Update from the road in New York

The NY State SHRM conference produced several good tidbits – will get my bag unpacked and get them posted later today.  I did have a fabulous thing happen – I was resigned to my fate of a seat in the absolutely last row of a crowded small regional jet.  They were about to close the door and start lecturing us about seat belts when a flight attendant came back, surveyed the crowd, and asked me if I would like to move forward in the plane.  Sure.  Happy to.  She led me to first class, put my bag up, and offered me a drink.

Happy with my good fortune, I wondered what led her to select me?  I assumed it was that I either looked the most tired of anyone back there, or I was still in a sport coat and necktie.  I asked her when she brought my gin and tonic.  “Oh, it was a weight balance decision.  The pilot asked that I move the heaviest person from the back to the front.

Ah.

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Going Bats in Syracuse

I’m keynoting the New York State SHRM conference tomorrow, so I’m blogging from the road.  I will share anything exciting or any trends that I can sniff out.

I’m stuck at the Syracuse NY airport, waiting on a rental car.  They promise action by 4.  I’ve been working in a nearly deserted terminal across from the big baggage screener Xray thingie.  Nothing happenin’ here.

A solitary traveler finally showed and the legions of TSA security wonks  lumbered into action.  As the bag came through the tunnel, it spooked a live, very active bat into the waiting room.  Action!  Excitement!  Screams!  Something to do!  For the past 15 minutes, the keystone cops have been very entertaining.  They just captured it, and are now huddled deciding what to do.

I walk over and vote life.

Life won – they took it outside and turned it loose with it’s bat friends.

I should make it a metaphor for something.  Maybe health care or FMLA or Affirmative Action.  Or not.  Anyway, that’s all the excitement I can find so far…

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Suggestion box humor

Risk Management in HR

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Hiring and Firing – Parallel Worlds

Parallel worlds

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Sometimes the people who “get it” are surprising

You don’t have to be high tech to “get it.”

Thinking about Hank’s comment to my last post as I drove by a car wash a minute ago.  The staff was out front in neckties and white shirts, waving in a line of cars and selling the service of a clean car.   Me?  I’m cheap and I use a discount gas station.  It’s $3 cheaper.

The local car wash chain ran an interesting series of advertisements a while ago.  They weren’t selling their service directly.  They spent their advertising dollars to have their hourly staff talk about the high quality of their bosses and how much they enjoyed the opportunity for personal development and what motivates them on the job.  They talked about how tough it was to get a job there and what they thought of having to wear a necktie.  They were clearly proud of it all.

And, they clearly think we have more intelligence than the average terrier or sheepdog or whatever breed it was that I recently saw in a parked car.

Seen on the street near my house...

They never talked about washing cars or coming to Mike’s Car Wash.

My takeaway was that they are clearly a group of high performers at the bottom of the corporate food chain, and that I get more than $3 of additional service at their place. Also, I am impressed that the leadership team is proud enough of their culture to spend advertising $$$ to sell HR, not coupons.

To me, it is proof that good performance management and communication and high standards for hiring all pay off.  I’m going back there this afternoon for a wash…and I’m expecting a good experience.

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Welcome home

The flight home was routed through that modern version of Ellis Island, LaGuardia.  Yikes.

I call this “Still Life with Baggage”.

Still life with baggage

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Behavior rewarded is behavior repeated

Things that are currently hot topics –

Lots of interest in motivation and related issues – that includes total compensation plans and how the money spent creates a positive outcome, and how to make sure benefit plans are motivating the right behaviors.

FMLA.  It never goes away, and still an irritation.

FLSA and all of it’s fringe issues.

Termination and outplacement and workforce planning with an eye to the future

COBRA rules and dealing with the administrative workload

…notice that most of this is administrative, and not that strategic.  The push of the featured speakers at the conference was a push for more of a strategic role.  The average attendee, however, is facing a crushing administative workload upon return to the office, and new ideas are not exactly welcome right now…

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SHRM has new products to sell

I overheard on the elevator last night that SHRM was intending to get into selling actual products and services.  Today, I saw the first in their line of hand sanitation products…outside the general session.

What new products are next? A line of luggage?

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