The food bandit strikes again

Here is a message that was recently sent out to everyone who works at my location (roughly 85 people):

Subject: Missing Food

It has been brought to my attention that there have been multiple, recent incidents where food has been stolen from Company refrigerators.  In several cases associates had written their names on the food containers, so the person(s) taking the food obviously knew that he/she was stealing someone else’s property.  In one case, the associate’s food box was returned with the chicken missing, but the green beans were still in the box.  In another case, what was a complete pizza was returned with only two pieces in the box.  We have even had one associate’s already partially eaten food nibbled on by someone else.  This is unacceptable behavior.  We should not have to remind associates that stealing is a “Category 1” offense and can result in discipline up to and including termination.  Supervisors are asked to announce to their teams that taking another person’s food is wrong, and one could be risking his/her employment by doing so.  Also, associates who place food containers in refrigerators are reminded to write their names on the containers so there will be no doubt as to whose food is in the container.

(Head of HR)

This is not a new thing. It seems like every 6 months we go through this. Here are a few of my thoughts.

1. Gross. This person is obviously not the germ phobe that I am. 

2. I'd be cranky if my chicken or pizza went missing. I was the one whose partially eaten food was nibbled on. That was several years ago, but I was grossed out AND mad.

3. I hate theft in any form. If you steal something small, you'll steal something big.

4. Multiple people tried to blame 3rd shift. Mighty convenient when they aren't there to defend themselves. Also, several people wanted to throw the cleaning people or the guards under the bus (both of contractors). I'm telling you, this is one of our employees.

My suggested solution? Install cameras in the break areas. The theft will either stop, or we'll ID and fire the thief. Of
course, my solution was far too practical and hasn't went anywhere yet. Hope you enjoyed this installment of "the food bandit".

It's the simple things

Isn't amazing how small things can make us so happy at times? A few examples:

1. Yesterday I put on a pair of shorts that were a tad snug the last time I wore them. This time, they were baggy. YES!

2. We gave away free candy at work a few times last week. Some of it was gifts from our office supply company, and some of it was some supposedly stale stuff my coworkers unearthed in our stash (they'd been noshing on it quite a bit I think). People flocked like vultures, and they were happy little peeps.

3. I found a dime while I was out walking yesterday. Yes, ten whole cents. But who doesn't like to find unexpected money in any amount?

4. One of my favorite things to do in the whole world is to sit on my porch and read a good book. Low in cost, but highly enjoyable.

Yes, I'd love to find $10 million on my doorstep the next time I come home, but little things can bring great joy too.

Enhancing your job search- tips for employers

Last week I talked about ways candidates can improve their chances of getting hired. This week I'm turning the tables and giving advice to employers. My job search has shown me there is definitely room for improvement on this end.

A. Give candidates enough information to know if they even want to apply
Wherever you post a job, you need to display this information:
1. Job description
- This needs to accurately reflect what you need the candidate to do. If you're not sure, you aren't ready to hire anyone.
2. The work hours, especially if they aren't standard for the type of position
- I recently went to an interview where no one had mentioned the job required lots of evenings and weekends. This is very outside the norm for my field. The interview ended after less than 5 minutes. This was a complete waste of the interviewing company's time and mine
3. Location
- Candidates can rule out areas that aren't commutable for them
4. Pay
- Yes, I know employers hate this. But candidates hate having to guess. At least give a minimum. This saves you and the candidate time if the pay doesn't meet their requirements

B. Make it easy for candidates to apply
Your online application takes an hour to complete and is very difficult to use? Wave good-bye to qualified candidates. You've never tried the application yourself, HR person? Shame on you! Do that right now, and recruit a few other people to do it too. It may be eye opening. If candidates can submit resumes directly without the application process, all the better

C. Respect candidates' time
Personal pet peeve here
1. Give reasonable notice to set up interviews.
- The next day is not reasonable. Aim for at least a week.
2. Have decent interview times available.
- To catch the good fish, you may have to come to the pond early or stay late.
3. Provide any paperwork you need the candidates to do well before the interview.
- This way they can bring it completed to the interview.
4.  Start and end the interviews on time

D. Communicate with the candidates after the interview
At the end of the interview, provide candidates with a timeline of when you'll communicate with them and STICK TO IT. They have taken time from their busy day to interview. You OWE this to them. I have considered sending a bill for 8 hours of vacation to one company. I took the day off to interview. I never heard any from them, even after I left a voicemail AND sent an e-mail. How unprofessional!

These tips will help your company make a better impression on your potential future employees.

Enhancing your job search- tips for candidates

During a job interview I had last week (yes, interview! Woo-hoo!!), one of the questions I was given is "What advice would you give to someone looking for a job?" Well, of course, being the HR pro that I am, I was all over that. As I reflected later, I realized my answers could be helpful to others, so I'll share them with you.

A. Tell everyone you know you're looking for a job

Networking is where it's at. Here are 3 reasons why.

1. When you think of how many people you know and how many people they in turn know, you see what a huge job search resource this truly is.

2. Many jobs are never advertised. They are filled solely through word of mouth. This saves companies tons of money in ads, recruiter fees, etc.

3. A recommendation from an employee is a huge leg up.  Many companies have a formal referral program that financially rewards employees who successfully recommend candidates. This has nothing to do with altruism. Companies know that referrals save them money for the same reasons listed in #2, plus referrals tend to have a higher success ratio than non-referrals. In my company, we don't have a referral program, but anyone recommended by an employee is pretty much an automatic interview

B. Get the basics right
This should be obvious, but from my experience, it's not. Have a resume (you laugh, I've seen it). Your resume needs to be current (this doesn't mean to cross out old info with a pen and hand write the corrections) and error free. Confession: my resume had a typo in it until recently, and I'm a good proofer. Other people had read it and never seen it either. My sister found it straight off. Lesson learned: it's hard to check your own work. Instead have several people read over it.

c. It's always an interview
I've mentioned it before, but it bears repeating. Every interaction is part of the hiring process. Yes, everything. Responding to the ad (Do you include all the data requested?, Are your spelling and grammar good?, Do you have a professional e-mail address?), how you park your car in the lot (yes, we check this out), how do you treat the receptionist, etc. I would go so far as to tell you if you have a phone interview, wear formal interview clothes, even if it's not a video interview. It's all about being in the right mindset.

I hope this is information that is helpful to you and anyone you know doing a job search.