Sunstone HR (HR Consulting)

There’s an interesting, almost magical growth in a person’s value to the organization, as soon as they have another job offer. I’ve seen managers, who have very recently rated an employee as mediocre or poor, hurriedly change that rating to ‘irreplaceable’ as soon as the employee has an offer. Now, did the employee’s performance magically swing upward that morning, or did the manager find herself at risk of being short-staffed? If this is how an organization rates the value of people, are the most valuable employees the dissatisfied ones who are most actively seeking other opportunities? What to Do? Managers like the above will commonly come to HR, pleading for their very existence, and insist that we counter offer. And, of course, the counter is conveniently positioned right at, or slightly above what the organization has presented. As a general rule I have taught my HR teams and organizations that “we do not do counter-offers.” Of course, there are exceptions, bu...

By: Rod Lacey,  Sunstone HR I have always been convinced that hard work wins . I believe that each of us falls short of perfection, even in our areas of specialty, but generally speaking, he who works the hardest tends to come out ahead. It's the will, not the skill . Having had accountabilities for large employee bases throughout my career, I’ve had countless discussions with company leaders about talent. Without exception, effort and energy (aka ‘hard work’) is a critical point of differentiation between ‘champs’ and ‘chumps’. Even if there’s a gap in an employee’s current performance, having a reputation as a hard worker seems to magically fill that void. WHAT ABOUT THOSE THAT ARE GIFTED? Given the choice to be regarded as ‘gifted’ or a ‘hard worker’, my preference would be known as the latter. That may be because I’m not a natural, or gifted at much and have had to work hard for everything I’ve achieved. It may also be because that’s the example my father set f...