The Battle For Top Talent: Will Your Workforce Policies Pass the Smell Test?

 “You mean to tell me that you tried to forbid someone to look for a job for two years until the program that they are in is completed? Are you guys nuts?”

That was my reaction to an article concerning Morgan Stanley’sill-fated program to lock in junior level employees, at least until they had completed their two year analyst program. On top of that, this was a pledge that they had to sign.

I picked up the phone and called a friend who worked there and we both kind of shook our head. He felt the same way as I did. He said the company wanted to keep these folks under lock and key so they could watch their investment.

You’re hired — and you can’t look for a job

Staying Relevant: Either We Continually Adapt, or We End Up Obsolete

 The headline in USA Today blared Columbia flunks relevancy test.

Columbia University’s Journalism School just appointed a new dean. The uproar was astounding, to say the least.

The new dean’s “alleged crime” is that he comes from a background of print [think newspapers and magazines] and he is taking over the training ground for the next generation of journalists whose skill set has changed.

This new dean (his name is Steve Coll, an author and formerWashington Post managing editor), and while having impeccable credentials, he is not versed in social media and reportedly does not have a Twitter account.

 

And while a Twitter or Facebook account should not be a requirement for a job, having them should be taken into consideration if you are going to be training students in an industry that has been decimated by social media. You should be well versed in the annals of digital media

Industry changed but skills set did not

Engaging Employees: Don’t Overlook That They’re Your Greatest Experts

"We need to have a discussion on your work ethic.”

This message was the response sent in reference to an email that was mailed at 9:20 pm on a recent evening. The recipient was still at her desk toiling away. The sender, her boss, was already home.

When I saw this woman a few days later, I asked her to tell me about the work ethic conversation her manager mentioned. She said, in a matter of fact manner, “Oh, she does not want me working that late every night.”

Nothing was mentioned about the department being short one person, or, that the one person they were short had left because of long hours.

Getting close to the problem

Doing the Right Thing Is Always the Right Thing

 Even though she didn't put in the $20, the crew at Keller Williams decided to kick in a bit of their winnings — they won’t say how much.

“As a team, we put together a fat pile of money,” Finkelstein Reader said. “If we do the right thing and always care about other people, the right thing will happen to us.”

Those were the remarks from a realtor at Keller Williams concerning their good fortune of winning 2nd place in the recent lottery – which just so happened to be a cool $1 million. By now we have all heard about the winner of the top prize, but 2nd place provided for me a more compelling story about human nature.

“Creating workplaces everyone wants to be part of”