By Sheri Mazurek on October 14, 2012
I have written multiple times about he ever hated performance review. This dreaded ritual in many companies is also often tied to the annual salary increase. An increase that often times is given within a tight budget constraint somewhere between 2-4%. It also often called a merit increase or a pay for performance compensation system. Those who are top performers may get a 4% increase while the poor performer may get the 2-3% increase. The result of this system actual keeps employees at very close salaries. And my guess is that if the top performer in a particular position or team has a little less tenure than the bottom performer, the bottom performer could still make more money.
By Sheri Mazurek on September 23, 2012
After seeing an info graphic earlier this week, I planned on writing a post in response to it. The info graphic can be found here and it depicts the biggest time wasters at work. At the top of the list of time wasters is talking to co-workers. This is very topic, I was going to write about; however, I found that my thoughts have already been articulated on Wally Bock’s Three Star Leadership Blog So I encourage you to visit his blog this also.
By Sheri Mazurek on August 6, 2012
I love the Olympics. I love watching the amazing things others can accomplish with dedication and practice. That has always been a favorite part of my job as well. Regardless of the organization or role I had within the organization, I have always loved watching others change, develop and grow to achieve amazing things. It’s how I ended up in HR. And no, I am not going to follow up that statement by, “I just love the people side of the business.” I just love business and have found that ordinary people can accomplish amazing things within the business by working hard and putting in the time to develop their talents.
By Sheri Mazurek on July 8, 2012
Fall is full of great things including the beautiful scenery brought by the changing leaves and joys of trick or tricking with the kids while they are still young enough to find magic in a big bag of “free” candy. For those of us in HR and Recruiting, fall brings the season of college career fairs. And just like the stores preparing for their “back to school” revenue, recruiters are preparing to find the best and the brightest.
So are the best and brightest preparing for us? Are they getting ready to find their start in a great career? I am sure that many of them are doing just that; and these are the ones recruiters will be thrilled to meet at their local career fair. However, my guess is that there will still be hundreds of them that can check at least some of the things on the following list.
By Sheri Mazurek on June 12, 2012
Turnover is a huge concern for many HR professionals. One of the key steps an organization can take to reduce this during one’s first year is to develop an effective on-boarding program. Below are a few tips to get your started.
By Sheri Mazurek on June 1, 2012
Dr. Seuss has been providing great advice to children for years. And while the above mentioned passage is great advice, it assumes that one realizes their own control in situations. It requires personal accountability. Personal accountability seems to be missing far too often in organizations today. Consider the number of conversations you have had with those in your organization about missed deadlines, failed projects, or performance misses. How often do those conversations result in a list of excuses?
By Sheri Mazurek on May 20, 2012
This is the first in a new series called tips and tricks. Supervising others is one of the most difficult jobs one can have; it is also one of the most important. Below is a list of tips for supervising others that I picked up along my career path. What can you add?
By Sheri Mazurek on May 10, 2012
A common understanding in the learning field is that the best way to learn is to teach someone else. During the past year, I have had the privilege to learn a great deal from my HR students. What my students taught me this year: HR is still misunderstood in many organizations. Many of my students […]
By Sheri Mazurek on April 30, 2012
When your business grows to the point where you need to start hiring people to work for you, you know you’re doing well. It means you’re growing, and it’s a big step forward in terms of just how successful your business can be.
It also means you need to spend some time figuring out exactly what those employees are going to do, and how they’re going to do it. Do you need part-time employees? Full-time? Do you need occasional help? How you answer those questions will help determine how those employees are classified.
By Sheri Mazurek on April 21, 2012
Recently, I got asked another question and the answer required a little more thought on my part. One of my HR students asked, “How do you know so much about this stuff?” After thinking about that for a couple of days, I discovered that the answer is that I am a true student of HR and all things related to people in the workplace. I read a lot of books, I read a lot of articles, I spend a great deal of time on websites, I attend professional development seminars and conferences, I teach HR, and I am actively involved in my local ASTD chapter. I am constantly seeking the most up to date information and I love research on the topic. I am a true HR Nerd.