Halloween: an HR nightmare?

Halloween is Friday! This is the one holiday where people can dress up and pretend to be someone else. There are a lot of companies who like to have a Halloween celebration and it usually is a hit among the staff. But for management, especially HR, it can be a huge headache.
HR is already viewed as the fun police. We make people watch their Ps & Qs and remind them that their joke/behavior can be perceived as offensive. We suck the fun out of everything. Or at least that is what everybody thinks. In reality, we are merely limiting the amount of risk to which the company is exposed.
So before Friday, here are a few things to think about when celebrating Halloween in the workplace.

1. Safety - Can/will the costumes and/or accessories create a safety risk to your employees?
2. Dress Code - Is the costume appropriate. Just because it is Halloween, your employees do not have the liberty to violate your company policies?
3. Offensive - We have all seen some pretty inappropriate things on Halloween. Make sure your employees are not offending anyone with their costume choices.
4. Time - If the company is sponsoring the costume contest, are you giving the employees extra time to change their clothes? How is that being handled according to wage and hour laws?
5. Choice - Employees should have the option to participate or not. They still have a choice which could be based on a protected class such as religion so be careful about making participation mandatory.
6. Candy/Food - Consider everyone. Some of your employees may have restrictive diets and can't have candy or other treats.

As HR, we have an obligation to protect the company and staff. Halloween is scary, but litigation can be even scarier. Keep these things in mind and have a safe Halloween.
Want to hear something else scary? There are only 63 days left until 2015! With that in mind, this would be a good time to revisit your 2014 goals. Please contact me to set up a coaching session where I can help you ramp up for 2015. Email glamhr@gmail.com for more details.

Social Media & Job Hunting

It is quite inevitable that almost everyone is on social media, including that recruiter for the job you want. So how do you express yourself and have fun on social media without killing your job prospects? Keep this in mind, once it is on the world wide web, it is out there forever.

I know that sounds dramatic and very much like a parent, but coming from an HR prospective it is sage advice. Take a moment and think before you post that photo, article, and status slamming your current employer. I do not make a habit of looking up my candidates on social networks, but many employers do.

A great tip is to change the privacy settings on your social media platforms so that only friends can see your posts. I would even suggest that if you really want to vent, make the post completely private so that only you can see it. .  Be careful of sharing anything that displays poor communication skills, making discriminatory comments related to race, gender, or religion, or lying about qualifications. These are definitely things that would turn a potential employer off. I understand that people purposely post things just for likes, followers, and fans, but that inappropriate content could be killing your job search

I don't want to seem like I am anti-social media because I am not. I just think people need to be smarter about using it. A good social media strategy can help you find the job of your dreams.  If you choose to share content publicly on social media, make sure it’s working to your advantage. Make sure your messaging is consistent on all platforms. Share content that highlights your accomplishments and qualifications in a positive way by discussing articles that are relevant to your field, offering tips to your followers, or creating a blog. These uses of social media will get you recognized for being poised, professional, and polished.

Perception is reality. Make sure you are perceived in a professional light in person and online to get your dream job!

International Upodate Your Resume Month

September is International Update Your Resume Month. You can read more about it here.

I think starting to update your resume and look at new career options in the fall is a great idea. However to go a step forward, I do not recommend making job changes at the end of the year. Most companies are closing their books and trying to protect the bottom line at the end of the year. January is a better time to actually start applying and looking for jobs. The year is new and companies are prepared financially and strategically to make changes.

In honor of International Update Your Resume Month, I am offering one free hour of coaching to be included with the resume building service through September 30, 2014.  If you book your service by the end of the month you will get an hour of coaching on whatever topic you desire. This would be a great opportunity to see if coaching is right for you.

Please contact me for details at glamhr@gmail.com.

Manifesting Your Career D.R.E.A.M.

On this debut episode of the This Stuff's Working! Blog Talk Radio program, join KishaLynn Elliott, certified coach and owner of This Stuff's Working! Coaching, for an enlightening and powerful conversation with CaMesha Reece.

CaMesha Reece is an HR Maven and Executive Coach. Your success is her business. She works with small to mid-sized business on special HR projects and specializes in building an HR infrastructure for companies. She also helps individuals realize their career goals with one-on-one career coaching.

Tune in for career advice that goes BEYOND the resume. Get truth like you've never heard it before and learn about the proper mindset and plan that will set your career search ON FIRE! Let us show you how This Stuff's Working! to find you the work you want!

Click the link below to listen now!



Manifesting Your Career D.R.E.A.M. with Camesha Reece 05/31 by This Stuffs Working | Jobs Podcasts