Jim Thomason's "The Business of People"

On October 7th at 2:00 we will have a fire drill for the Corporate Headquarters.  It has been a long time since we had one for this building while the warehouse has done a much better job conducting these drills. For that reason this drill will not involve the DC. First Responders are scattered throughout the building and cover all areas.  They are also best equipped to handle any injuries should someone become injured either during a fire or exiting the building (falling down stairs, for instance).  For that reason we will ask them to take responsibility for clearing their work area. All employees should exit the building and go to the South lot.  If you are directionally challenged (like I am) that is the lot heading towards the airport and running parallel to the warehouse.  There each employee should find their supervisor and group by divisions and determine who was in the building at the time of the alarm and if they all got out.  HR will float bet...

Earlier this month Gallup released an article entitled "Three Social Media Myths" in which is made three broad statements worth considering: 1.  Social Networking Primarily Happens Off-line .  It then carries over to on-line social media outlets, not the other way around. 2.  Social Media Doesn't Drive Customer Loyalty. Brand Engagement Drives Social Media Engagement .  Brand loyalty is a complex thing but once it happens it, like social networking, spills over on-line.  Again, not the other way around (i.e. you don't build brand engagement on-line). 3.  Social Media is a Tactic Waiting on a Strategy .  HR is a face-to-face business.  It like so many similar pursuits from retailing to sales calls has felt the pressure of outsourcing or centralization leveraging social media communications channels. Here's a daring prediction: the next dot bomb will be some social media outlets.  There is way more hype than substance, but there i...