Carnival of HR 15

A veritable cornucopia of ideas, approaches and wake-up calls in this fortnight's carnival and not a queue in sight. I have posted the entries in the order in which I received them. Grab your beverage of choice ["d'yew want the 42-ounce or the large?"], get comfortable and here we go ...

1. HR Thoughts with some finely-tuned thoughts on how to get more than a free pen-and-pencil set from the folks manning the booth at your local jobs fair. [I took some thoughts for the folks manning the stand too.]

"It's all about the dividing line between the no-hopers and the candidates who are being taken seriously."

2. Compensation Force with a very strong back-to-reality post on incentive schemes, which could apply equally to dealing with unruly children or high-end executives.

"Don't proceed with any incentive plan design until you get the answers to these key questions. Only then will you have a true sense of the context into which this proposed incentive plan will be dropped, and whether it is likely to solve or exacerbate the performance issue."

3. The HR Capitalist with tongue firmly in cheek - let's do a Myers Briggs type assessment on a well-known spy and see if he will fit into our organisation. Hits the funny bone and the thought-provoking bone at the same time.

4. Cube - a very thoughtful blog written by a Business student - with some revealing thoughts on what it's like to be managed by 'old school' and 'new school' managers.

"The schizophrenic style is not one I am a huge fan of."

5. Execupundit, as ever, displays that rarest of commodities - common sense.

"More and more organizations are starting retention programs to keep good employees but many are failing to maintain meaningful ties with their retirees. This can result in a huge loss of expertise and good will. Retirees are walking repositories of “Lessons Learned” and it is a serious mistake to ignore their knowledge."

6. 8 Hours & A Lunch on the prickly topic of employee churn. [And look at this! Actual capital letters in the description!]

"While all turnover is not created equal, sometimes we use good turnover as a justification. We fail to look deeper to the real problems. At what point is good turnover really bad? At what point does analyzing turnover as good really become denial about our true attitudes towards our employees?"

7. 3 Star Leadership on the nail-on-head leadership lessons of a 200 year old institution - a must-read. Semper fi.

8. Ask A Manager on the gut-wrenching business of firing an employee.

"Firing an employee is one of the hardest things we have to do as managers. Here's how to make sure it goes as smoothly as possible."

9. Evil HR Lady poses a poser - and generates a wealth of ideas in the ensuing comments. Chip your $0.02 into the conversation ...

10. I'd like to welcome Workplace Horizons to the Carnival. This is an intricate, but highly readable post on the future direction of unions. Highly recommended.

11. Career Encouragement poses some great questions on who stays a home with the children.

"The post is a reminder to HR Folks, Career Counselors, Employees, and well-intentioned meddling family and friends that the decision about whether or not to quit work to stay home with children is a couple-level decision (not a simple "woman's choice") that is complex and nuanced."

12. Career Revolution with some very eye-opening thoughts on napping at work.

"The question came to me, “Would I be more productive in the afternoon if I had a quick nap?” Curious to what I would find, I found some great articles, resources, and clips of this very topic. Now, you decide – to nap or not to nap …"

13. Pennsylvania Employment Law Blog made my head spin with the diversity of views on whether leaders should be required to follow all the rules - from Paul Wolfowitz to Butch Cassidy. Treat yourself.

14. Sharp Brains on the permanently hot topic of the knowledge economy - keeping the muscle between your ears fit and nimble.

"Trying to summarize a lot of brain health research into fun, actionable habits." Fascinating stuff.

15. And one from the archives by your host, on the topic of taking a sabbatical. Divergent views in the comments.

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