One would think that given the current state of the economy, finding good candidates and getting them on board would be easy. On the contrary, we have found increasing difficulties in getting people from the offer stage to starting employment. In the last 3 months we've had pulled job offers for the following reasons:
Positive drug test
Come on folks, HR people consider this a rudimentary intelligence test. Don't mess this up. Regardless of your feelings about drug use, you need to be able to pass a drug test. It's extremely common in the hiring process.
Issues with criminal offenses
Two different ones in this category. One was someone who ran from the cops on his motorcycle, thinking if he went fast enough they'd let him go. Yes, that is actually what he told us. He's obviously never watched a single episode of COPS. The 2nd person had a fairly recent DUI. His job would have involved driving to visit customers. We passed on hiring him.
Lying about education
On his resume and application, a candidate indicated he had a B.S. from XYZ University. When the background check was done, it showed he attended for 3 months! That's it. He admitted to lying when questioned about it, but what choice did he have? Part of his offer letter stated he had to provide a transcript before he could start. I'm wondering how he was planning for us to not notice the gaping discrepancy.
Since you've seen some big no-no's, what should you do?
1. Staying away from drugs is a good start.
2. Be upfront about any issues that may come to light during a background check such as criminal convictions. Taking the offensive gives you the opportunity to tell your side of the story (and it had best be truthful, see next point) upfront. Employers don't like surprises in this area.
3. Be honest. A white lie is a lie. Many times simply not telling the truth on your application will immediately remove you from consideration. More and more companies do background checks. Tell the truth, you should be doing that anyway.
4. Be responsive to requests. Our offer letter lists the items that must be completed before you start. It's pretty standard stuff: pass drug test, provide references, send us an official transcript. There may be a few others depending on the position. When you receive this list, work on it immediately. "But I don't start for 2 weeks" you might say. I repeat, DO IT NOW. First, things take time. It may take several days to receive the results from drug tests; we've seen transcripts take weeks (we actually once had someone drive to the school to get a copy, and the school was pretty far away). It's YOUR problem if things are delayed. We are quite serious. If they aren't in our hands, you don't start. Also, when you put off getting these things done, we start to get concerned. Has the person changed his or her mind? When you wait until the last minute to drug test, we figure you have a reason to wait, and that doesn't give us a warm fuzzy.
Summary: The job market is tough. Treat the offer process properly so that you can make the successful transition from candidate to employee.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
How Rude!
Last week I was giving safety orientation to 6 of our new associates. At one point I realized one of them was reading a book during my presentation. Was it a book I'd given him to read, or at least related to safety? NO. It was a book on SQL (he's an IT person). I was NOT happy. This is my time to impart important safety information, and he's reading a book, so he's obviously really not paying attention.
The next day I was telling his coworker about this. He told me I needed to tell their boss. About this time my coworker entered the conversation and said "He did it to you too?". He'd done the same thing when she had been presenting her info. She said she wasn't really bothered by it, but she thought it was rude. I said it did bother me.
I spoke to the person's manager about it, relaying that it happened to at least two different people and that it was unacceptable. He said he had given the new associate the book in question, but during people's presentations was not the proper time to read it. He stated he would speak to the he new person about it. Later that afternoon the person came to me and asked if I was bothered by his reading during my session. I said that indeed I was. He apologized but said "I'm really good at multi-tasking". I didn't bother to tell him studies show that humans are actually not good at that (texting + driving = bad, among other examples).
I was dumbfounded that he really didn't see anything wrong, that it never occurred to him that people might find this offensive. DUH! On a related note, we once had a salesperson who texted nearly the entire time during her orientation (around 4 days). She was the only person having orientation then, so it was even more conspicuous than the person reading in this last group. People were not pleased with that either. We could tell she was not a good fit, and sure enough she left very shortly after hire date, to no one's great sadness.
P.S. Bonus points to anyone who had the image of Stephanie from "Full House" when you read the title. For those of you who don't remember or don't know, that was one of her catchphrases.
The next day I was telling his coworker about this. He told me I needed to tell their boss. About this time my coworker entered the conversation and said "He did it to you too?". He'd done the same thing when she had been presenting her info. She said she wasn't really bothered by it, but she thought it was rude. I said it did bother me.
I spoke to the person's manager about it, relaying that it happened to at least two different people and that it was unacceptable. He said he had given the new associate the book in question, but during people's presentations was not the proper time to read it. He stated he would speak to the he new person about it. Later that afternoon the person came to me and asked if I was bothered by his reading during my session. I said that indeed I was. He apologized but said "I'm really good at multi-tasking". I didn't bother to tell him studies show that humans are actually not good at that (texting + driving = bad, among other examples).
I was dumbfounded that he really didn't see anything wrong, that it never occurred to him that people might find this offensive. DUH! On a related note, we once had a salesperson who texted nearly the entire time during her orientation (around 4 days). She was the only person having orientation then, so it was even more conspicuous than the person reading in this last group. People were not pleased with that either. We could tell she was not a good fit, and sure enough she left very shortly after hire date, to no one's great sadness.
P.S. Bonus points to anyone who had the image of Stephanie from "Full House" when you read the title. For those of you who don't remember or don't know, that was one of her catchphrases.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Guess What I Got Paid To Do Today?
Today I got paid to watch people count boxes. Not count them myself, watch other people count them, then write down the result. We are trying to determine how much file storage room to build in our facility expansion. The powers that be involved didn't trust the others powers that be to actually count what they had in storage instead of estimate. Thus, they have to make an appointment with me, have me verify that they really counted them, and record that data. For this they are paying me a significant amount of money per hour. Life is hard sometimes.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Tsunami Stories of Hope
Out of the tragedy of the tsunami have come some stories of hope. Here are two that have really impacted me.
4 month old survives the tsunami
So many amazing things about this:
- She didn't drown in the tsunami
- She wasn't killed by debris
- She survived for 3 days without eating or drinking-- babies are very susceptible to dehydration
- Her family survived the tsunami too
- She was quickly reunited with them
Dog stands watch over its ailing friend
A heartwarming story in and of itself, but what really got to me was the appearance of the dog. I'm almost positive it's a Brittany. My brother's 16 year old Brittany passed away last summer, and I really miss him. As soon as I saw this dog I was reminded of him.
4 month old survives the tsunami
So many amazing things about this:
- She didn't drown in the tsunami
- She wasn't killed by debris
- She survived for 3 days without eating or drinking-- babies are very susceptible to dehydration
- Her family survived the tsunami too
- She was quickly reunited with them
Dog stands watch over its ailing friend
A heartwarming story in and of itself, but what really got to me was the appearance of the dog. I'm almost positive it's a Brittany. My brother's 16 year old Brittany passed away last summer, and I really miss him. As soon as I saw this dog I was reminded of him.
Safety People- You Might Not Always Like Us, But You Need Us
When I got home last night, I heard the sound of construction. I looked and saw that a crew was reroofing the senior citizen high rise building down the street. What do I do? I hurry and change clothes, grab my camera, and head down to investigate. Why would I do this? Well, roofers are notorious for not using fall protection. Here is what I found:
As I was taking pictures, the guy I assume was the crew leader and I had a brief chat that went like this:
Crew Leader: "Taking some pictures of some people hard at work?"
Me: "I'm taking some pictures of people ready to fall to their death" (As I was telling the story at work today my friend asked if I actually said "fall to their death". I said "Have you met me?")
Crew Leader: "There's no way they can fall"
Is this guy kidding? For your reference, the OSHA standard for construction (the rules that apply here) says fall protection must be used any time a worker is 6 or more feet about the ground or next level. Let's see, yep, definitely more than 6 feet. In fact, I later saw them on the very top level (3rd roofline). They were still working this way last night at 8:30 PM in the dark with no additional lighting. This area is not lit at night. REALLY safe. I talked to someone who works for the government entity that owns the building being roofed. He's incredulous too.
This morning I sent these pictures out to everyone at my company asking them to figure out what's unsafe. My people, who aren't roofers, got it immediately. I also called and complained to OSHA. I thought about not doing so, but if that were my brother up there, I would want someone to report it. I also sent them these pictures and asked them to keep me posted of what happens.
Are safety people always popular? That would be a resounding "NO". I've heard it said that as a safety person you never have to worry about anyone gunning for your job. Very true. I also remember something my mom told my brother when he was complaining about the safety person at a place he used to work- if you are liked as a safety person you probably aren't doing your job. There's a lot of wisdom in that statement. But just because you don't always like us doesn't mean you don't need us.
As I was taking pictures, the guy I assume was the crew leader and I had a brief chat that went like this:
Crew Leader: "Taking some pictures of some people hard at work?"
Me: "I'm taking some pictures of people ready to fall to their death" (As I was telling the story at work today my friend asked if I actually said "fall to their death". I said "Have you met me?")
Crew Leader: "There's no way they can fall"
Is this guy kidding? For your reference, the OSHA standard for construction (the rules that apply here) says fall protection must be used any time a worker is 6 or more feet about the ground or next level. Let's see, yep, definitely more than 6 feet. In fact, I later saw them on the very top level (3rd roofline). They were still working this way last night at 8:30 PM in the dark with no additional lighting. This area is not lit at night. REALLY safe. I talked to someone who works for the government entity that owns the building being roofed. He's incredulous too.
This morning I sent these pictures out to everyone at my company asking them to figure out what's unsafe. My people, who aren't roofers, got it immediately. I also called and complained to OSHA. I thought about not doing so, but if that were my brother up there, I would want someone to report it. I also sent them these pictures and asked them to keep me posted of what happens.
Are safety people always popular? That would be a resounding "NO". I've heard it said that as a safety person you never have to worry about anyone gunning for your job. Very true. I also remember something my mom told my brother when he was complaining about the safety person at a place he used to work- if you are liked as a safety person you probably aren't doing your job. There's a lot of wisdom in that statement. But just because you don't always like us doesn't mean you don't need us.
Seafood Score
This week Kroger has 26-30 count shrimp on sale for $5.99. That's a good price, so I decided to purchase some. When I got to the store, I couldn't find any in the freezer case. I found an employee who said he'd check but he'd looked the other day and had been unable to even find a tag where they would go on the shelf. I asked if I could have the next size at the same price if the advertised size wasn't in stock. . He said I could. Of course, there were none of the advertised shrimp. So instead I got 16-20 count shrimp. What a hardship. Those shrimp rang up at I believe $13.99/pound, and I got them for $5.99. That's a deal! If you like shrimp and live near a Kroger, you might want to go purchase some before the sale ends tomorrow night.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Spring is a Glorious Thing
We've finally begun to have signs that winter really is coming to an end. The days are getting longer, I no longer need a winter coat every day, and I've even heard birds chirping! Saturday was even better proof. It was sunny and reached 70 degrees. It was wonderful. You saw people outside, at Target, just out in general, and they seemed so glad not to be stuck in the house. I did my end of the winter car wash yesterday- I went through the expensive carwash that has the undercarriage rinse to flush out all the salt from the past several months. I am so ready for spring.
The Tragedy in Japan
Like many people, I have been drawn to media coverage of the recent earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan. The statistics alone are staggering: a 9.0 earthquake, a wall of water 30 feet high moving at the speed of a jet plane, thousands confirmed dead, tens of thousands still missing, perhaps millions made homeless, and the threat of nuclear meltdown at more than one reactor.
In addition to these horrific details I am closely following the news for a more personal reason- I have several close connections to Japan and the Japanese people.
I work for a Japanese company
Our parent company is large and well known in Japan. Friday morning our President sent out a company wide e-mail stating that while little information was available from Japan, what we had heard was promising- no significant damage to any of our parents company's numerous facilities; the refinery on fire was not ours, though we do own one in the area; all Japan-based staff seemed ok, and most of the Japanese staff at our company had been able to contact their families in Japan, and they were fine. Today we received another e-mail essentially confirming the details of the previous one with one happy addition- the final member of our expatriate staff in the U.S. was able to make contact with his family in Japan today and confirm that they are ok.
One of my really good friends is Japanese
We met when she used to work at my company. Her mom, brother, sister-in-law, and niece live in the southwest of Japan, so she didn't even try to contact them since she knew they were fokay. However, her sister, brother-in-law, and their baby live in Tokyo. They are fine. My friend told me today that her sister took the baby and went to stay with their mom over concern about the nuclear reactor situation. Her brother-in-law has had to remain in Tokyo due to his job.
I've been to Japan
It was 6 years ago this month that I had the tremendous opportunity to travel to Japan. One of my college friends lived in Japan for several years. I was able to visit her while she lived there. It was an amazing experience that I so enjoyed. The other night I was watching the news and recognized the Tokyo Tower in the background. Having actually been in the country makes the situation that much more real and heartbreaking.
Please keep the country of Japan and the Japanese people in your prayers. Please also consider a monetary donation to assist in the recovery from this massive tragedy.
In addition to these horrific details I am closely following the news for a more personal reason- I have several close connections to Japan and the Japanese people.
I work for a Japanese company
Our parent company is large and well known in Japan. Friday morning our President sent out a company wide e-mail stating that while little information was available from Japan, what we had heard was promising- no significant damage to any of our parents company's numerous facilities; the refinery on fire was not ours, though we do own one in the area; all Japan-based staff seemed ok, and most of the Japanese staff at our company had been able to contact their families in Japan, and they were fine. Today we received another e-mail essentially confirming the details of the previous one with one happy addition- the final member of our expatriate staff in the U.S. was able to make contact with his family in Japan today and confirm that they are ok.
One of my really good friends is Japanese
We met when she used to work at my company. Her mom, brother, sister-in-law, and niece live in the southwest of Japan, so she didn't even try to contact them since she knew they were fokay. However, her sister, brother-in-law, and their baby live in Tokyo. They are fine. My friend told me today that her sister took the baby and went to stay with their mom over concern about the nuclear reactor situation. Her brother-in-law has had to remain in Tokyo due to his job.
I've been to Japan
It was 6 years ago this month that I had the tremendous opportunity to travel to Japan. One of my college friends lived in Japan for several years. I was able to visit her while she lived there. It was an amazing experience that I so enjoyed. The other night I was watching the news and recognized the Tokyo Tower in the background. Having actually been in the country makes the situation that much more real and heartbreaking.
Please keep the country of Japan and the Japanese people in your prayers. Please also consider a monetary donation to assist in the recovery from this massive tragedy.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Bonus Behavior
At my company all associates, hourly & salaried, are eligible for bonuses. We have a management by objective (MBO) system, by which goals are set every six months. What percent of these goals you achieve determines what percent of your maximum bonus you receive. Sales has this plus a system to reward for obtaining business with new customers and increasing business with existing customers. As long as the company is profitable during the six month period, bonuses are awarded.
You'd think getting extra money would make people glad right? This period we had 2 people go completely wacko instead.
This first person totally wigged about the payout date. Bonuses are typically paid in February (for July-Dec.) and August (Jan.-June). Generally about 2 months before the expected deadline, my boss issues a schedule for all the steps that must occur in the process, ending with the payout date. The key is each step is dependent on the preceding ones. If they don't occur on time, they push everything back after them, including payout date. If anyone asks my team, we'll tell you we're "predicting" X will be the date. Note, that we don't say it's a guarantee.
My boss received an e-mail from one of the sales staff the day of the initial estimated payout stating he'd heard nothing about his bonus (people receive a detail sheet in advance of the payout showing the amount they'll receive and exactly how it was calculated) and asking about the status. My boss explained that it was delayed and gave the new date. Another sales person who'd been copied on this exchange fired off a testy message (using "Reply All" of course) saying he didn't understand, that he'd committed to pay bills, etc. My boss then (using "Reply All") responded. My boss rarely gets mad, but you could tell from his writing that he was not pleased. He noted that the senior management meeting to determine bonus amounts had been delayed 10 day due to travel, and this was the primary reason everything got behind. He added that approval isn't a switch that magically enables bonuses to be paid. There are calculations to be done for each person that have to be double checked, etc. He also used phrases such as "I hope you realize your comments are unfair", "I, too, would like to have received my bonus this week, but circumstances prevented this", and about how the bonus process involves all teams adhering to the schedule "Sometimes their priorities are not the same as ours." That was the end of that e-mail exchange.
The other person who wigged is a relative new person. Under the terms of the bonus program, any person not employed the entire 6 month period is entitled to nothing. However, it also says exceptions can be made. This person did indeed receive some bonus money. Was he happy? Oh no. He REFUSED to sign the bonus paperwork because he was upset over the amount he was to receive. The person's manager called my boss and asked what to do. The answer is - have the manager write "Refused to Sign" then date it. I told my boss the person could also send the money to me if he didn't want it. Contrast that with another person on the same team who received a similar bonus because he's also new. He told his manager "Thank You" and was very appreciative. Which do you think is making a better impression in the company?
Bottom Line: It's a BONUS, meaning it's extra. Say "Thank you" and move on
You'd think getting extra money would make people glad right? This period we had 2 people go completely wacko instead.
This first person totally wigged about the payout date. Bonuses are typically paid in February (for July-Dec.) and August (Jan.-June). Generally about 2 months before the expected deadline, my boss issues a schedule for all the steps that must occur in the process, ending with the payout date. The key is each step is dependent on the preceding ones. If they don't occur on time, they push everything back after them, including payout date. If anyone asks my team, we'll tell you we're "predicting" X will be the date. Note, that we don't say it's a guarantee.
My boss received an e-mail from one of the sales staff the day of the initial estimated payout stating he'd heard nothing about his bonus (people receive a detail sheet in advance of the payout showing the amount they'll receive and exactly how it was calculated) and asking about the status. My boss explained that it was delayed and gave the new date. Another sales person who'd been copied on this exchange fired off a testy message (using "Reply All" of course) saying he didn't understand, that he'd committed to pay bills, etc. My boss then (using "Reply All") responded. My boss rarely gets mad, but you could tell from his writing that he was not pleased. He noted that the senior management meeting to determine bonus amounts had been delayed 10 day due to travel, and this was the primary reason everything got behind. He added that approval isn't a switch that magically enables bonuses to be paid. There are calculations to be done for each person that have to be double checked, etc. He also used phrases such as "I hope you realize your comments are unfair", "I, too, would like to have received my bonus this week, but circumstances prevented this", and about how the bonus process involves all teams adhering to the schedule "Sometimes their priorities are not the same as ours." That was the end of that e-mail exchange.
The other person who wigged is a relative new person. Under the terms of the bonus program, any person not employed the entire 6 month period is entitled to nothing. However, it also says exceptions can be made. This person did indeed receive some bonus money. Was he happy? Oh no. He REFUSED to sign the bonus paperwork because he was upset over the amount he was to receive. The person's manager called my boss and asked what to do. The answer is - have the manager write "Refused to Sign" then date it. I told my boss the person could also send the money to me if he didn't want it. Contrast that with another person on the same team who received a similar bonus because he's also new. He told his manager "Thank You" and was very appreciative. Which do you think is making a better impression in the company?
Bottom Line: It's a BONUS, meaning it's extra. Say "Thank you" and move on
Two Things To Remember About Drug Tests
If you been following the ongoing saga of Charlie Sheen (and it's hard not to unless you've been living under a rock) you've probably heard that he passed not one but two drug tests. Now, if his behavior before and since then makes you call into question the validity of the tests, or you have ever known people who somehow always pass a drug screen when you are almost positive they are users, remember these two things:
1. Drugs tests only find what are designed to find
Each type of drug test is looking for specific drugs. At work we use a non-DOT 5 panel test for pre-employment and post acccident screenings. It tests for: Marijuana (THC), Cocaine, Amphetamines/methamphetamines, Opiates, and Phencyclidine (PCP). As long as your drug of choice is not one of these (for example, "spice" or synthetic marijuana), you'll pass.
2. There are ways to pass the test even if you are actively using one of the substances for which it tests
Some of the more basic include sending someone clean to take the test for you (works better if the testing center doesn't check ID) and smuggling someone else's urine into the test- one reason they test the temp of the urine you submit (the Whizzinator showed capitalism at work in this regard). There are also various other products that purportedly will help you pass when you should really fail.
What do Charlie's passing drug tests indicate? If I laid odds, I'd say his behavior indicates #1 at work, some type of underlying medical/mental problem (some of his comments have just made no rational sense), or a combination thereof.
1. Drugs tests only find what are designed to find
Each type of drug test is looking for specific drugs. At work we use a non-DOT 5 panel test for pre-employment and post acccident screenings. It tests for: Marijuana (THC), Cocaine, Amphetamines/methamphetamines, Opiates, and Phencyclidine (PCP). As long as your drug of choice is not one of these (for example, "spice" or synthetic marijuana), you'll pass.
2. There are ways to pass the test even if you are actively using one of the substances for which it tests
Some of the more basic include sending someone clean to take the test for you (works better if the testing center doesn't check ID) and smuggling someone else's urine into the test- one reason they test the temp of the urine you submit (the Whizzinator showed capitalism at work in this regard). There are also various other products that purportedly will help you pass when you should really fail.
What do Charlie's passing drug tests indicate? If I laid odds, I'd say his behavior indicates #1 at work, some type of underlying medical/mental problem (some of his comments have just made no rational sense), or a combination thereof.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
There's More To The Story
On Monday, the security chief of the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia was charged with obstruction of justice and lying to investigators. You can read all about it here. This was the mine where 29 people died in an explosion in 2010.
If these things are true, and they probably are, he deserves to be punished severely. No matter how strongly the company disavows it though, they are very implicated this. Of course, they will all claim to not have known anything about this, the guy was acting totally against company policy, etc. Whether that's true or not, I cannot say. However, even if you truly didn't know, that doesn't get the company and its leadership off the hook. As I've heard lawyers say before it's not just "Did you know?" but rather "if you knew or shown have known."
A speaker in a session I attended yesterday made the point that leaders need to keep their ears to the ground so they are aware of what's happening in their organization. What I've seen far more often is they go a step farther and completely bury their heads in the sand. That way they can't see or hear about any problems, so they get to avoid dealing with them. This is not healthy leadership. It can be poisonous to your organization. It's like a cut on your hand. The best thing to do is treat it initially. If not, it can become infected and require intense medical intervention. It's the same with companies. Often issues caught early can be resolved by dialogue between the involved parties. If you don't fix it early, it can escalate and require massive intervention of the legal (and extremely expensive) variety.
If these things are true, and they probably are, he deserves to be punished severely. No matter how strongly the company disavows it though, they are very implicated this. Of course, they will all claim to not have known anything about this, the guy was acting totally against company policy, etc. Whether that's true or not, I cannot say. However, even if you truly didn't know, that doesn't get the company and its leadership off the hook. As I've heard lawyers say before it's not just "Did you know?" but rather "if you knew or shown have known."
A speaker in a session I attended yesterday made the point that leaders need to keep their ears to the ground so they are aware of what's happening in their organization. What I've seen far more often is they go a step farther and completely bury their heads in the sand. That way they can't see or hear about any problems, so they get to avoid dealing with them. This is not healthy leadership. It can be poisonous to your organization. It's like a cut on your hand. The best thing to do is treat it initially. If not, it can become infected and require intense medical intervention. It's the same with companies. Often issues caught early can be resolved by dialogue between the involved parties. If you don't fix it early, it can escalate and require massive intervention of the legal (and extremely expensive) variety.
I Bet You Know Someone Who Fits This Description
During one education session yesterday afternoon, the speaker introduced a term I'd never heard before- "Pathological Blamer". This is a person who always blames others for everything that goes wrong, denying that he/she has any responsibility for the negative outcome.
When the term was defined, my boss told me "That sounds like everyone we work with." I bet a face or two sprang to your mind as you read this description too.
When the term was defined, my boss told me "That sounds like everyone we work with." I bet a face or two sprang to your mind as you read this description too.
Safety People Are a Different Breed
This week I spent 2 days at my state's convention for people who work in occupational safety. Here are a few examples from Tuesday that illustrate that safety people are a different breed.
Illustration #1
Every meeting that is for safety people always begins with the locations of the fire exits being noted. I've been to enough of these meetings now that I don't even think about that. Well, our keynote speaker the first day did. He's a professional football player, and he remarked to the effect that "I can tell I'm at a safety conference. I've never been anywhere that started a meeting by pointing out the locations of the first exits."
Illustration #2
In our first breakout session, the speaker noted the following: We're in a safety meeting, the room is sprinklered, the exit sign at the back is out, and the side exit was blocked (tables were set up perpendicular against it). Yes, we safety people notice things like this wherever we go. It's just second nature.
Illustration #3
In the exhibit hall I told one of the vendors they need to remove one of the pictures from their display. It showed a person entering what was labeled to be a permit required confined space, but the person had no harness, no retrieval line, and no air monitoring equipment, all of which are requirements for this type of operation. I told them that I realized that the photo was probably staged, but it needed to be right. Again, safety people notice this stuff
Illustration #4
In the afternoon a member of the hotel staff was vacuuming the carpet. The cord for the vacuum was stretched completely across the hallway. Most normal, nonsafety people would have just walked on the cord and went on. Not me. I stopped, watched the cord to make sure it wasn't moving, carefully lifted one foot over it, then followed with my other foot. I looked over, and the lady next to me DID THE EXACT SAME THING! We were discussing how this is something safety people just do, and the guy in front of me turned about and said that he also DID THE EXACT SAME THING.
Safety: It's not just a job, it's a state of mind
Illustration #1
Every meeting that is for safety people always begins with the locations of the fire exits being noted. I've been to enough of these meetings now that I don't even think about that. Well, our keynote speaker the first day did. He's a professional football player, and he remarked to the effect that "I can tell I'm at a safety conference. I've never been anywhere that started a meeting by pointing out the locations of the first exits."
Illustration #2
In our first breakout session, the speaker noted the following: We're in a safety meeting, the room is sprinklered, the exit sign at the back is out, and the side exit was blocked (tables were set up perpendicular against it). Yes, we safety people notice things like this wherever we go. It's just second nature.
Illustration #3
In the exhibit hall I told one of the vendors they need to remove one of the pictures from their display. It showed a person entering what was labeled to be a permit required confined space, but the person had no harness, no retrieval line, and no air monitoring equipment, all of which are requirements for this type of operation. I told them that I realized that the photo was probably staged, but it needed to be right. Again, safety people notice this stuff
Illustration #4
In the afternoon a member of the hotel staff was vacuuming the carpet. The cord for the vacuum was stretched completely across the hallway. Most normal, nonsafety people would have just walked on the cord and went on. Not me. I stopped, watched the cord to make sure it wasn't moving, carefully lifted one foot over it, then followed with my other foot. I looked over, and the lady next to me DID THE EXACT SAME THING! We were discussing how this is something safety people just do, and the guy in front of me turned about and said that he also DID THE EXACT SAME THING.
Safety: It's not just a job, it's a state of mind
You Only Get One Chance to Make a First Impression
You've probably heard this phrase before. In fact, it used to be a tag line for an ad campaign, but I can't remember the product. This week we had a new employee make a first impression he probably wishes he could do over.
I've posted previously about our ongoing saga to hire an IT person. Well, we finally got the fish on the hook. He was scheduled to start Monday at 8. I get to work about 7:50, look to where the new person will be sitting, and I don't see him. However, it's still early, and besides, he could be elsewhere in the building. At 8 we have a company wide meeting to review the day's production schedule and go over any other announcements. Two supervisors introduced new employees in their departments who started Monday. I noticed that the IT Manager did not. At the conclusion of the meeting, someone asked him "Where's your new person?" His reply- "That's what I'd like to know". Uh oh.
A few minutes later I hear the IT Manager talking to my boss. My boss is trying to get him to stay calm and tells him not to panic. I said "Go ahead and panic. It's fun for us to watch." Yes, I sometimes have a tendency to stir the pot. Eventually we were able to make contact with the candidate who said he was stuck in traffic. He ended up being about 20 minutes late. First of all, there is always lots of congestion in the form of traffics/wrecks/etc. on the interstate that he takes. That's NORMAL. Secondly, it didn't occur to him to CALL and say he's running late? I said to some people in my work area "You only get one chance to make a first impression." As one of the managers replied immediately "He certainly did that."
I've posted previously about our ongoing saga to hire an IT person. Well, we finally got the fish on the hook. He was scheduled to start Monday at 8. I get to work about 7:50, look to where the new person will be sitting, and I don't see him. However, it's still early, and besides, he could be elsewhere in the building. At 8 we have a company wide meeting to review the day's production schedule and go over any other announcements. Two supervisors introduced new employees in their departments who started Monday. I noticed that the IT Manager did not. At the conclusion of the meeting, someone asked him "Where's your new person?" His reply- "That's what I'd like to know". Uh oh.
A few minutes later I hear the IT Manager talking to my boss. My boss is trying to get him to stay calm and tells him not to panic. I said "Go ahead and panic. It's fun for us to watch." Yes, I sometimes have a tendency to stir the pot. Eventually we were able to make contact with the candidate who said he was stuck in traffic. He ended up being about 20 minutes late. First of all, there is always lots of congestion in the form of traffics/wrecks/etc. on the interstate that he takes. That's NORMAL. Secondly, it didn't occur to him to CALL and say he's running late? I said to some people in my work area "You only get one chance to make a first impression." As one of the managers replied immediately "He certainly did that."
The Unintended Consequences of Fame
Sometimes you'll hear celebrities talk about how being famous has impacted their lives in ways they did not expect. I read recently where one country singer states that she cannot shop at Wal-mart unnoticed. This is not surprising. However, an article from "HR Strange But True" drew my attention to an unintended consequence of fame that I've never considered before- it can expose you as a workers comp fraud.
Here's the article along with my comments
Here's the article along with my comments
Appearing on Reality Show Not Work, Says Star on Workers’ Comp
Jimmy Smith, a star of the History Channel reality show “Ax-Men,” may not think appearing on TV is work, but the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) thinks it is. L&I has charged him with accepting permanent disability payments while able to work with tools and logs on the show, but he says he’s not guilty (of course he does).
Smith has been charged with two counts of first-degree theft and 15 counts of second-degree theft for accepting over $50,000 in time-loss and pension benefits payments, as well as medical benefits, while working as a logger in Florida and being paid to appear on the reality show, according to The Olympian.
The L&I agency fraud and compliance blog, appropriately titled “Nailed,” (what an apt name!) reports that the fraud adjuster at Smith’s arraignment on February 15 observed that he and his son were not afraid to acknowledge Smith’s appearance on the show. They both wore Ax Men t-shirts to court! (Points for brazenness, but not for brains)
And Smith allegedly never reported his media income to L&I (I'm sure it just slipped his mind). He may have forgotten that anyone could see him doing tasks that “exceed the limitations of his physical abilities as being (on) a ‘sedentary’ work level” by turning on a TV, according to the article (Those big things with the glass fronts following you around? They're called "cameras", and they're going to replay what you're doing for a nationwide audience). And, unfortunately for Smith, an L&I investigator just happened to be a viewer (pure poetic justice).
Smith filed workers’ compensation claims after injuries to his back, shoulder, leg, and knee from two work-related accidents in the 1990s. After he was designated as permanently disabled and unable to work, he was placed on a disability pension in 2010—after he had appeared on the show. The show’s website described episodes where he tied ropes around logs and dragged them underwater while wearing scuba gear. He was also shown using tools and heavy equipment (You mean that doesn't meet the definition of "sedentary"? Who'd of thunk it?)
And Bring a Pen
One of my favorite HR bloggers is Suzanne Lucas, aka "Evil HR Lady". Her columns are usually right on, and often quite hilarious too. This article outlines some of the "secrets" of the hiring process. Don't miss the comments section at the end. There's some great stuff there, especially the one about phone message taking.
As usual, her advice is dead on. Two additional thoughts:
As usual, her advice is dead on. Two additional thoughts:
1. The receptionist is often asked for her opinion. In my office, it's almost always someone from the HR team who IS the person at the front window. In fact sometimes the person who greets you is my boss, the head of HR. It's even possible that one of our VPs may open the door to let you in our prox-card-guarded building.
Morale of the story: In case you forgot, always treat everyone you meet with respect.
2. Bring a pen! Seriously, I am continually amazed at the number of candidates who come knowing they will be completing an application and/or a test and do not have a pen. Really? Be prepared! Bring your resume for the data you'll need for the application (last week a candidate asked my coworker to get his resume from our files so he could complete the application! She was incredulous but did so), reference information, A PEN, and anything else you can logically foresee needing. I was really impressed with a maintenance candidate last week who in addition to having a pen told me he had a change of clothes in his car in case he had to do a hands on test. THAT's my kind of candidate.
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