4-14
[00:00:00] Warren: Welcome to jaded HR, the podcast by one HR professional, who wants to help you get through to Workday by saying all the things you're thinking, but say them out loud. Yes, I'm flying solo today. This is Warren and. Boy, it's been an interesting turn of events. A little as Patrick would say behind the kimono look we had a guest who was unfortunately unable to join us. And then.
[00:00:26] Warren: Next. Calamity is feathers. Got lost somewhere on the Appalachian trail. So if you're somewhere between Georgia and North Carolina, maybe Virginia border and see him. Give them some food help them out. He might need some help. But either way, we've got a great podcast for you. I hope you'll enjoy it. And anyways, I've been wanting your feedback on how you think it goes going solo.
[00:00:47] Warren: One more thing that I wanted to tell you. Yes, I'm flying solo today. In the episode is a day late. I know that I had actually recorded solo while I was driving, using our recording software's [00:01:00] app. And. Boy was I not satisfied with the results? I almost published it, but I thought you all, as the audience deserved better and I wanted to at least make sure you had something that you could at least listen to, whether you like it or not. You could listen to, I didn't think the audio came out that well on the app.
[00:01:18] Warren: And there's some things I could've done better to prevent that, but On with the show.
[00:01:23] Warren: On our last episode, we announced that we were switching from, buy me a beer to Patrion. Holly from Montana was the first to join our Patriots as an HR administrator. So this episode is brought to you by Holly, from Montana. You may recall. She also bought us a beer earlier. So since she is the first to jump on the Patrion bandwagon, rather than being referred to as an HR administrator at the beginning of each episode, she will be referred to as Holly, the original jaded HR rockstar.
[00:01:53] Warren: So, thank you very much, Holly. If you want to support us like Holly, you can go on to Patrion. We have multiple [00:02:00] levels and they have some neat gifts you can get we'll work on more gifts as we go down the road. But you can register on Patrion. You can write a review on your favorite podcast player, especially apple.
[00:02:12] Warren: And you can just share it with a friend. If there was somebody. That you think would enjoy the show, share the show with them. So that's all I had for the behind the scenes stuff. But I have a couple of things for you today. First I wanted to go over a Lister story, Stephanie. From Florida, she wrote us a story and I'm going to try and read this the best I can.
[00:02:35] Warren: Day-to-day HR crew. Here's a story. I thought you would like I'm the HR manager for an mid-size company. Our company quickly adapted to the work from home world and sit in nearly all of our employees to work from home in early March, 2000. We had some hiccups, but things have gone overall very well in our work from home environment. Our company has actually grown by almost 50% since the beginning of the pandemic in the [00:03:00] last week, the owner sent out an email to all hands.
[00:03:03] Warren: And he announced that work from home was ending and everyone would have to come into the office. May 2nd, at least on a hybrid basis. And then on a regular pre pandemic in the office schedule by July 5th. Some of the things the owner mentioned, this is important for we're in our personal relationships, collaboration.
[00:03:22] Warren: The president missing our smiling faces. And they had to justify their new building. She , writes. They started construction, pre pandemic, and it was ready last summer. So. Apparent HR or apparently anybody else was not given a heads up about this announcement to anticipate questions, have a strategy to answer.
[00:03:44] Warren: Questions from employees and be on the same page beforehand. So we were instantly thrown for a loop and of course, HR got sent all the questions we weren't prepared to answer. But here's the kicker. Some of the things that were sent to me as to why people didn't want to come to the office. [00:04:00] Made me laugh.
[00:04:01] Warren: And Stephanie, I will tell you, I sort of reordered your bulleted list. To make a dramatic effect, but here we go. Number one. If I come back to the office, I need to buy all new clothes. Understandable the. Pandemic. Poundage is for real. Number two, I fear my dogs will misbehave because of separation anxiety.
[00:04:22] Warren: No, I can't come to work because my dogs have separation anxiety. Love it. Number three. If I come back to the office, I need a large raise because I haven't had to pay for childcare in two years. Now I have to get childcare again.
[00:04:37] Warren: I, I don't understand. Yes, you, I would see it as you were getting a bonus temporarily in between the two years where you weren't paying childcare, but. That really hasn't changed. That's not the employer's responsibility. Uh, this is one I love. We can't come back to work. Because I moved to Kansas right after the pandemic.
[00:04:56] Warren: You know, I saw an article and I don't remember where. [00:05:00] Right. Not too far after the pandemic began. And it was about people who were doing this exact same. Thing they were moving to lower cost of living so they could take advantage of the situation. But Stephanie writes. We're in Florida and haven't been withholding Kansas taxes or anything of the light.
[00:05:16] Warren: So. Yeah. I can absolutely understand that. Here's another one. I just painted my home office blue.
[00:05:26] Warren: So now you cannot come back to work.
[00:05:29] Warren: Here's one. I also read article about this. I think we might've discussed it earlier episode. Person wrote. I took a second full-time job that I can't do if I'm
[00:05:37] Warren: not Working from home. So it, one of the articles I read was saying that people were doing exactly this. They were working two full-time jobs and probably doing less than full-time work on either of them.
[00:05:49] Warren: But yeah, I can understand that. So somebody's got to make a decision. And then the last one, which was my faith, I put at the end, cause it's my favorite. And I can only imagine this is someone on the [00:06:00] HR team. If not Stephanie, herself. They wrote. I don't miss the interpersonal relationships or collaboration.
[00:06:07] Warren: So I feel you there. But I thought that was a great a letter. If you have a interesting story, you want to share with us DME on Instagram, you can send me an email@feedbackatjadedhr.com really look forward to listener letters. And this was a great one. So thank you very much, Stephanie. So the second part of the show today.
[00:06:30] Warren: I wanted to dedicate to buzzwords and I really wish going in hindsight that. I had done this better.
[00:06:39] Warren: I should have grouped these into like categories, but I didn't, and I'm not going to do it right now. But. A lot of these buzzwords. They actually do have real meaning and they have important meeting meanings and things along those lines, but they've just been so overused. They've been bastardized by any number of groups. If it's the [00:07:00] keynote speaker group, if it's the solicitor group, if it's whomever.
[00:07:03] Warren: And they take something that's actually good and important and they just cheapen it. To the point where your eyes roll every time you hear some of these words, but anyways, I want to go down my list here. The first one, the new normal.
[00:07:18] Warren: The new normal was two years ago. People. Every day is a new day. Every day is new. You've got to.
[00:07:27] Warren: Overcome these obstacles and you've got to just deal with it. Things are just constantly in the world of flux. Each day's new normal. So I'm so far over that one. The next one I'm equally over is the great. Whatever the fuck you want to fill in the blank with a great resignation, the great reorganization, the great reshuffle. I don't know. We. We were talking about that.
[00:07:48] Warren: Feathers and I, the. I'm a previous episode and the great. Whatever. It's just it's what's happening now. We're going to have to deal with it and move on. But [00:08:00] believe me, I'd very much know the resignation issue is a problem, but right now unemployment's going right back to really low levels.
[00:08:07] Warren: It's it's uh, Employees market. They're demanding incredible things and they're getting it because people are so desperate for them. It's just crazy.
[00:08:19] Warren: The next word. I used to really like this one, but not so much is dynamic. , I even used the word dynamic occasionally, , I like a dynamic work force. I like a dynamic team. People who are Bolty talented and can do multiple things and really help. Everybody along the way, but dynamic is, is just such a.
[00:08:41] Warren: Meaningless. Word now I had a high school English teacher who would. Throw a temper tantrum. If you use the word very, because very means. Nothing. Oh, I like, this was very good. Very is useless there. It's just a filler word. So that's coming into the same play dynamic is just a, [00:09:00] another word. That's has no meaning anymore.
[00:09:04] Warren: The next word I had was hacks. And I'm talking about. Life hacks. I'm talking about office hacks, work, hacks, all the things you see on Tik TOK, things along those lines. I'm sick of the hacks. Most of them are just frankly stupid. Many of them don't do anything. They don't save you any time or effort. Sometimes they look cool, but that's about the best you can hope for. And oftentimes they actually make things worse than they were before. So.
[00:09:30] Warren: Hacks is another term. I cannot. Cope with. Now here's another word that I, I. Used to like, I want to, like, it's important. But it's been so bastardized in that word is empower. I want to empower my employees to make their own decisions and work independently and work through their issues on their own.
[00:09:53] Warren: That's what empowers, but now empower. And I'll have to go. And put all the blame on the, [00:10:00] the keynote speaker group and the solicitors about how, you know, empowering your people. And they have tools to help you empower your people. If you have enough money so when did they start taking over an important word like that?
[00:10:13] Warren: It loses meaning. So. By buying power. Just like empowered, disrupt. Disrupt used to be a real thing. It used to be important. It used to be.
[00:10:24] Warren: That you were actually doing something disruptive. Now it's just another word. Disruptive is not really disruptive anymore. You know, I, I watched the disrupt HR videos and overall I do like them. I like that they crunch their format into a five minute spiel rather than half hour or hour spiel. You're getting the same information. Just take out all the phony baloney stories.
[00:10:50] Warren: The speakers make up to get your empathy and attention and all that other fun things and make you feel sad or happy or whatever emotion they're trying to pull out of [00:11:00] you at that time. I love that it's just five minutes and you don't have a sales spiel in the middle of it. But disrupt is not disruptive anymore. Come up with something new, innovative, and different than you can start using the word disrupt.
[00:11:13] Warren: But not, not now.
[00:11:14] Warren: This is one of my favorites and I know it's one of both feathers and Patrick's favorites. Unprecedented. Boy.
[00:11:25] Warren: When the pandemic first started, that word was all over the place and it seemed to die down. I think it's coming back again. You know, I think more is there looking back at the past times and these unprecedented things that we we went through. So I hate that word as well.
[00:11:41] Warren: Now here comes an oldie, but a goodie. That I really, really hate outside the box.
[00:11:49] Warren: That just gets to the core of my anger very quickly. There is a box it's there for a reason, and you need to work with the tools you have. The tools, the [00:12:00] resources, the abilities you have being creative is great. I love being people being creative and thinking independently and going their own way. Love it, love it, love it. However, they have to do those things within constraints. Whether it's a financial constraint, maybe it's a process constraint.
[00:12:17] Warren: Maybe it's a physical. Location restraint something you, you don't have unlimited budget time. Resources, et cetera. So you have a box you have to stay in. So I really, really hate outside the box. Maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm being too literal with it, but outside the box, just. Makes me. Makes me cringe.
[00:12:38] Warren: The next one, I'll combine the next a couple of these combine work from home and hybrid. Work from home. It was a big thing. Early 2020. When everybody was being sent home and it's becoming a big thing now that the pandemic has quote unquote ending. And people are returning to normal. Uh, you can say, but.
[00:12:59] Warren: And [00:13:00] people still want to work from home and that's a huge thing, and it's a great benefit to many people, but it's not always possible. And if you just need to find another job because you. Liked working from home so much, then that might be what you have to do. And same with return to work.
[00:13:14] Warren: In hybrid it's it's now time companies are bringing like Stephanie story companies are bringing their people back into the office to. Get back to the environment. And. Is it right? Maybe, maybe not. Is it the best thing they can be doing? Maybe, maybe not. I don't know.
[00:13:30] But
[00:13:30] Warren: there's a lot that can be done there. So you.
[00:13:33] Warren: You're going to have to get used to it. Another one. Comes along the lawn with a pandemic jargon, I guess you could call it as a group. Pivot. I haven't heard it as much lately, but at the beginning of the pandemic, maybe the first, even as much as a year, pivot this pivot that you got pivot your strategies and oh, I just.
[00:13:52] Warren: You know,
[00:13:55] Warren: What I'd like to think of in I'm not former service. I am not a Marine, but the [00:14:00] Marine Corps term adapt, improvise and overcome. That's what you have to do in any given situation, whether you're a Marine or whether you're an HR professional, adapt, improvise, and overcome, get through the situation don't whine and cry about it.
[00:14:16] Warren: Those are the cards you're dealt. Play them. And do the best he can.
[00:14:20] Warren: Next one is very much one of my pet peeves. And you might've noticed in a prior episode, both Patrick and feathers were using it just to try and get under my skin a little bit. Synergy. I hate the term synergy and Lord knows I feel bad for all you folks who might be studying for one of the Sherm or PHR exams.
[00:14:39] Warren: Because they'd like to throw that word around, like, it actually means something, but it doesn't. Synergy, you know, Uh, some of the parts are greater than the individual pieces. And. There's no such thing. What it is is you have some lazy ass who now that they're working in a team and not individual, they're actually starting to maybe not even pull their weight, [00:15:00] but do more. So they're getting more output than they were when they were sitting on their own and unsupervised.
[00:15:05] Warren: That's what synergy in the HR world is, or in the business world is. You're not getting synergy from whatever thing, and definitely not out of some out of the, out of the box program. Some dipshit company is trying to sell you.
[00:15:19] Warren: The next two, I want to group together as well. And both of these terms are actually very important. They're hugely important actually for HR and for the workplace as a whole, but. These. Terms have been bastardized so much between those wonderful keynote speakers and salespeople who are wanting to sell you. And I went on rant on this a few episodes ago, culture in DEI.
[00:15:47] Warren: Tremendously tremendously important. You're not going to get your culture out of a box. You're not going to get your DEI out of a box. You're not going to listen to some person bloviate for half an hour, an hour, or however much at your [00:16:00] local Sherman meeting and be able to initiate. The DEI and culture changes you need just based on their wonderful, inspirational words.
[00:16:08] Warren: , those things are too important to have been thrown by the wayside. And cheapened the way they have.
[00:16:15] Warren: The next buzzword that I wanted to throw out there to get under my skin is empathy. And I don't know if you've noticed over the last two years, I'm not the best at empathy. I think it's important. I think there's a certain level of it. You need to show as a human being be in human resources. But. It can only go so far. Yes. You want to support your people. You want to do what's best for your people, but.
[00:16:45] Warren: You can't do anything. You can't do everything that you may want to do. So examples, we were talking about the, this with the ladies from baked HR. Those Facebook groups. [00:17:00] People, you know, someone has a situation that the correct answer is refer them to your EAP. But. People want to give all this wonderful advice and counseling.
[00:17:10] Warren: You're not a, a licensed social worker. You're not in a psychologist, psychiatrist, things like that. Do your job as an employer. Be empathetic, help them to the best of your extent, but don't start giving advice where. You don't belong, stay in your lane. That's one of my favorite terms is to stay in your lane in that.
[00:17:31] Warren: That area is not your lane. As HR person, you can be empathetic. You can sympathize, you can help them in many ways, but you don't be acting like you are there. A licensed clinical social worker or something like that.
[00:17:48] Warren: And then the. Last word I came up with and this word makes me actually wish that both Patrick and feathers were on the show with me today because I know we'd have three very different views on [00:18:00] this word, and it would create a great discussion. So maybe we'll, we'll come back to it at a later date, but the final word on my list.
[00:18:06] Warren: Is transparent transparency.
[00:18:11] Warren: Today's day and age. People want pure transparency on everything. And sometimes there's good reasons why we don't want to be a hundred percent transparent. I've heard of a sales organization, where they had a white, giant whiteboard and wrote everybody's sales figures on the board, including what their commission rates were. So everybody saw it and it was the ultimate in transparency at that level because they used it as a motivator to say, Hey,
[00:18:39] Warren: Johnny is the best. Salesperson we have, Hey, Warren's a little worse. We need to. Help him or, you know, get him motivated or do whatever. I don't know the exact situation. But that's a great transparent environment. And if you can make it work, especially in a sales type of environment where it might lead to.
[00:18:57] Warren: Pensiveness and. [00:19:00]
[00:19:00] Warren: Extra energy and output from others then, Hey, that might work. However, I don't believe in transparency, including pay transparency at all levels. Sometimes there's particular reasons why you do or don't pay a certain rate. My company values position a much more than your company does. So we pay a lot more, but your company values position be more.
[00:19:24] Warren: More so than that and pays the person. That person more. So. Whenever you get into patrons parents, you're always going to have people become butthurt over something. Oh, you're paying the receptionist X amount of dollars, but you're only paying me who actually produces something. This amount of dollars.
[00:19:42] Warren: And that's exactly what happens in people. Get all butthurt over it and I hate it. Another place where I've actually personally had issues with transparency. Is disciplinary issues. There was a, I had a situation where it is. Uh, well-known event HR did an [00:20:00] investigation and we delved out what we thought was appropriate.
[00:20:03] Warren: Disciplinary action based on the situation. However, it was not termination, which some people wanted. And when that person returned to work and other people got so upset because they thought the person should have been terminated. And we actually brought our attorneys in on the situation to get their advice and console on it.
[00:20:23] Warren: And We weren't in favor of termination and the attorneys agreed with us. So that's the way it is. But these employees, they wanted termination, but they didn't know all the facts and situation. And when you're talking about discipline, you're not going to be able to give that information to the.
[00:20:39] Warren: To everybody who wants it. So transparency. When I hear the word transparent or transparency, what triggers in my mind is the word entitlement. I'm entitled to know this. No, you're not. Maybe, maybe we're paying John DOE a little bit more because he's the owner's brother-in-law and that's just the way [00:21:00] life works sometimes. Or maybe there's something else.
[00:21:03] Warren: Maybe. There's there's things in play that you didn't know about. Maybe. Denise came in from a prior company and was sort of grandfathered in on their old structure that isn't the company's current structure. And you don't know what sort of, maybe we've read circled that job and stuff. You know, Denise or whatever name I use, isn't going to be getting the same amount of increases.
[00:21:23] Warren: That other people are going to be, so transparency really gets under my skin. And I know other people have different feelings, but when I hear transparency, I just immediately go to.
[00:21:33] Warren: Entitlement. Well, I would love to hear what you have to say or some of the buzzwords , you. Get sick up. So go ahead and leave us a comment on our social media pages. Maybe I'll put a poll out on our Instagram is that's the one I use the most. And get some feedback from you, but also I'd like feedback.
[00:21:53] Warren: What more do you think on just a solo episode? How did I do give me a performance evaluation. So [00:22:00] anyways. That is all I have for you today. What I would do is ask that you support the show in one of three ways. Or actually now I have four ways. Patrion. Review. Tell a friend or contribute to the show by sending us a story like Stephanie did. So that's another great way.
[00:22:19] Warren: Also, I'd like to thank the underscore orchestra for the use of the theme song devil with the devil. And I'd like to give a special thanks to Andrew Copa. Our voice artists who does our introduction.
[00:22:32] Warren: So we will be back in another two weeks and have another great episode for you until then I'm Warren and I'm helping you survive HR one. What the fuck moment at a time.