Tag Archives: only human

Betsey Nash, Business Matters

What a Long, Strange Trip to Retirement

Betsey Nash bubble portraitOnly Human
By Betsey Nash, SPHR

“I have retired.” The words feel strange in my mouth, reluctant to leave my lips, as if doing so signals the start of a long descent.
I thought deciding to “go grey” was traumatic. Getting my Medicare card really threw me. Lord knows what I’ll feel next week when I celebrate the birthday that makes me eligible for it. I have always cherished my birthdays; have been known to make a big deal out of my hot August night, but this year, not so much.
Maybe I’ll feel better after a week or so. Will I spend that week haunting the halls of Strasbaugh, dropping by to pick up “just one more thing,” furtively glancing at emails, or in blissful ignorance of the torment and stress they have to endure without me there to make everything all right? Continue reading What a Long, Strange Trip to Retirement →

Betsey Nash, Business Matters, Professional Perspective

Are You an Employee or a Contractor?

Betsey Nash bubble portraitOnly Human
By Betsey Nash, SPHR, SHRM-SCP

A disgruntled home, health, caregiver under contract to provide services for a small company was let go because the owner of the business learned that she was trying to steal clients.
Seems when she found a patient she liked, the caregiver asked them to fire the company she worked for and hire her independently — they’d save a lot of money, she promised.
Well one client called the owner, who learned he wasn’t the only one she’d asked, so she was let go, released from the contract, since she had clearly violated one of the provisions.
I want to say she was “fired,” because that’s the word we most often use, even if the employee wasn’t a true employee, but a contractor. Sometimes they’re called “1099 employees.” Continue reading Are You an Employee or a Contractor? →

Betsey Nash, Business Matters

No Waffling with Employee Satisfaction

Betsey Nash bubble portraitOnly Human
By Betsey Nash, SPHR, SHRM-SCP

Bobby is angry because he’s hungry — you know, “hangry” — but he doesn’t know it. I want to take a piece of cheese and shove it in his mouth like Julia Robert’s mamma, Sally Field, did in Steel Magnolias.
Julia is having a diabetic reaction that could become a seizure and coma, but I feel just as desperate to turn around Bobby’s mood, as Sally does to help poor Julia. A snippy coworker is hard to take, and a reasoned, calm discussion is useless; nothing works except food!
So we have waffles on Tuesday mornings and hot dogs at lunch Wednesday, and I sometimes bring fruit, just in case our wellness director is in town. And even if the employees are not “hangry,” the food has a wonderful effect on them, increasing camaraderie, lightening the mood, almost team-building. Well, except when it’s time to clean the kitchen. But I digress. Continue reading No Waffling with Employee Satisfaction →

Betsey Nash, Business Matters

Some Things Change; Others Don’t

Betsey Nash bubble portraitOnly Human
By Betsey Nash, SPHR

How cool is this? I just found out that my mom was the February, 1978, Employee of the Month at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles.
I came across a copy of the hospital newsletter, “Chatter,” when going through some boxes in the garage last week. If I once knew, I forgot, so it was a thrill to read through the list of attributes in the article about her; they are a laundry list of customer service best practices.
As a “referral center specialist,” who helped parents get their sick children to the vast network of services in the hospital, she spent all day on the phone. Continue reading Some Things Change; Others Don’t →

Betsey Nash, Professional Perspective

Slap Consulting and Injured Workers

Betsey Nash bubble portraitOnly Human
By Betsey Nash, SPHR

No, I’m not kidding — there is a consulting group out there named “Slap.” I thought maybe someone had noticed that the longer I am in this business, the shorter my patience, and sent me a funny email, but no.
At a recent Sexual Harassment and Abuse in the Workplace Prevention training for supervisors, I warned that slapping an employee was not a viable strategy, and then last week I got this email touting a webinar about the importance of developing a strong corporate culture delivered by the Slap Consulting Group. I hope they sell T-shirts.
Please do not slap your employees. (Just getting the record straight in case I run for office someday.) Continue reading Slap Consulting and Injured Workers →