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We all know employee handbooks are important and the majority of organizations have a handbook that serves a written document for policies and procedures. These handbooks serve as tools to help employees understand what is expected of them and what constitutes breaking policies. What other purpose do handbooks serve? Continue Reading →
Coaching in the workplace provides both managers and employees with the opportunity to not only correct negative behaviors, but it can also be a great tool in boosting an employee’s existing skill set. It is a difficult feat to expect an employee to be fully engaged as a manager, yet sit on the sidelines as the employee works. Continue Reading →
It is well known that there are many options for hiring new employees. Based on previous research, we also know that some methods are much better than others. For example, we know that structured interviews are much more effective than unstructured interviews for reducing interviewer bias. This is because the extra care taken to standardize interviews across all candidates and by including rating scales completed by multiple interviewers actually reduces the biases and heuristics that humans tend to develop about others.
One method that is useful for improving the validity for predicting top performers in selection is known as the Weighted Application Blanks method. This method allows employers to still use a very common hiring tool while simply adding weight to certain fields. This weighting ultimately adds to an overall score for each applicant making comparisons between applicants more fair and unbiased than mere gut feelings of a hiring manager.
How does your organization hire new employees? If care is not taken to ensure that human error and bias are not influencing the hiring decision. Failure to do so could result in problems with discrimination and possible legal action, so it is imperative that the best (that is, most reliable and valid for predicting job performance) selection tools are used.
Have you ever experienced what you felt could have been unfair hiring practices?
References:
Allen, D. G., Bryant, P. C., & Vardaman, J. M. (2010). Retaining talent: Replacing misconceptions with evidence-based strategies. Academy of Management Perspectives, 48-64.
So your workplace has a bully or two. How are you going to handle the negative impact of a bully on the relationships within the workplace? Some would say it is best to ignore the bully(s), but ignoring the problem does not solve it. When a bully threatens other employees, something must be done. So, what should an organization do to combat bullying? Continue Reading →
Facebook has received a lot of attention in light of the hiring trend. Some organizations are asking for employee login information so that they can look at a candidate’s Facebook profile, messages, and pictures. Some candidates have withdrawn from the hiring process because they do not feel it is okay for a potential employer to snoop around and look at their personal lives. What does this mean for the hiring process? Continue Reading →
Any easy way to break tension in the workplace is to bring in humor. People tend to feel more at ease when they are able to joke with one another. During times of high stress within a work environment, humor can be a coping method that employees use to release the tension. While this is a great way to encourage strong relationships among employees, is there a limit?
We all know someone in our workplace that tends to go a bit overboard when joking. Is there a line that can be crossed? The answer is of course, yes. What is this line and how do we prevent employees from crossing it? Continue Reading →
To remain competitive, organizations have been forced to enter the global market. Competition is fierce in today’s economy, and with global organizations comes a very basic necessity: cross-cultural training. By cross-cultural training I mean training that employees receive on not only how to deal with cultural differences among customers, but also training available to employees that relocate to another country. Sometimes employees moving to another country are known as expatriates because they are leaving their country of origin and traveling to a new place.
Think about your life right now and imagine your organization wanted you to move to Asia. If you had to pack up all your belongings and move to a new country, there would be a lot of changes in your life. First and foremost, you would need somewhere to live, and preferably somewhere safe. Your organization would have needed to assist you in locating a safe housing environment as you likely have no idea about your new home country. How will you communicate with people? Will you know the currency system? Continue Reading →
Courtesy of Free Digital Photos.net
Several legal issues are involved in drug testing for job applicants and employees. Because this process can be invasive into an applicant’s life, there are legal issues that should be considered by employers prior to using drug testing as a selection procedure. The organization should also be sure that they are using an appropriate method of drug testing to ensure that applicants do not feel they have been treated unfairly.
One of the most common legal issues that organizations face in using drug testing is the invasion of privacy. Continue Reading →
In 2009, the United States Supreme Court made a decision about the presence of adverse impact on a promotional test. The New Haven, Connecticut fire department used a test to determine which employees would receive promotions. Nineteen white and one Hispanic firefighter passed the test and should have been eligible for promotion. However, the New Haven fire department decided the test was not valid. The twenty firefighters that were denied promotion argued that they were discriminated against, while the fire department claimed to fear a lawsuit over adverse impact. Continue Reading →
Human resource departments are responsible for some of the most important decisions made in organizations. When job applicants apply for a job, there is a process that occurs in every human resource department that eventually leads to an applicant being offered a position at the organization. Every organization may have a slightly different process for deciding which applicant(s) will be offered jobs. Continue Reading →
In the early sixties, Stanley Milgram conducted a series of experiments to investigate how people behave when placed in difficult situations. The results from the study have been used as the foundation for other studies for several years. Many people do not consider what the studies mean in the context of the workplace. However, the studies provide insight into why employees behave the way they do.
The studies, conducted at Yale University, involved an authority figure and a participant. The participant was seated in a chair with a control panel. The authority figure or experimenter stood next to the participant and gave instructions to the participant. The participant was told that in another room a different participant or the “learner” was seated. The authority figure read different words aloud and waited for an answer from the learner. Continue Reading →
It is estimated that 80% of people have observed or been involved in a romantic relationship at work. Although the majority of organizations have policies in place for dealing with such situations, often the rules are ignored. People typically weigh the costs of organizational punishment and having a meaningful relationship and will choose the person versus the organization. Continue Reading →
After reading a Career Builder article on why the lunch break is going extinct, I couldn’t help but add a few comments about this myself.
It seems there’s a trend in offices these days for skipping lunches. Hectic schedules, picking up kids after school, flexing time for doctor and dental appointments, after-work activities, avoiding traffic, and just wanting to leave the office to be home one hour earlier are all reasons most of us opt out of our lunchtime. That one magical hour of “me” time is a precious commodity when you don’t get paid for it. It’s a tiny option where we can exert a little control over our job schedules. Ah, that one, great big hour!
In most of the companies I worked for in the past, lunchtime was considered a necessity. Most large companies have a cafeteria and this was a time to gather with colleagues and chat over everything from soup to nuts.
I used to work out at lunchtime in the fitness center which was probably the best thing for me to do, because sitting at a desk all day long with no physical activity – even a short walk – can be a playground for health issues up the road, and after working out, I managed to eat a sandwich at my desk which was okay by my boss. But at least I got away from my desk.
Also, I admit to a few times of pulling late nights so I was exhausted and sleepy at work. Our women’s washroom had a couch in the coatroom before entering the bathroom. I took full advantage of taking a cat nap for a half hour, got a second wind, and went back to work refreshed. Thank goodness that was rare. The men got upset because they didn’t have a couch in the men’s room!
I need that hour of me time – paid or not. I like to play Scrabble on my lunchtime instead of taking that walk these days, but I think I should start walking on an afternoon break again. The only problem I have is when walking outside on a beautiful sunny day; I don’t want to walk back into work. It makes me feel like a child again not wanting to go back to school after recess. The good thing about playing Scrabble is that I truly believe it’s helping my memory. In fact, the advocates are telling us to play “recall” games like Scrabble to stimulate and exercise our memory. And for those of us in our dotage, we know how important that is. Exercise in any form, from aerobics to simple walking releases chemicals in the brain for our memory and general well-being. It’s good to get a mental break – no matter how busy one is.
Author, Eve Tahmincioglu, who wrote, “Why the lunch break is going extinct,” cites that there are companies who are doing away with lunch breaks altogether. Each state has its own laws regarding break times. “Illinois state labor laws require employers to give a lunch break of at least 20 minutes to all employees who work a shift of 7.5 hours or more.”
Here in Illinois, the break rules are as follows:
Most companies I’ve worked for in the past, had steady break times at 10:00AM and 3:00PM. We looked forward to those times to be able to get a snack at the cafeteria or get some fresh air, whether you smoked or just walked around.
I think there’s another social aspect we are losing in the interim which could be argued as good or bad. Humans, as social beings need to relate to others in a physical way more than we think we do. Sure we can do a lot of texting, emailing and Facebooking, but in reality we need to experience good Karma with one another face to face. In fact, I was chastised by a friend of mine several years ago for eating lunch at my desk, she said, “Oh dear, you eat lunch at your desk? That’s bad karma. Don’t do it.” I took her advice and ate in the lunchroom with my colleagues from then on.
I think the flipside is keeping to oneself at break times may avoid bad karma when conflicting personalities collide.
Well, it’s now lunchtime for me and I’m playing my daily Scrabble game. Later, I am going to take that walk!
How many interviews have you had in which the interviewer has appeared to ask random questions? I’m sure most of us have had an interviewer ask questions off the top of their head that may seem out of place or unusual to us. Unstructured interviews are often still used by many organizations despite the research indicating the lack of reliability in using this form. The biggest problem with the use of unstructured interviews is the reliance of our gut instinct rather than a consistent, reliable, and valid measure of job candidates. Continue Reading →
I have heard the phrase “boost that resume” more times than I can count on my fingers. Anytime a professor persuaded me to join another club, become an officer, or participate in a research group, there main reasoning was always to “boost that resume.” I typically took this comment with a grain of salt. I have never been one to simply participate in an activity or club for the sole reason of an addition to my resume. When I think of most of the activities I partook in during college were ones that I wanted to participate and be a part of. The jobs I had during college and my summers were intended to help pay for tuition and to help me decide about career options. Continue Reading →
You may think that stealing at work never happens and only really bad employees steal. But, the truth of the matter is 46% of employees have stolen from his or her organization. This is becoming an increasingly significant problem that organizations are facing. The economic recession has left people feeling desperate and has challenged employees’ ethical decisions. Continue Reading →
By nature, I am an early bird. No matter if it is work or getting together with friends, I will be early. Running late causes me a great deal of stress and anxiety, so I do all that is in my power to not only be on time, but leave a few minutes of leeway just in case. Continue Reading →
Part I
“Everybody lies,” says the iniquitous and irascible Dr. Gregory House, starring Hugh Laurie. Being an avid viewer of House, I have heard him say that several times over its 5 aired seasons, and not to wonder because most of the patients on the show do lie, or they just aren’t telling the truth – the whole truth or everything but the truth. Ignorance of their situation isn’t really lying, so the doctors now have to turn into detectives to uncover what’s behind their unusual symptoms. It’s a typical Hollywood drama, but many of the House cases I’ve watched seem pretty plausible to me. The human behavior elements fascinate me.
As for honesty, I believe I was brought up the right way by my parents. They always told me that lying could get me into serious trouble. Honest Abe, young George Washington and the cherry tree, were all good examples to emulate. My favorite is Shakespeare’s timeless quote which still reigns true to this day, “Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.” That’s what I call “the domino effect lie.” This type of lying starts out with a little lie that mushrooms into several smaller lies to cover up one over the other. All too often, the truth is uncovered to the embarrassment and sometimes ruin of the liar.
Police detectives are trained to spot a liar and one of their methods is to ask the same questions again but in a different way to see if the person they are interrogating is consistent with his or her story. In the TV program, Lie to Me, starring Tim Roth who plays Dr. Cal Lightman, makes a living assisting the police when their interrogations fail. He is a behavioral scientist who has studied facial expressions, and other giveaway gestures in order to spot liars. According to Wikipedia, “The character is based on Dr. Paul Ekman, a psychologist and expert on body language and facial expressions at University of California, San Francisco.” Much to my disappointment, the show was canceled by Fox this year.
I could never lie. In fact I stink at lying. I thought I was always a good enough actress to pull off a lie, but the fact is I’m a method actress. I could never lie right off the cuff. And forget about lying to my mother. She’s a human polygraph machine.
Now, the question I have is, does it pay to lie? I don’t think so, but it sure can cost you to be honest. Oftentimes money is behind this necessary “evil.” An example of what I’m talking about happened to me a few weeks ago. As usual, I was driving to work a bit late, when suddenly all traffic slowed to a halt due to an accident involving 2 semi-trucks in the middle of an intersection on country roads. No emergency vehicles were present and I found out later that none were involved at all. Officers were directing traffic around the vehicles but where not doing so to the timing of the stop lights. Waiting patiently for several minutes, I gently beeped my horn – just a light tap. I didn’t get the officer’s attention, so I beeped again. This second beep of my horn was just a little longer. I did not lay on the horn.
A different policeman walked toward our row of traffic and asked the 2 cars in front of me whether they beeped their horns or not. Then he came to my window and sternly asked, “Did you beep your horn?” Anxiously, I scowled, “And so what if I did?” I realized it was an impudent response, but I was really upset he would ask such a question and I immediately became defensive. I felt this officer was using a bully tactic and to top it off, he appeared to be in a bad mood and I felt he was taking out his aggressions on me. He told me that it’s illegal to beep one’s horn in an emergency situation. The officer told me to pull over and he issued me a ticket for “Improper use of horn.” If I am found guilty in court, the fine is $120.00. I was absolutely dumbfounded! I am going to fight it because I cannot find this particular offense in the Illinois Vehicle code book.
Should I have just lied and said, “No, I didn’t beep my horn,” and let the officer continue up the line of cars behind me to ask that question? How would he have known it was me who beeped? No, I’m Honest Abe. I told the truth. And the truth is probably going to cost me 120 bucks.
What about people who lie to get ahead? Do you think that if you are the honest type, your nobility will pay off? One thing my father always told me is that you could never go wrong by “doing the right thing.” I have no doubt about that statement, but right now in this society, with corrupt states and laws that tend to villainize the victims and prey on the weak and honest, I’m starting to wonder. Does lying trickle into the workplace? If so, how does that affect the work environment? More investigation to come.
