You play the victim and I'll be the bad guy

Sometimes, HR sucks. What's worse is that there is no way to mitigate the suck either. Is there anyway you can just not fire the guy with the bad performance, but two young kids to care for? Of course. Is termination the necessary and the best thing for the company to do? Yes, it is. Well, that was an easy decision. Does it suck any less? Hell no. Do we look any less like jerks? Not in the slightest.

This is why I am convinced that no matter how much value we provide, no matter how much we kick ass, a lot of people are still going to view HR in general, and sometimes you in particular, as the bad guy. Because everyone is the hero/victim of their own story. It was a similar icky situation that caused me to ditch out early today to go home and eat something covered in cool whip and chocolate sauce. And yet, despite the hard times, I still love what I do. I just don't have to love everything about it.




You play the victim and I'll be the bad guy. I know better than that, I know better. - Meiko.

SHRM Thingy

So I'm super excited to tell you all this but coming up next Friday, July 3rd at 6 pm EDT we will have a very special HR Happy Hour: SHRM Thingy. Well, Steve calls it the SHRM '09 Special, but, whatever.

Anyway, we will be speaking to HR Blogging Superstars: Kris Dunn (HR Capitalist), Laurie Ruettimann (Punk Rock HR), Lance Haun (Your HR Guy), and Mark Stelzner (Inflexion Advisors). All will be attending the SHRM '09 Annual Conference (thingy is faster to type out I might add) and they have all been kind enough to join us and provide their perspective on what went down.

I can't tell you how excited I am for this so please just imagine me giggling, bouncing up and down, all while clapping my hands in delight and that should just about cover it.

So, you'll like totally be there too, right?

Let the clowns out Carnival of HR!

The newest Carnival of HR is up now at the Inflexion Point Blog, hosted by Mark Stelzner. Mark has brought together a great group of bloggers and a lot of great content so be sure to stop on by to check out all the carnival fun!

The next carnival is scheduled for July 8th hosted over at the Effortless HR blog. And if you would like to get on the email reminder list for the Carnival, please drop me a note at hrminion@gmail.com.

That's not recruiting, that's telemarketing

Yesterday, I got a rather odd phone call.

Random Guy: Hi, I'm calling from XYZ company and I was wondering if you were still looking for a job.
Me: Uh, yes.
Random Guy: Great, do you have a pen and some paper?
Me: Uh, yes?
Random Guy: Great, I'll give you the name and number of the manager.
Me: Uh, wait a minute, what is the job?
Random Guy: Well, I don't have a job description.
Me: Okay, so what is this for? What is the job title?
Random Guy: Well, they are hiring for a bunch of positions, from clerical to IT.
Me: Uh, I'm not going to just call some manager without knowing what this is about.
Random Guy: Okay, have a good day. *click*
Me: What just happened?

If I understand this situation correctly, this company has hired people to do random job board searches under broad categories and then calls them without any actual thought. Wow. They might as well be using random phone number generators and dispense with the "image' of recruiting at all. This is not recruiting, this is telemarketing and most certainly doesn't make me want to work with them. If finding a job is a full time job in and of itself, why would I waste my time on them? Fail. Major fail.

Guest Blogger! Moving beyond minion-hood in HR

Today, we have a very special Advice for Minions post for all my darling minions out there. Ben Eubanks of Upstart HR is going on a guest blogging blitz because, well, he's hopped up on Diet Mountain Dew and M&M's so what else is he going to do with all that crazy energy? I'm kidding, I'm kidding...maybe. Anyway, Ben is all kinds of awesome and so is his guest post, which starts... Now!

Disclaimer: Being the HR Minion is cool. Being a random HR minion isn’t cool.

Minion -A loyal servant of another, usually more powerful being. While there is only one HR Minion, there are “little” HR minions everywhere. In fact, I'm one of them. I do my master's bidding and shuffle around like I have a grand purpose. My real (secret) purpose? Overcoming my status as a minion.

In recent weeks, I've been having trouble accepting my seemingly inevitable fate. I am working like mad just to stay in one place. My efforts are barely keeping me afloat in forms, letters, and files. My little internal voice tells me that I don't want to do this forever. I want to be good at HR. I want to make a difference. Sure, everyone needs to have a file and they should be updated every seven minutes and blah, blah, blah. It's sometimes hard to be positive when you can see how the next week/month will be played out before it ever arrives. I've committed myself to moving beyond minion-hood, and here is how it's going to happen.

At Work

I'm going to take a sharp knife and... Wait, I can just do it mentally. I'm going to carve my time into pieces specifically dedicated to certain tasks. Google has the resources to offer employees 20% of their time as a way to participate in self-directed projects. I don't expect to get that much time, but I'd settle for just 10% of time to dedicate to learning, networking, and working on projects I have a personal interest in. You're probably thinking to yourself, "How can I get 10% of my time back?" Most of us spend that much time surfing, tweeting, chatting with coworkers, etc. during the week. If not, then you're considerably under the average, and you'll have to make it happen using the next suggestion.

Beyond Work

The day job is maxed out. It's time to go beyond. Find a cause you're interested in. Everyone has some type of skills that can be useful to someone. Whether you're coordinating a networking event or writing a blog, your time away from the day job can be as valuable as (if not more than) your actual work in regards to professional growth.

Here’s a relatively simple example. Unless you're living in Botswana or Lithuania, you probably have a local SHRM chapter (or some other local leadership/professional organization). If you don't know where else to go for professional development outside the workplace, this is a great way to start. There are committees for every conceivable function in the organization, and you can happily settle yourself where you're most comfortable. It will help you to network with local professionals and build your own skills at the same time.

So, while this post may have started writing this in a frenzy, you now realize that there are ways to move past the life of a minion. You never know when that one activity (whether inside the office or out) will pay off in the long run.

HR Happy Hour #3

The HR Happy Hour is back and this time, we came for the West Coast. Aww, yeah!

A lot of fun was had and we discussed all sorts of topics: twitter & peer pressure, social recruiting, SHRM's annual thingy (as I call it), Sports, and even BBQ. Plus a lot more.

If you wish you were there, and I know you do, be sure to listen in below. I promise, you won't regret it!



Steve's still working on finding the right intro song, when he isn't trying to do one of a million other things! He needs a vacation.

Even better, we talked about getting me some nice corporate sponsorship (Sweet!) and my puppy Darby is all set to become the amazing Darby the HR dog! Check out his picture below, in all his cuteness.



Next time, we're hoping to get some SHRM thingy attendees to participate in our next HR Happy Hour and I even called some of them out to participate. You know who you are!

HR-mageddon!!!

If you are like me and sometimes find yourself with both an intense desire to waste time and relieve your work place frustrations, then I have the game for you.

Caution: This game is not actually appropriate for the workplace and for the faint of heart. But it's funny, and that's all that matters sometimes.

Carnival fun!!!

So it's been a week of revealing in the coolness that is being the power behind the Carnival of HR and I figured I should really get to work.

First up, it has come to my attention that the more successful Carnival's tend to be the ones where the host sends out an email to the usual suspect contributors as a reminder. Being one of those suspects who greatly appreciates the reminder, I have decided to help out future carnival hosts by formalizing these email reminders. So if you're like me and would appreciate an emailed reminder to send in your submission then please contact me at hrminion@gmail.com to be added to the list. I promise not to spam you with offers from Nigerian nobility. I only work with the Russians I'll have you know.

Second, I am now officially signing up future hosts of the carnival! You know you want to. In fact, some of you have contacted either Alison or me already about doing so. So if you are interested in and committed to hosting a future Carnival of HR please send me an email, once again at hrminion@gmail.com.

You know, for a minion, I'm starting to get a surprising amount of play lately. I must focus on how to exploit this to further my plans for world domination. Because, well, that's just what evil minions do.

It's awkward, like puberty

Child actors have it hard. They gain enormous popularity and fame for being cute and charming. But then puberty hits and, for a lot of child actors, their careers stall. They are too old to play the roles that made them famous, but not old enough to suit the roles that will drive their future career.

It reminds me of my situation. Throughout my career I have worked hard to gain skills and experience. I went back to school for my Master's and I even got my PHR. And yet, I still lack the experience that would enable me to get into the kind of roles I'm looking for. It's an awkward position to be in. I'm either too qualified or not qualified enough.

So, what's a girl, to do? Anything that I can. This means seeking out opportunities wherever I can, even if they aren't ideal, and even if it's a lateral move instead of an advancement. It's about having a clear idea about where I want to be while having the flexibility to adjust to the road bumps that will come my way. And most of all, I have to do something I'm not good at; Be patient. Just like puberty, it may be awkward and frustrating, but the only cure for it is time.

New carnival of HR... and a slightly awkward announcement

There is a great new Carnival of HR up now at Fortify your Oasis and Rowan Manahan is your gracious host! There are a lot of participants and a lot of great posts so be sure to head on over there to check it out!

Unfortunately, I suck and failed to get my entry in on time. And thus, I segue into this awesome, but now slightly awkward, announcement: I have been appointed as the new owner of the Carnival of HR! Started originally by Evil HR Lady and recently under the purview of Ask A Manager, I have been asked to fill some really big shoes.

So, that means I have no reason for not getting my posts submitted on time because I'm like, running the thing. For that very reason I would like to remind you that the next Carnival of HR is on June 24th will be hosted by Mark Stelzner over at Inflexion Point. And yes, I will be looking for future hosts of future carnivals soon, so be sure to keep your eyes open for that announcement.

HR Happy Hour #2

It's back and more popular than ever! The first HR Happy hour got such a positive reception that Steve Boese was gracious enough to put together another one and even invite me back. Better yet, I've been officially promoted to co-host. I promise to be interesting like Kelly Ripa and not crazy like Kathie Lee Gifford.

We talked about blogging, twitter addiction, puppies, and hockey. It was a lot of fun, and was so popular that not everyone who wanted to call in was able to! Be sure to check it out below!

It's just not fair

Fairness is a messed up concept. Think about it. Here is a concept, an ideal, that everything in life should be equal and that people get what they deserve. Cynicism aside, we all know that life is not fair. And yet, when something bad happens the first thing we want to cry out is "that's not fair!!". This is as true in life as it is at work. Even if we mentally understand and accept that life isn't fair, it actually doesn't make it easier to cope with.

But you know what helps, even if just a little? Acknowledgment.

So here you go:
You. Got. Screwed. And it sucks major ass. You worked your butt off for that company and still got laid off. You where blamed for a mistake at work you had nothing to do with. You warned people that something bad was going to happen but no one listened to you. Whatever. Either way, something happened and you got the short end of the stick. We have all been there, and we all understand how crappy it feels.

You know, just because something is irrational, like expecting the world to be fair,it doesn't mean that the feelings of frustration and anxiety that go with it aren't real. Sometimes you just need someone to acknowledge your feelings before you can let them go and move on. So consider yourself acknowledged, check out the Jonathan Coulton song Screwed, and move on.

Mixed Emotions

As some of you may already know, (if you follow me on twitter) today I was told I would be "released" from my contract at the Buy More. As of June 12th I will be set adrift anew.

Honestly though, I'm not as upset as I could be. Sure, I don't want to be out of work right now, but I wasn't as attached to this job as my last one. Don't get me wrong, it was great experience, pay, and I really liked my co-workers. But I knew it wasn't something I would do long term. This whole outsourced HR provider model does make sense, especially for big clients, but I didn't get into HR to be part of a production line. I want to build relationships. Why would I be so interested in social media/networking if all I wanted to do was impersonally handle HR transactions all day long? No, thank you.

Sigh. I've had a rough week. But I'm still remaining positive and I feel I'm in a better position to handle unemployment now than I was 4 months ago. I managed to save money and I have my PHR. I'll keep on remaining positive and pushing forward because that's what I do. That and stuff. I also do stuff.

I'm once again a minion for hire, looking for her new evil mastermind. Will hench for chocolate.