.

Be prepared to discuss it with others. After you hold yourself accountable, it’s time to manage the mistake with others. If we use the survey example above, we might have to inform others of the increased participation and suggest some additional actions. Like “I didn’t anticipate survey participation to be this strong. I think we need to keep the window for accepting feedback open a couple extra days.” Not acknowledging the mistake could possibly cut the survey off early and frustrate employees. 

Do a debrief. Regular readers of HR Bartender know I’m a fan of the two-question debrief. This is a perfect time to ask yourself: 1) What did I do well? And 2) What would I do differently next time? Even when a mistake happened, think about what things did go well because you want to continue doing them AND THEN figure out what you’d like to do differently next time.    

Please notice I haven’t spent any time talking about things that are bad or wrong. Yes, sometimes mistakes happen that are bad and wrong. We can apply the same principles. Realize a mistake was made. Admit it. Come up with solutions to mitigate it. Debrief so it doesn’t happen again. 

Often what makes mistakes bad or worse is when we refuse to admit they happened. For that reason, we don’t want to talk about them or come up with any solutions to change the situation. Because that would mean we have to say we made a mistake. Maybe instead of trying to hide our mistakes, we need to openly share them … who knows, they could turn into our next marvelous thing.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the streets of Orlando, FL

The post Turn Your Mistakes Into Marvelous Things – hr bartender appeared first on hr bartender.

Turn Your Mistakes Into Marvelous Things – hr bartender

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

I’m a tea drinker. I don’t hate coffee. I just like tea better. As such, I am constantly buying new teas to try. One of my recent purchases was Soderblandning, a blended tea from Stockholm, Sweden. The tea has an interesting story. It was created in 1979 by Swedish tea shop owner Vernon Mauris. He was preparing a tea blend when an extra ingredient accidently fell into the mixture. Not wanting to throw the tea away, Mauris decided to try to sell it and called it “mistake tea”. Later it was renamed Soderblandning after a local festival. 

Mauris’ “mistake” has ultimately become one of the tea shop’s most popular teas. And I read somewhere that it’s served at the Nobel Prize award banquet hosted by the Swedish Royal Family. 

It made me wonder – as I was staring at this little tea tin – how do we react to our mistakes? And are there ways for us to consider turning our mistakes into something better? 

Understand what mistake means. The definition of mistake means “to understand wrongly, misinterpret, or estimate incorrectly”.  Using this definition, an example of a mistake could be “I made a mistake and put extra bacon on the sandwich.” Or “I estimated that 75% of employees would respond to the survey. The reality is 87% completed the survey.” It’s important for us to remember that all mistakes are not bad. 

Get comfortable with making mistakes. None of us are perfect. We’re going to make mistakes. When we’re learning something new, we’re going to make a lot of mistakes. When you’re working on something, think about the different mistakes that could happen. If they don’t, then great! But if they do, then you had already considered this could happen and possibly even thought of some effective ways to respond. 

Hold yourself accountable. If you make a mistake, admit it. First, admit it to yourself. Then forgive yourself so you can focus on next steps. If we use the sandwich example above, if you accidently put too much bacon on someone’s sandwich, you might say “Okay, I won’t do that again next time.” Or “Darn, now I have less bacon for my sandwich.” Or maybe “Let me make some more bacon so I have plenty for all the sandwiches.” Admit the mistake, then move forward.

Be prepared to discuss it with others. After you hold yourself accountable, it’s time to manage the mistake with others. If we use the survey example above, we might have to inform others of the increased participation and suggest some additional actions. Like “I didn’t anticipate survey participation to be this strong. I think we need to keep the window for accepting feedback open a couple extra days.” Not acknowledging the mistake could possibly cut the survey off early and frustrate employees. 

Do a debrief. Regular readers of HR Bartender know I’m a fan of the two-question debrief. This is a perfect time to ask yourself: 1) What did I do well? And 2) What would I do differently next time? Even when a mistake happened, think about what things did go well because you want to continue doing them AND THEN figure out what you’d like to do differently next time.    

Please notice I haven’t spent any time talking about things that are bad or wrong. Yes, sometimes mistakes happen that are bad and wrong. We can apply the same principles. Realize a mistake was made. Admit it. Come up with solutions to mitigate it. Debrief so it doesn’t happen again. 

Often what makes mistakes bad or worse is when we refuse to admit they happened. For that reason, we don’t want to talk about them or come up with any solutions to change the situation. Because that would mean we have to say we made a mistake. Maybe instead of trying to hide our mistakes, we need to openly share them … who knows, they could turn into our next marvelous thing.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the streets of Orlando, FL

The post Turn Your Mistakes Into Marvelous Things – hr bartender appeared first on hr bartender.

Turn Your Mistakes Into Marvelous Things – hr bartender

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

I’m a tea drinker. I don’t hate coffee. I just like tea better. As such, I am constantly buying new teas to try. One of my recent purchases was Soderblandning, a blended tea from Stockholm, Sweden. The tea has an interesting story. It was created in 1979 by Swedish tea shop owner Vernon Mauris. He was preparing a tea blend when an extra ingredient accidently fell into the mixture. Not wanting to throw the tea away, Mauris decided to try to sell it and called it “mistake tea”. Later it was renamed Soderblandning after a local festival. 

Mauris’ “mistake” has ultimately become one of the tea shop’s most popular teas. And I read somewhere that it’s served at the Nobel Prize award banquet hosted by the Swedish Royal Family. 

It made me wonder – as I was staring at this little tea tin – how do we react to our mistakes? And are there ways for us to consider turning our mistakes into something better? 

Understand what mistake means. The definition of mistake means “to understand wrongly, misinterpret, or estimate incorrectly”.  Using this definition, an example of a mistake could be “I made a mistake and put extra bacon on the sandwich.” Or “I estimated that 75% of employees would respond to the survey. The reality is 87% completed the survey.” It’s important for us to remember that all mistakes are not bad. 

Get comfortable with making mistakes. None of us are perfect. We’re going to make mistakes. When we’re learning something new, we’re going to make a lot of mistakes. When you’re working on something, think about the different mistakes that could happen. If they don’t, then great! But if they do, then you had already considered this could happen and possibly even thought of some effective ways to respond. 

Hold yourself accountable. If you make a mistake, admit it. First, admit it to yourself. Then forgive yourself so you can focus on next steps. If we use the sandwich example above, if you accidently put too much bacon on someone’s sandwich, you might say “Okay, I won’t do that again next time.” Or “Darn, now I have less bacon for my sandwich.” Or maybe “Let me make some more bacon so I have plenty for all the sandwiches.” Admit the mistake, then move forward.

Be prepared to discuss it with others. After you hold yourself accountable, it’s time to manage the mistake with others. If we use the survey example above, we might have to inform others of the increased participation and suggest some additional actions. Like “I didn’t anticipate survey participation to be this strong. I think we need to keep the window for accepting feedback open a couple extra days.” Not acknowledging the mistake could possibly cut the survey off early and frustrate employees. 

Do a debrief. Regular readers of HR Bartender know I’m a fan of the two-question debrief. This is a perfect time to ask yourself: 1) What did I do well? And 2) What would I do differently next time? Even when a mistake happened, think about what things did go well because you want to continue doing them AND THEN figure out what you’d like to do differently next time.    

Please notice I haven’t spent any time talking about things that are bad or wrong. Yes, sometimes mistakes happen that are bad and wrong. We can apply the same principles. Realize a mistake was made. Admit it. Come up with solutions to mitigate it. Debrief so it doesn’t happen again. 

Often what makes mistakes bad or worse is when we refuse to admit they happened. For that reason, we don’t want to talk about them or come up with any solutions to change the situation. Because that would mean we have to say we made a mistake. Maybe instead of trying to hide our mistakes, we need to openly share them … who knows, they could turn into our next marvelous thing.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the streets of Orlando, FL

The post Turn Your Mistakes Into Marvelous Things – hr bartender appeared first on hr bartender.

Emploo Supporning Is an Essential Business Activity derHow to Support Employees During Times of Conflict –– hr bartender hr bartender

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

A while ago, I published an article related to how organizations can save money. I hope you’ll check it out when you have a moment. Sometimes one of the first budgets to get cut when times are tough is training. In my experience, when that happens, sales and service decline and managers complain that the reason they can’t meet their goals is because employees aren’t trained. Sound familiar?

I know you’re thinking the same thing I am. Well of course employees aren’t trained. They didn’t get the proper training because the company cut the budget. Sadly, the company created the situation. And in many cases, they just don’t want to admit it. 

The reason I wanted to bring this up is because I was recently on a conference call where someone said that organizations are reluctant to implement training initiatives because they don’t want to train employees and then have them leave. This is the same principle as cutting the training budget. It reminds me of that well-worn cliché “What if I train employees and they leave? Well, what if you don’t and they stay?”

Basic employee training – the kind of training that employees need to do their jobs – isn’t a luxury item. If you cut it from the budget, you’ll pay for it somewhere else. If employees don’t feel that the company supports them by providing the training and tools to do the job, they will go somewhere else. Basic employee training – again, the kind of training that employees need to do their jobs – isn’t a carrot to dangle in front of someone and say, “I’ll tell you how to do your job if you promise to stay.”

Now, that being said, there are training topics that organizations might be able to cut if needed. Maybe training sessions that are considered “optional” and were offered as an enhanced learning experience. It’s possible the company has found the same topics on sites like LinkedIn Learning, which many of us can access for free with a library card. 

While I believe that training is important, I do understand that training budgets need regular evaluation. But the notion that companies aren’t providing essential skills to employees because they’re concerned they might leave … seems very short-sighted and not very business focused. 

There’s one other suggestion I want to make when it comes to employees and training. This has to do with managers. 

If organizations cut the training budget, the responsibility for employee training falls to the manager. Are they prepared to take on the task? Meaning do they know how to train people?If the organization decides to reduce classroom training and rely more on OJT (on-the-job) learning, do managers know how to build those types of activities into their departments?If the organization decides to eliminate some of the enhanced learning opportunities because there are outside resources that can offer the same for free, do managers know how to encourage employees to use them?And finally, do managers know how to evaluate their training needs so they can ask for help if they need it?

Organizations need to remember that these “cut the training budget” decisions have consequences for their managers. And if managers haven’t been trained, then it’s only making a bad situation worse. Organizations can make changes to their training offerings – including cutting some programs – when the right infrastructure is in place. That includes having trained managers who know what to do. 

Train employees so they can do their jobs. Train managers so they can support employees. Make no mistake, employee training is essential for business success.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby at the SHRM Annual Conference in Orlando, FL

The post Employee Training Is an Essential Business Activity – hr bartender appeared first on hr bartender.

Employee Training Is an Essential Business Activity – hr bartender

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

A while ago, I published an article related to how organizations can save money. I hope you’ll check it out when you have a moment. Sometimes one of the first budgets to get cut when times are tough is training. In my experience, when that happens, sales and service decline and managers complain that the reason they can’t meet their goals is because employees aren’t trained. Sound familiar?

I know you’re thinking the same thing I am. Well of course employees aren’t trained. They didn’t get the proper training because the company cut the budget. Sadly, the company created the situation. And in many cases, they just don’t want to admit it. 

The reason I wanted to bring this up is because I was recently on a conference call where someone said that organizations are reluctant to implement training initiatives because they don’t want to train employees and then have them leave. This is the same principle as cutting the training budget. It reminds me of that well-worn cliché “What if I train employees and they leave? Well, what if you don’t and they stay?”

Basic employee training – the kind of training that employees need to do their jobs – isn’t a luxury item. If you cut it from the budget, you’ll pay for it somewhere else. If employees don’t feel that the company supports them by providing the training and tools to do the job, they will go somewhere else. Basic employee training – again, the kind of training that employees need to do their jobs – isn’t a carrot to dangle in front of someone and say, “I’ll tell you how to do your job if you promise to stay.”

Now, that being said, there are training topics that organizations might be able to cut if needed. Maybe training sessions that are considered “optional” and were offered as an enhanced learning experience. It’s possible the company has found the same topics on sites like LinkedIn Learning, which many of us can access for free with a library card. 

While I believe that training is important, I do understand that training budgets need regular evaluation. But the notion that companies aren’t providing essential skills to employees because they’re concerned they might leave … seems very short-sighted and not very business focused. 

There’s one other suggestion I want to make when it comes to employees and training. This has to do with managers. 

If organizations cut the training budget, the responsibility for employee training falls to the manager. Are they prepared to take on the task? Meaning do they know how to train people?If the organization decides to reduce classroom training and rely more on OJT (on-the-job) learning, do managers know how to build those types of activities into their departments?If the organization decides to eliminate some of the enhanced learning opportunities because there are outside resources that can offer the same for free, do managers know how to encourage employees to use them?And finally, do managers know how to evaluate their training needs so they can ask for help if they need it?

Organizations need to remember that these “cut the training budget” decisions have consequences for their managers. And if managers haven’t been trained, then it’s only making a bad situation worse. Organizations can make changes to their training offerings – including cutting some programs – when the right infrastructure is in place. That includes having trained managers who know what to do. 

Train employees so they can do their jobs. Train managers so they can support employees. Make no mistake, employee training is essential for business success.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby at the SHRM Annual Conference in Orlando, FL

The post Employee Training Is an Essential Business Activity – hr bartender appeared first on hr bartender.

Emploo Supporning Is an Essential Business Activity derHow to Support Employees During Times of Conflict – hr bartender hr bartender

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

(Editor’s Note: A huge thank you to  Carrie Cherveny, senior vice president of strategic client solutions at HUB International , and  Eric Peterson MSOD, an educator and speaker on inclusion and diversity  for their help with this article. I was looking for resources and asked for some assistance which was very much appreciated.)

Over the past week, a war has started in Israel and Gaza. And there is still a war going on in Ukraine. Today’s article isn’t to talk about how these wars started and what’s currently happening. I want to take a moment to talk about employees and their needs during conflict. 

Our workplaces are diverse. We have individuals of all religions, including non-religious believers, in our workforce. And even if someone doesn’t speak about their beliefs, it doesn’t mean they don’t have them. It’s possible organizations have employees with family in a war zone or close to a war zone. Employees might be worried, distracted, and possibly angry about what’s going on. 

Employees might be wondering if there’s something they can do to help. So, I wanted to share some resources that could be helpful. Please keep in mind that this is not an exhaustive list. 

INTERNAL PROGRAMS

If your organization has an employee assistance program (EAP), wellbeing programs, or mental health benefits, employees might want to utilize those programs. HR departments should be regularly reminding employees about these benefits because employees might be too conflicted to come to HR and ask about how to use them. 

In addition to internal programs, organizations need to be aware that employees might encounter workplace conflict and harassment. Alex Alonso, chief knowledge officer at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), wrote a book titled “Talking Taboo: Making the Most of Polarizing Discussions at Work” that might be insightful and helpful at this time. 

Speaking of SHRM, if you’re a member, you have access to Express Requests. This is a section of the SHRM website where their knowledge advisors curate information about a specific subject. SHRM does have an express request available on the Israel – Hamas War. Be sure to check it out.

Also, Eric B. Meyer, an employment attorney with the firm of Fisher Broyles, published an article on “5 Fantastic Resources to Help Your Business Address Antisemitism in the Workplace”. Eric has been writing about how the events in Israel might impact the workplace, so if you’re not already following his work, check out his blog “The Employer Handbook”. 

HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS

Several community- and faith-based organizations have indicated that they will be trying to help the victims of the attacks. Time published an article titled “How to Help Victims of the Israel – Hamas War” that includes a list of organizations offering support including the Alliance for Middle East Peace, The United Nations Relief and Works Agency, The Red Cross, and Save the Children.

It’s also possible that your local community- and faith-based groups are trying to help as well. For instance, your local synagogue, Jewish Community Center, mosque, Islamic Community Center, and / or church.

One more thing. There’s a lot of information being circulated via the internet and social media. I’ve already seen misinformation being shared and I’m sure you have too. Now is a good time to remind ourselves that “Media Literacy is a Business Competency” and be alert to online information. This is one more way that we can be supportive during this time of conflict.

As a human resources professional, I know that sometimes employees are reluctant to share that they’re hurting. And when I say employees, I mean employees at every level. Sometimes an executive might feel they have to “stay strong” for the team. If you know of a resource that would be helpful to the HR community during this time of conflict, please share it in the comments. Having a list of resources available can be helpful. You don’t have to wait until someone asks. Just bookmark the page in case you need it.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while at the Wynwood Art District in Miami, FL

The post How to Support Employees During Times of Conflict – hr bartender appeared first on hr bartender.

Turn Your Mistakes Into Marvelous Things – hr bartender

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

(Editor’s Note: A huge thank you to  Carrie Cherveny, senior vice president of strategic client solutions at HUB International , and  Eric Peterson MSOD, an educator and speaker on inclusion and diversity  for their help with this article. I was looking for resources and asked for some assistance which was very much appreciated.)

Over the past week, a war has started in Israel and Gaza. And there is still a war going on in Ukraine. Today’s article isn’t to talk about how these wars started and what’s currently happening. I want to take a moment to talk about employees and their needs during conflict. 

Our workplaces are diverse. We have individuals of all religions, including non-religious believers, in our workforce. And even if someone doesn’t speak about their beliefs, it doesn’t mean they don’t have them. It’s possible organizations have employees with family in a war zone or close to a war zone. Employees might be worried, distracted, and possibly angry about what’s going on. 

Employees might be wondering if there’s something they can do to help. So, I wanted to share some resources that could be helpful. Please keep in mind that this is not an exhaustive list. 

INTERNAL PROGRAMS

If your organization has an employee assistance program (EAP), wellbeing programs, or mental health benefits, employees might want to utilize those programs. HR departments should be regularly reminding employees about these benefits because employees might be too conflicted to come to HR and ask about how to use them. 

In addition to internal programs, organizations need to be aware that employees might encounter workplace conflict and harassment. Alex Alonso, chief knowledge officer at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), wrote a book titled “Talking Taboo: Making the Most of Polarizing Discussions at Work” that might be insightful and helpful at this time. 

Speaking of SHRM, if you’re a member, you have access to Express Requests. This is a section of the SHRM website where their knowledge advisors curate information about a specific subject. SHRM does have an express request available on the Israel – Hamas War. Be sure to check it out.

Also, Eric B. Meyer, an employment attorney with the firm of Fisher Broyles, published an article on “5 Fantastic Resources to Help Your Business Address Antisemitism in the Workplace”. Eric has been writing about how the events in Israel might impact the workplace, so if you’re not already following his work, check out his blog “The Employer Handbook”. 

HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS

Several community- and faith-based organizations have indicated that they will be trying to help the victims of the attacks. Time published an article titled “How to Help Victims of the Israel – Hamas War” that includes a list of organizations offering support including the Alliance for Middle East Peace, The United Nations Relief and Works Agency, The Red Cross, and Save the Children.

It’s also possible that your local community- and faith-based groups are trying to help as well. For instance, your local synagogue, Jewish Community Center, mosque, Islamic Community Center, and / or church.

One more thing. There’s a lot of information being circulated via the internet and social media. I’ve already seen misinformation being shared and I’m sure you have too. Now is a good time to remind ourselves that “Media Literacy is a Business Competency” and be alert to online information. This is one more way that we can be supportive during this time of conflict.

As a human resources professional, I know that sometimes employees are reluctant to share that they’re hurting. And when I say employees, I mean employees at every level. Sometimes an executive might feel they have to “stay strong” for the team. If you know of a resource that would be helpful to the HR community during this time of conflict, please share it in the comments. Having a list of resources available can be helpful. You don’t have to wait until someone asks. Just bookmark the page in case you need it.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while at the Wynwood Art District in Miami, FL

The post How to Support Employees During Times of Conflict – hr bartender appeared first on hr bartender.

How to Support Employees During Times of Conflict – hr bartender

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

(Editor’s Note: A huge thank you to  Carrie Cherveny, senior vice president of strategic client solutions at HUB International , and  Eric Peterson MSOD, an educator and speaker on inclusion and diversity  for their help with this article. I was looking for resources and asked for some assistance which was very much appreciated.)

Over the past week, a war has started in Israel and Gaza. And there is still a war going on in Ukraine. Today’s article isn’t to talk about how these wars started and what’s currently happening. I want to take a moment to talk about employees and their needs during conflict. 

Our workplaces are diverse. We have individuals of all religions, including non-religious believers, in our workforce. And even if someone doesn’t speak about their beliefs, it doesn’t mean they don’t have them. It’s possible organizations have employees with family in a war zone or close to a war zone. Employees might be worried, distracted, and possibly angry about what’s going on. 

Employees might be wondering if there’s something they can do to help. So, I wanted to share some resources that could be helpful. Please keep in mind that this is not an exhaustive list. 

INTERNAL PROGRAMS

If your organization has an employee assistance program (EAP), wellbeing programs, or mental health benefits, employees might want to utilize those programs. HR departments should be regularly reminding employees about these benefits because employees might be too conflicted to come to HR and ask about how to use them. 

In addition to internal programs, organizations need to be aware that employees might encounter workplace conflict and harassment. Alex Alonso, chief knowledge officer at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), wrote a book titled “Talking Taboo: Making the Most of Polarizing Discussions at Work” that might be insightful and helpful at this time. 

Speaking of SHRM, if you’re a member, you have access to Express Requests. This is a section of the SHRM website where their knowledge advisors curate information about a specific subject. SHRM does have an express request available on the Israel – Hamas War. Be sure to check it out.

Also, Eric B. Meyer, an employment attorney with the firm of Fisher Broyles, published an article on “5 Fantastic Resources to Help Your Business Address Antisemitism in the Workplace”. Eric has been writing about how the events in Israel might impact the workplace, so if you’re not already following his work, check out his blog “The Employer Handbook”. 

HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS

Several community- and faith-based organizations have indicated that they will be trying to help the victims of the attacks. Time published an article titled “How to Help Victims of the Israel – Hamas War” that includes a list of organizations offering support including the Alliance for Middle East Peace, The United Nations Relief and Works Agency, The Red Cross, and Save the Children.

It’s also possible that your local community- and faith-based groups are trying to help as well. For instance, your local synagogue, Jewish Community Center, mosque, Islamic Community Center, and / or church.

One more thing. There’s a lot of information being circulated via the internet and social media. I’ve already seen misinformation being shared and I’m sure you have too. Now is a good time to remind ourselves that “Media Literacy is a Business Competency” and be alert to online information. This is one more way that we can be supportive during this time of conflict.

As a human resources professional, I know that sometimes employees are reluctant to share that they’re hurting. And when I say employees, I mean employees at every level. Sometimes an executive might feel they have to “stay strong” for the team. If you know of a resource that would be helpful to the HR community during this time of conflict, please share it in the comments. Having a list of resources available can be helpful. You don’t have to wait until someone asks. Just bookmark the page in case you need it.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while at the Wynwood Art District in Miami, FL

The post How to Support Employees During Times of Conflict – hr bartender appeared first on hr bartender.