Hired a Psychopath lately?

It's very difficult in the HR world today to walk the fine line between employment discrimination of a candidate truly protected by a psychiatric disability, and making a healthy selection decision for your organization. Tip o' the hat to Kazim Ladimeji for this data-filled article: http://www.recruiter.com/i/how-to-avoid-hiring-a-psychopath/ If you suspect you may be close to hiring a psychopath, consider: How closely does his/her background actually match the requirements? Does the role require managing others? Does the role require some behavior that could be considered outside of the norm? Does your organization have the resources to manage this individual? I am sure that there are many other factors to consider in your circumstances, but do give thought to some of the basics. If I can help you with particulars pre- or post-employment, send me an email at info@broadbandhr.com

In vs Out part 3

Tip o' the hat to Steve Boese for a little more intelligence on another aspect of the telecommuting debate around Yahoo's policy change: http://fistfuloftalent.com/2013/04/would-say-500month-be-enough-to-get-you-to-move-closer-to-the-office.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FistfulOfTalent+%28Fistful+of+Talent%29 I like the incentivize aspect of this idea - rather than the "thou must" approach. Work-life balance is a key idea in why people choose to work from home. And removing barriers to employee productivity are as important as providing collaboration tools that enhance productivity. All of the moving parts need to be in place to have a productive team.

Workplace Strategy : In or Out part 2

Lots of discussion going on in Silicon Valley, and all over California about Yahoo's Marissa Mayer and the decree for no more telecommuting. While the spirit may have been toward a positive, the trend here is definitely to more telework rather than less. Most of the telecommuting is negotiated by the employee and the company because it makes sense. There are some jobs that lend themselves brilliantly to virtual work and still being plugged into a team in meaningful ways. Human Resources is not typically one of those, although recruiters have often been offsite for ages. Smart girl sourcer/recruiter Kelly Dingee has an opinion on a successful baseline for telecommuting: http://fistfuloftalent.com/2013/03/six-tips-to-making-a-tele-work-job-work.html If I can engineer smart practices for your company on this and other issues, drop me an email to info@broadbandhr.com

Workplace strategy : In or Out?

Elevating the discussion on telecommuting versus in the office demands that have been in the news recently. This idea of "quality of life per square foot" appeals to me from a variety of perspectives: http://www.recruitingtrends.com/work-from-home-debate-elevates-importance-of-overall-workplace-strategy/ If your organization needs the help of a strategic partner that is NOT trying to sell you space, let me know how I can help by emailing info@broadbandhr.com

New Year's Thoughts from a Silicon Valley HeadHunter

New Year’s Thoughts from a Silicon Valley HeadHunter

Josh Helman of Fistful of Talent (one of my favorites blogs I don’t write)

posted an interesting look back at the workplace over our working lives:

http://www.fistfuloftalent.com/2010/01/were-not-in-kansas-anymore---what-recruiting-will-look-like-in-25-years.html#comments

Think about how much has changed in your workplace –

Some of the things I come up with:

• WiFi, Broadband, and other tools of ubiquity – we are expected to be “always on”- that's a big change. Weekends used to be that – the end of the week, and two full days off. That’s the exception today, not the rule.
• Printed daily newspaper – most of us get our news through email or internet search of some kind, and it’s delivered to us in the form we want instead of the way the media wants it.
• Multiline phones, headsets, Skype, 3G and 4G phones – there is a tremendous change in the phones we use, aside from the tools of ubiquity above. The fact that many people no longer have a landline is shocking, although many of us did away with them just to get rid of the telemarketing calls at dinnertime :^)

What are the big changes you see in your workplace over the big look back?