Should I Ask for a Job Interview?

I'm doing an out of town job search and the recruiter from one of my target companies finally called me to schedule an interview. I am paying for my own plane ticket to get to the interview. This is a large hospital so they have applicant tracking software that allows you to see what you status is.. (not qualified, under review, referred to hiring manager, etc).

I have several positions that have been "referred to hiring manager" but no interviews have been scheduled. Would it be bad form to ask the recruiter to inquire with said managers as to whether or not they might be interested in interviewing me while I am in town?

I don't want to screw this up, but it would be nice if I could meet with more than one department while I am there.

Should I Ask for a Job Interview?

5 Things to Do When the Boss is Wrong

Do you have a Highly Paid Person who likes to walk in and request unreasonable things? Here's a 5 step plan for dealing with these HIPPOS.

5 Things to Do When the Boss is Wrong

One of the Book of (Last) Year: Management by the Markets

I'm doing some work with colleagues on HR and governance and writing another paper on HR and the global financial crisis.  Both projects have been influenced by my book of the year (which came out last year - takes me a while to get up to speed) and some academic papers that have shaped its formation.  The book is by Gerald Davis and is entitled 'Managed by the Markets: How Finance Re-shaped America' published by Oxford University Press.

As Jeff Pfeffer described it and I agree, this book is an intellectual tour de force account of the American economy by a sociologist who is as comfortable with financial economics as he is with history.  To quote, his core argument is that 'financial markets have shaped the transition from an industrial to post-industrial society.  For most of the twentieth century, social organization in the United States was shaped by the gravitational pull of the large corporation.  It is now oriented around financial markets to a degree that was unfathomable until it was revealed by a global economic crisis' (p. 1).  Given the UK's dependence on the financial services sector, the argument applies with almost equal force to this country, though with a few differences.

Davis provides compelling evidence of rise of shareholder value as a mantra for corporate governance and the decline of the traditional corporation.  This was associated with increased stock ownership in the early 1980s, mainly resulting from George W Bush's plan to privatise Social Security so ending defined benefit pensions.  What emerged was what Davis describes as a portfolio society in which 'free agent' individual investors began to treat themselves, their homes and their colleagues as human and social capital with a view to securing financial returns on their investments.  This was evidenced by the huge take up of 401 (k) pension plans and the purchase of investment properties (not just second homes) that individuals felt free to walk away from if their speculations turned sour.  It also resulted in the growth of the bond market and the growth of the shadow banking sector, which forced changes in behaviour among the traditional banks, most notably the growth of investment banking.  The rest as they say is history. 

Davis concludes with some speculations on a 'society of investors', in which everything and everyone is commoditised, a continued decline in the power of corporations and a rise in importance of the financial services industry - broadly defined.  These developments will have important implications for employees, with a continued decline in the potential for them to form long term 'resourceful human' attachments to corporate 'feudalists'. Instead they are likely to treat themselves (and be treated) as 'human resources' or 'human capital', which will lead to a further erosion of employee engagement levels, commitment to and identification with individual employers.  It will also lead to less mobility, more inequality, educational insecurity (already happening in this country) and the end of the corporate safety net (again already happening).  Is this what is driving David Cameron and Vince Cable to reduce the reliance on increasingly dangerous financial services?

My Boss Sexually Harassed Me After Work

Dear Evil HR Lady,

I'm a female in my mid-thirties. Last week I went out with my colleagues and we all consumed a ridiculous amount of alcohol. My attractive, married, Vice President was there and once we got to talking, things turned inappropriate pretty quickly. At first we were just talking, but as the night progressed it ended up getting physical and he exposed himself to me in the street and confessed to engaging in relations with another woman at the bar we were at. It was truly shocking.

During the night we were also texting. I have several texts from him where he is telling me sexual things that he wants to do to me and I am telling him that I just want to talk. The worst part is that during the course of the night, he told me if I said anything he would "take me down with him." Yesterday at work he cornered me in the hallway and caught me completely off-guard. He asked that we forget about everything and told me he hadn't been avoiding me for the past week, but he had just been really busy.

To be honest, I just want the whole thing to go away without anyone's career being impacted. This is not how I act around my boss though. Every time I see him I am uncomfortable because I am intimidated by him and the whole situation was really just mind-blowing. I am afraid that he is going to try to take me down anyway because I make him uncomfortable. Is there anything I can do to protect myself? Is it possible to report this to HR to document the incident, but ask them not to take disciplinary measures against him? I would just like to have this on the record in case he retaliates against me in some way. Should I just shut up and try my best to act normal? I am very distracted at work. Please help.

My Boss Sexually Harassed Me After Work

My Boss is Going on Maternity Leave and I'm Taking Her Responsibilities

Dear Evil HR Lady,

I was wondering about something: my boss is currently pregnant and I was asked to replace her during her six-months maternity leave. This involves about twice the responsibilities and work hours on top of managing three people. What happens salary-wise in these situations? Should I ask for raise? Stay silent and hope that the end-of-the-year bonus will make up for the bigger workload?

Whatever you do, don't stay silent.

Why Do Companies Punish Whistleblowers?

You spot your company doing something illegal. You document the problem and take it to your manager and Human Resources department and they should support you, protect you and make sure the problem is fixed. But sometimes they don't. Here's why.

Why Do Companies Punish Whistleblowers?

Managers: Stop the Shuffling and Just Fire the Person

Dear Evil HR Lady,

I recently accepted a brand new position as regional director. There was a previous director who provided management for a portion of my current region. I have now been tasked with finding a new title and job duties for the previous director. HR is really pushing for this person to retire as he has been employed for many years and one of the reasons they created the new position was to remove him from management. There was a very lucrative retirement package offered, but he declined.

I created a new position based on the organization's needs. The previous director will assume this new position including a rather large pay cut. My dilemma is that I know this person is not going to be able to meet the new job requirements (I based the job on department needs, not on the current skill level of the previous director). I have tried everything but to directly ask for retirement. Do I have any other options? I am afraid I am going to end up going down the disciplinary action road with ultimate termination since the company has a very quick disciplinary process of three strikes and you're out.

I hate being put into this position to start with but know I need to deal with it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Managers: Stop the Shuffling and Just Fire the Person

There's Something Interesting Going On at the Academy of Management for Practitioners

It's nearly time for the annual bash at the Academy of Management.  For those readers not familiar with this annual event, it is probably the biggest and most important event on the academic management calendar.  However, very few practitioners attend, which is a great shame because if you attend the rights sessions it really does deliver some excellent, well researched ideas of great value that you are unlikely to get from going to much more expensive practitioner events.  As an example from the last two years, there were ground-breaking sessions on employee engagement and management consulting, which went far beyond the usual fare at SHRM/CIPD events.

One of the reasons guess that practitioners don't go is because of the divide between academics and industry.  Many of the sessions at the AOM display this in spades, especially those following the traditional hypothesis testing approach of old and safe ideas (nothing new here), which get wrapped up in statistical proofs and arguments that few people understand.  However, when you get good academic work aimed at theory generation or providing solid evidence on management fads, there is nothing so practical (as good theory!).

With this in mind, two practitioners with an academic backrgound are putting on a symposium with some practically minded HR academics (including this one) to help bridge this gap.  If you can't attend, please do follow the blog for the event.  You can participate from afar and help us in our quest to become more relevant while remaining rigorous.

Do I Need a LinkedIn Profile?

Dear Evil HR Lady,

I have a middle-managerial position in a big international IT company and I am considering changing companies. Does not having a LinkedIn profile In makes me less attractive for HR personnel? I really have a strong education, expertise in my realm, a long and successful career and can provide good references from top managers of all the companies. I mean i have nothing to hide and I consider myself to be quite competitive but i do not have that LinkedIn profile.

Reasons: I personally find Linkedin to be a very biased tool. From my practice the worse the employee is, the more connections and recommendations they have in Linkedin - that's just frustrating for me. i personally know some very low-performers who were in fact fired after working less than a year. However they all have very shiny profiles in linkedin with LOTS of buzz words, connections and even recommendations, which are granted by the similar people (i also happen to know them personally). That makes Linkedin for me a very poor tool for reflecting real persons' qualities and i have abandoned *my* profile a long time ago after i noticed how many connection/recommendation requests I got regularly from either non-performers or even complete strangers - people just seem to hunt for them nowadays. Similarly i do not have any accounts in social networks like Facebook or Twitter - it's just against my nature to spend time on such activities...

But on the other hand - literally everyone now seem to have Linkedin profile so i ponder whether being "not in the same boat" actually makes *me* look worse or suspicious for my potential new employer? Could you enlighten me on perception of social networks' public profiles by HR specialists nowadays?

Do I need a LinkedIn Profile?

Unemployed? Try Brushing up on Your Math Skills

You need a job. Try getting one that requires unpopular skills. Because sometimes it really is about what know.

Unemployed? Try Brushing up on Your Math Skills.

Why Don't Companies Fire Micro-Managers?

Do you have any opinion on why companies don't reprimand micro-managers? As a matter of fact they seem to get promoted. Also, do you know how to filter for this type of behavior to in candidates considered for promotion?

Finally, why is it that HR don't usually filter for this behavior?

So, why don't companies fire micro-managers?

My Micro-Managing Boss and I Share an Office

Dear Evil HR Lady,

I need your advice. I work for a small non-profit performing arts company. I am in an entry level position. My problem is that I share an office with another associate and our manager. 3 people + 1 small space = lots of frustration. My boss tends to micromanage, asking several times a day "what are you working on?" even just after she's assigned me a project. Her mood tends to set the tone for our office - if she's sighing a lot, we'd better shut up and fast, even if we are supposed to be on the phone. Her tense moods permeate our office in such a way that co-workers from other departments will ask if everything is okay. It's that palpable.

Her particular ticks and quirks abound, but my question is, how do I deal? I've been here for a year and enjoy many of my other colleagues. I want to improve our working environment. Is there a polite, non-threatening way to tell her to chill out/calm down/give me a little space? I constantly feel like I'm under a microscope and it doesn't help that she rarely takes breaks or vacations: she is always at work. I want a chance to work independently and sort out an issue, but in this environment I feel totally stifled. What can I do or say towards improvement? Is there a whole new way of approaching my work that will alleviate this frustration?

How can I handle my micro-managing boss?