Take It Or Lead It

I just read an article from 2002 entitled, “Making A Merger Work – AOL Time Warner, the largest merger in history, may succeed because of HR Leadership.”

Oh dear.

We all know, of course, what happened. Granted, the backside fell out of the dotcom boom not long after the merger, but it can’t be argued that AOL had gotten way too big for its online boots. For their part, Time Warner was so blinded by its desperation to get into bed with a digital powerhouse that executives didn’t realize AOL was actually a glass house sitting on the base of an active volcano.

Ooops.

I’m sure that everyone involved would cry that they could never have known the troubles ahead, that they did all their due diligence, that so much of what happened was outside their control, and, to give credit where it’s due, I am sure that is ...Read More

The Business Strategy article, “6 tactics to employ when importing talent,” offers some great advice for those extending their talent search overseas. Those of you who have been fortunate enough to recruit, select and “import” the best and brightest from all over the world might think the toughest part is over - but I fear you may be wrong. Recently, several colleagues, clients and friends who manage foreign workers have shared some humorous and some horrific stories with me. I decided it was time to write about their unexpected experiences.

It seems that, upon turning up to work, otherwise intelligent, accomplished professionals morphed into helpless nursery school children. What happened to their common sense and general know-how? Was it left back home? Or we...Read More

To have an intern or not to have an intern – that is the question. But wait a minute – they are “free help” right? Who would say no to that?

 Before jumping on the intern bandwagon you would be wise to consider the Pros and Cons of having interns. At UKNY we have been fortunate to work with two really terrific interns over the past year and a half. In addition, some of our clients have had terrific success. Unfortunately, it does not always go so well. Based on our experience and that of our clients, here’s our take:

The Pros

• Much needed help! And an affordable option for adding to the staff – even if it is only for the short term.
• A “GenY” perspective, a fresh take on things or simply a member of the team who has few bad habits or tendencies

The whole concept of different generations in the workplace and how to attract and retain them is not just a hot topic, but also a contentious one, particularly for leaders who find themselves having to deal with and plan for it. If you are one of those leaders, the chances are that you’re also a Baby Boomer or Civic who’s had to sacrifice your work-life balance in order to get ahead,make a decent buck and take care of your financial and family commitments. You’ve earned your stripes the hard way. So you may find it irritating to read articles (like our last blog!) about pandering to “Generation Y” who have come of age in a largely prosperous society and who, let’s face it, are easily seen as overconfident,somewhat entitled and unrealistic in their expectations of the workp...Read More

Much has been written about Generation Y in recent years, but you’re seeing more written about them of late as more companies grapple not just with managing these employees but also trying to figure out how to attract them. There has never been a more important time to do so. As Baby Boomers begin to retire, or wind down their work schedules, this will increasingly put pressure on Generation X – the next group of experienced 40-somethings in line for senior management positions in companies across the world.

With an eye on the future, consider another sobering thought. By 2030, in the US alone there will be 35 million more jobs than people to fill them. Europe and Asia are expected to be in an equally dire situ...Read More

Last week’s blog featured one of your questions. This week we pick it up with another -

Can we turn down applicants simply because they are not already permanent U.S. residents? We are a small company and cannot easily deal with the paperwork and expense of H-1B visas or F-1 student visa issues.

In the war for talent the battle is no longer heating up – it is hot! Finding the best person to do the job is much tougher these days with no sign of letting up. If hiring and sponsoring those who are not authorized to work in the U.S. isn’t in your plan today, it may be in the future. Even small businesses operate in a global economy where the competition for highly skilled employees is fierce.

...Read More

Welcome to EDN.com’s HR blog! We live on the Business Center of EDN.com, but HR issues really have no boundaries, so we expect to have a lively community of members who visit from all areas of the site.

UKNY Consulting is a boutique HR, Change Management and Training firm based in New York City. We are The Changeologists, so called because our mission with UKNY is to help individuals and organizations overcome employee and company culture challenges to achieve significant, positive and often radical change. You can check us out at http://www.uknyc.com/.