Since the announcement of the Roe v. Wade decision being overturned, I have been struggling. Thinking back on the events of the past 2.5 years – pandemic, George Floyd, the election, January 6th, ‘don’t say gay’, Ukraine, shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, Roe v. Wade – a common theme stands out…intolerance. Why? Why all the … Continue reading Why All the Intolerance? →

I talk to myself. A lot. I admit it. I have for years. I did it today; I was prepping for a direct feedback conversation with a team member. That’s when it hit me – the years of talking to myself has all been for a reason. On May 25th I had the pleasure of … Continue reading Now I Understand Why I Talk to Myself →

Words are important. Our words are very powerful. I don’t think we are always conscious of how strong our words can be and the affect they can have. In HR, there are some words I would like to remove from our vernacular. Here are my top 3 and why they need to go: Job hopper … Continue reading Words →

SHRM published an article last month on the importance of supporting employee caregivers. Did you know that nearly 1 in 5 employees is a caregiver outside of their work life? (You can read the article here.) As with most things in the world of work, there are some larger companies offering paid benefits and support … Continue reading Let’s Talk about Caregivers →

My takeaways from last night’s State of the Union address were three-fold: 1. Assurance that things will be fine 2. Hope for a bright future 3. A call to do the right things for the benefit of ALL Americans Take away all of the noise (I’m not convinced some of the newscasters actually listened to … Continue reading Do the Right Thing →

It is 2022. The field of human resources has come a long way. Some may remember the days of ‘Personnel’. Electronic onboarding was not a thing when I entered the world of work. Things are very different today. HR has made huge strides in many areas; however, I am disturbed by some ‘old school’ trains … Continue reading Old school v. new school →

‘I’ll Be There for You’ by The Rembrandts (1995) So no one told you life was going to be this way.Your job’s a joke, you’re broke, you’re love life’s DOA.It’s like you’re always stuck in second gear,When it hasn’t been your day, your week, your month, or even your year. But, I’ll be there for … Continue reading Friends →

I am thrilled to share my first contribution to a professional article published by the BBC – https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20211209-why-its-so-hard-for-some-workers-to-ask-for-time-off?ocid=ww.social.link.email. When I was approached by the author for an interview, I was beyond excited (and not just because it’s the BBC and I am obsessed with the country of England!) I was honored to be asked and … Continue reading PTO in the U.S. – Why IS it so hard? →

I absolutely love the holidays. For me, the most wonderful time of the year begins in September with football and pumpkins. I blissfully go through the wonder of fall in October, culminating with Thanksgiving in November. Once the Starbucks cups turn red, it’s on for the holiday season. It’s go time – Christmas music, Christmas … Continue reading Are you giving thanks…or should-ing all over yourself? →

Business Owner: ‘An employee was in a bar fight last night, was arrested, and we saw it on the news.’ Manager: ‘An employee has brought bed bugs into the office.’ President: ‘I’m pretty sure my CFO came in drunk today.’ Employee: ‘My sister called into payroll pretending to be me and changed my direct deposit … Continue reading HR is an Experience Game →

It’s been a week and a half since I boarded a plane out of Las Vegas heading for home. I applaud those who had their post-conference blog posts knocked out within hours of the final session. For me, I need a bit more time to process. I’ve done that and I’ve created a post-conference to … Continue reading My Post-SHRM21 To Do List →

Like many fellow HR practitioners, the COVID-19 global pandemic has brought a lot of challenges. And stress. And heartache. And quite frankly, a bit of anxiety. It all came screaming back to me recently. I had to take my youngest daughter, Emily, to be tested for COVID this past weekend. Again. The first time was … Continue reading Let Go and Let God →

The way we terminate employees deserves attention too. And respect. Even though an employee is leaving, they’re still a person and they should be treated as such. After nearly 20 years in HR, I’ve learned a few important points on how employee terminations should be handled: 1. Terminations are not solely HR’s responsibility – I … Continue reading Can we please discuss the employee termination experience? →

It is such an interesting time in our country. The labor issues we are experiencing in the U.S. are not exclusive to our country. I witnessed them first-hand in Mexico. I recently took my family to Cancun for a long overdue, much needed vacation. We just needed to get away. And it was fantastic – … Continue reading Do people want to work? →

I absolutely love Chick fil A. They are the epitome of customer service. This past Friday, I took my daughters to get dinner. As we pulled in, rain started coming down. Wet and cold, the staff was beyond friendly and eager to help. Throughout the pandemic, Chick fil A has been the place to go. … Continue reading A Tale of Two Companies →

The nervous nellies, the blamers, the finger pointers – you know who I’m talking about. Those employees/co-workers who display bad behaviors because they are traumatized from previous experience. You can spot them a mile away. They are constantly playing the game of CYA. It’s sad, really. Why do employees feel this way at work? I’ll … Continue reading Debunking Workplace Myths →

Approach is Everything I recently had a harrowing experience with a Facebook group. I have a daughter with autism and I had a question, so I posted it to a FB group geared toward parents and caregivers. About 30 minutes after I posted, I was deeply sorry I did so. I deleted the post and … Continue reading Approach is Everything →

The title’s a little dramatic but I wanted to get your attention. President Joe Biden addressed the American people two weeks ago and outlined the beginning of his initial priorities as he takes office. One of the key issues is the federal minimum wage – the proposal is to increase to $15.00 per hour. While … Continue reading $15.00 Minimum Wage – It’s Time to Take Drastic Measures →

Unprecedented. These uncertain times. Unexplored territory. When I started thinking about what my final post of 2020 would be about, I took great pause to consider various topics. How to possibly put this year into words? And to that end, what do I really want to say? There will be 10,000+ HR blog posts about … Continue reading The Gifts of 2020 →

Today is November 24, 2020. I had a client ask me today what the ‘COVID pay’ is and how it works. What?!? Are you freaking kidding me? If you are a business owner or leader today, you do not have the luxury of not paying attention. There are so many moving pieces and parts right … Continue reading You Have to Pay Attention →