Advice: Come ‘N Get It

Get Organized!

Posted by admin on May 10, 2011 in Advice, Featured Articles, Published Articles | 0 comments

I'm pretty sure that looking at this picture is as good as Prozac. Sigh. 🙂

Some good things happened recently – we were invited to join the Plain Jane Wisdom show again last night on Fox News Radio, which is super exciting.  You can listen live to the station or hear the podcasts at your convenience.

Here’s a new article that was published by Yahoo Finance:  How I Organized My Small Business Life.

How to Drug Test Employees

Posted by admin on Apr 11, 2011 in Advice, Drug Testing | 0 comments

Pretty, but not a good idea if you're trying to get a job

Dear Seeking Answers: Great question!  If you have a policy in place for drug testing your employees, follow it exactly as it is written.  If you don’t, now is a good time to put one in place.  Google “drug test policy” online and find one that fits what you’re looking for.  Run it by an attorney to make sure it will be enforceable in your state, present the policy to your employees, and have them sign and date to ensure they understand.  Make sure it covers pre-employment testing, random drug testing, and for cause testing.  There are two schools of thought to implementing a new drug test policy.  One is to give employees 30 days to shape up and then start testing.  Another is to test right away and make employment decisions about anyone who tests positive.  You’re headed down an important road – good luck and I wish you the best!  ~ HR Lady

Next week:  My boss keeps changing the rules at work.  One day, we can’t work one minute of overtime or we get written up.  The very next day, we get in trouble for not cleaning up our work area.  We don’t have any idea what to do.  It seems like they make things confusing so they have a reason to fire someone for no reason.

Are You a Rainmaker?

Posted by admin on Apr 4, 2011 in Advice, Featured Articles, Getting the Job | 3 comments

Love this. Photo credit: blogadilla.com

I found this picture today and the text “Make it Rain Unconditionally” really struck me.   Jeffrey J Fox’s book on “How to Become a Rainmaker: Rules for Getting and Keeping Customers” made a profoud impact on a lot of readers, including me, when it introduced the world to the concept of a “Rainmaker”.  If you haven’t read the book, I highly recommend that you consider it.  You can be a rainmaker anywhere and in any facet in life – work, home, church, community, politics, you name it – there’s always a

Ask the HR Lady: EEOC Racial Discrimination Complaint

Posted by admin on Mar 31, 2011 in Advice, Discrimination, Featured Articles | 0 comments

Tee hee. Don'tcha love this picture? Hello, reality!

Dear HR Lady: I just received a letter from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission saying I had a complaint filed against me for racial discrimination.  What should I do?!   ~Robert, Michigan

Ask the HR Lady: Seasonal Hiring

Posted by admin on Mar 30, 2011 in Advice, Featured Articles | 0 comments

Seasonal hiring can be a great solution. Please note these are not my legs. If these were my legs, I would have no problems and the entire world would open up to me with birds chirping and such.

Dear HR Lady:  I need to hire some help to get us through the busy season.  I am worried about whether or not I can keep them on when things get slow in a few months.  What are my options? ~Tomas, Oklahoma

Dear Tomas: One of the best ways to do this is to hire the help you need as “per diem” which literally translates into “per day”.  Some folks call this day labor.  Here’s the skinny – you treat them well, just like any other person or vendor that you deal with – but there is no legal expectation of continued employment beyond that day. For this to be successful, make sure the worker is ok with being hired on a day by day basis, and have the worker sign an offer letter that clearly outlines the terms of your work relationship.  Good luck and I wish you the best!  ~ HR Lady

Next week:  I am having a hard time finding a job and am wondering about starting a business.  I picked up some magazines that have business opportunities in them.  Any advice?

Ask the HR Lady: Should I Take the Job?

Posted by admin on Mar 30, 2011 in Advice, Featured Articles, Getting the Job | 0 comments

Dear HR Lady: I have been looking for work and got offered a job as a part time per diem worker.  What does that mean?  Should I take the job? ~ Dustin, Lousiana

Dear Dustin: Great question.  A part time employee is an employee who is scheduled to work, and actually works, less than a full time schedule.  Companies typically draw the line between part time and full time at 24 hours or 32 hours.  A part time employee is a regular benefit-eligible employee and earns vacation, sick time, etc. and is eligible to be considered for unemployment.  A per diem employee literally translates in to “per day”.  Per diem employees are hired for a project and are, in essence, temporary workers.  Employees in this category are non-benefit eligible do not earn vacation or sick time and are not eligible for unemployment in most states.  In answer to your question… yes!  I would recommend that you take the job.  Per diem employees are one way companies try an employee out before making a final hiring decision.  One of the best employees I ever had started out per diem.  Good luck and I wish you the very best! ~ HR Lady

Next week:  I just received a letter from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission saying I had a complaint filed against me for racial discrimination.  What should I do?!

10th Anniversary Special: Attitude

Posted by admin on Nov 30, 2010 in Advice, Featured Articles | 0 comments

Attitude really is everything.

Dearest Reader:

In 2010 we celebrate our tenth year of helping employers and employees with tough situations at work.  It is our honor to serve the community and our sincere hope that the stories we share are helpful, fun, and bring immediate help to your daily life.  In the spirit of Thanksgiving, please accept our sincerest thank you for your support and encouragement, and for sharing your stories with us.  Many years ago, Charles Swindoll wrote a piece titled “Attitude” that has been a guiding light to us.  Here it is, we hope you find it inspiring, too.

Attitude

By Charles Swindoll
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude… I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.
And so it is with you… we are in charge of our attitudes.