Pennsylvania Employment Lawyer & Attorney : Russell Krafft & Gruber Law Firm : Lancaster, York, Harrisburg

We would like to think that our September 21, 2007 Interview with Evil HR Lady was the catalyst for her nomination for the 2007 weblog awards (Best Business Blog), but we know better. The Evil HR Lady blog is informative, interesting, and intriguing since she remains anonymous. Please support her by voting her Best Business Blog. 

We are honored to post an interview with the author of the widely popular blog the Evil HR Lady. She chooses to be anonymous but we know, according to her blog profile, that she is an HR professional in a Fortune 500 Company. She has hired, fired, managed pay and analyzed the numbers. She has even tried to cooperate with Finance, but, well you can guess how that turned out.

Her blog is one of the best in the HR area. Since its inception on August 23, 2006, it has had over 70,000 page views by more than 47,000 unique visitors (that’s a lot). The blog is a combination of responses to reader questions and HR commentary. She was recently recognized in Bootstrapper’s “Top 100 HR Bloggers.”  Anyone considering entering the blogosphere would benefit from following her blog.

What motivated you to begin your on-line commentary from the perspective of a HR professional in a fortune 500 company?

I love to write and (contrary to what my readers might think) I love HR.  It's a misunderstood side of business.  In fact, I think a great Human Resources department can make a world of difference in a business, while a really lousy HR department can slowly eat away and destroy a business.  Most companies, in my humble opinion, have mediocre HR.  Not to be cliché, but really, at the end of the day, your people are what matters the most in modern businesses.  Without good people management, you don't have much of a business. 

I hope to be able to give an outsider a brief glimpse into the mind of HR--and try to make people laugh along the way.  I'd also like to bring to managers' attention the incredible problems they create when they choose to ignore bad workers.

How has blogging enhanced your career as an HR professional?

It has definitely made me more aware of the HR world around me.  By starting the Carnival of HR, I've "met" numerous brilliant bloggers from all over the "people" side of the planet.  It has also made me keenly aware of how limited my knowledge is--how limited any one person's knowledge is.  The nice thing about blogging is that I can feel confident that if I write anything ridiculous I'll get called on it rather quickly by my brilliant readers.  You don't get rapid feedback like that in the real world--everyone is too worried about politics and what your title is.  In the blogosphere we're all pretty equal.  I think it's great.

How does your employer feel about your blogging activities?

My employer has no idea about my blogging. My direct manager would probably think it's pretty funny.  Others in the company would get their knickers in a such a twist that I'm not sure they would ever recover.

Why keep it anonymous?

Well, to be honest, when I started the thought of blogging under my real name never even crossed my mind.  Since then, I've noticed that I'm one of the few HR bloggers that doesn't blog under my real name.  Of course, I'm not trying to sell any services (like many out there are).  I also like the freedom that anonymity gives me. 

Do you ever worry that you may be Dooced*?

No.  Not that I never think I may get exposed--several of my co-workers know that I blog.  My friends and family all know it's me, and I even sent Deb at 8 hours & a lunch an e-mail from my work e-mail address, so she knows my first name, last name and company.  I've been extremely careful not to mention my company by name or industry.  I rarely mention experiences that can be tied directly to work--and when I do I make sure they are positive towards my colleagues.  (Well, mostly positive...)

If I got "exposed" I have nothing to hide.  I'm not making fun of my company or pointing out its faults.  I haven't expressed opinions that I would be ashamed to admit in public.  I just work for a very conservative company with no blogging policy, other than you need authorization to speak for the company. Some day, I'll probably come out of the blogging closet, but right now it's so much more fun being the Evil HR Lady than it is being [real name].

*Heather Armstrong, who writes under the nickname “Dooce” at http://www.dooce.com/favicon.ico, is famous for being fired from her job for things she wrote about her job and coworkers on her blog. The incident fired up the blogging community and earned her a celebrity blogger status … and creating a coinage that is all her own (to be “dooced” is to be fired for something you write online).

Some say that the key to successful marketing by human resource professionals is having a strong network.  Networking can be done both inside and outside the company. We asked Dave Anderson, Director of Human Resources for Clipper Magazine about networking among Human Resource Professionals. Dave is the past president of the Lancaster County Human Resource Association and knows the value of getting to know his colleagues.  Here are Dave's Responses to our questions about the value of human resources networking..

Question:   What are the primary benefits to both the individual and his or her employer of "networking" with other Human Resource Professionals?

There are many benefits to being able to network with other Human Resource professionals. Our industry has been described as a minefield to be negotiated on a daily basis; one misstep and you have an explosion. There are steps an HR professional can take (policies and procedures) to guard against and prevent stepping in the wrong direction but everyday someone is changing the position of the mines. It is reassuring to have a network of folks who do what you do and have experiences from which you can draw reference. In Lancaster County we have over 400 Human Resource professionals in our organization (LCAHRM) and that group is willing to share their collective knowledge with the rest of our membership. Whenever HR solves or heads off a potential problem for a company; that bodes well for the role and the power of Human Resources in all companies.

Question:   What sorts of organizations provide the best networking opportunities?

Today, through meetings, seminars and especially the internet, almost all professional organizations offer members the opportunity to network with other professionals. The Chamber of Commerce often has business professionals come together to visit a local business and meet local business people, to learn about each other and our community. We in Human Resources have numerous opportunities within our communities in the form of meetings, special programs, legal updates, professional development seminars; sponsored by the local Society for Human Resource Management chapter. There are also state SHRM councils and of course, the national SHRM organization which has a membership of over 69,000 HR professionals from around the world; with programs and resources too numerous to mention. All aimed at advancing the profession by encouraging the networking opportunities with other HR professional and other business professionals.

Question:   At what stage in an HR professional's career should networking start?

Right away; you cannot know enough about human resources, nor people in this business. It changes rapidly and you can’t start too soon to be buoyed by the knowledge of other professionals who will help you learn, grow and understand our profession. Even something as simple as where to find information on some issue can help you do your job better. And not just for your company but for the employees who you will help.

Question:   Give us an example of how your network helps you in your day to day job?

I have always believed that no one person has a lock on the most correct way of doing anything. When I am looking for best practice information to help me handle a testy situation or even when I want to know what other HR people think about one of my ideas, I turn to our LCAHRM website email blast and in a very short time I have information from some of the 400 professionals in Lancaster County. I also have become friends with a number of HR folks from across the state who are willing to discuss, advise and share their thoughts, ideas, and knowledge with me. That is a direct result of taking advantage of professional networking opportunities available through SHRM.

I have benefited from the network of HR professionals I have cultivated in my career, my company has benefited, but most of all the folks who work for Clipper Magazine have benefited from the feedback and help I received. I am sure the same could be said for many professional organizations who offer the opportunity to share and exchange with other professionals.

Plant closings and layoffs are some of the most difficult situations confronting Human Resource Professionals. It's hard to call the process a "success". We acted in a support role for Karen Yates during a plant shutdown. Here are Karen's thoughts on how to navigate this challenging situation:

About two months after starting a new HR manager position, I was informed that the facility would be closing because the company was consolidating its operations into a facility in another state. My first reaction was ….”Can I go back in time about three months?”

The business was a food processing plant with a very close knit and ethnically diverse workforce. I hadn't been there long enough to establish much of a relationship with the employees, but I knew that any hope of "success" would largely depend on HR maintaining its credibility with the employees. I was able to do that partly, because at that point, we were walking in each other’s shoes. I wasn’t just the HR manager, I was one of them, one of the displaced workers. Because I was so new to the organization, the concern that they showed me was incredible. And it gave us a bond for us to help each other get through the next few weeks.

The process began by organizing legal and employee relations priorities. Working with our attorneys, we first assessed our legal obligations including the need for plant closing notices, preparing severance agreements and releases, and developing a communication plan. We also needed to address the shut down of the plant.

We identified one issue that needed special attention. Because of the size of business, we needed to give 60-days notice or the plant closing notice under the WARN Act. At first, we felt as if this left us with the choice of continuing operations with an uncertain labor force or putting our employees on the street to find a job.

We decided to establish an in-house outplacement service so that each employee's job could be to find a job. We set up a telephone bank, provided computers with internet access, and worked individually with employees to create their customized job search. Each employee received interview training, had a resume created, registered with the PA Job Service, and was assisted with a personalized job search.

One of the most challenging aspects for me was how to get the word out that I had qualified employees who were looking for good jobs. In the past, I would have relied on my network of HR colleagues, but then I was so new to the area that I hadn’t developed that network yet. I would have also relied on my knowledge of the area, so I would know what businesses to personally contact. Again, I was unfamiliar with the local businesses, much less to identify the ones in our like industry. Lucky for me, my phone started ringing, and I was able to put together on-site job fairs. Then we were able to assist employees in completing applications and searching for internet and newspaper job openings. This also created a challenge because we had quite a few employees who were not computer savvy, but they learned. To keep people motivated, employees received financial incentives, recognition and time off based on their commitment to their job search. It was amazing how much employees helped and encouraged each other in the job search process.

Many of our employees were faced with job search challenges because of the level of education, training and English proficiency. Although not all were able to find positions, I felt our efforts gave them a good opportunity. At the end of the 60 days, all that was left was for me to … search the internet, and local papers, and land the seat “on the other side of the desk” that would be the beginning of the next chapter in my career.

Being Named one of the Best Places to Work in PA is an honor for any business.  We contacted Amy Eidemiller of RGS Associates, Inc. which was named to the list of best places to work in Pennsylvania. We asked Ms. Eidemiller to comment on her experience by answering the following questions:

What motivated your organization to pursue the award?

Amy: RGS has a corporate philosophy of continuous improvement. We utilize annual employee satisfaction surveys to help gauge our employee’s attitudes on the things that are important to them, including work experience, benefits satisfaction, and the overall health of the company. We identified “Best Places to Work” as an opportunity to integrate two strategic goals: (1) receiving feedback from staff, (2) being recognized as a great place to work. Our goal was to go through the application process the first year and gain valuable feedback to use as part of our strategic plan going forward. I must confess it was a bit frightening to take the employee survey process to a more public forum like the Best Places to Work, but we made a decision to go forward.

We were beyond excited to be chosen as #20 Best Places to Work in PA in the medium size company category the first year.   Upon notification that we had won, we celebrated with a companywide announcement at the end of the day. The recognition and reward of being a “Best Place to Work” in PA has been fantastic for all of us! 

What makes RGS one of the top places to work?

Amy: Organizations who want to be a company of choice for employees and clients, must find ways to differentiate themselves in the marketplace. We believe that great organizations pay close attention to their culture.

Company culture has internal and external aspects.   From an internal perspective,  RGS has an amazing group of 39 professionals committed to exceeding client expectation in our project delivery and results.   The company was built on a continuous improvement philosophy and a strong company culture. Cultural values including trust, teamwork, and communication were part of our culture from day one. When employees have a strong level of trust in company leadership, amazing results take place. At RGS, we’ve created a partnership between leadership and staff members; we truly are in this together. Key performance and strategic information is shared with the team at monthly staff meetings. Client relationships are solid and staff satisfaction is high because our employees know their work performance is the key contributor to company success. 

RGS's culture also has an external impact. It motivates us to give back to the community by our staff volunteering time to activities. RGS sponsors an annual golf tournament to raise funds for the American Cancer Society and all staff members participate by either helping or playing golf. This is just one example of a company opportunity to serve the community, build on teamwork among the staff, and gain recognition of being a business that cares for others.

What collateral benefits are there for receiving such an award?

Amy: This award is symbolic of the pride our staff takes from being a part of this organization, which has positively impacted our staff retention and recruiting efforts!  The engineering and land planning industry is experiencing an extreme shortage of professionals nationwide. This serves as an opportunity for us to differentiate ourselves in the marketplace for the best talent. We also used the survey results to benchmark ourselves against the other “Best Places to Work” companies to see where we could make additional improvements, showing our staff we are continually looking for ways to raise the bar. The resources required to participate in the “Best Places to Work” award process, continues to provide a significant return on the investment for RGS Associates.