In February, I asked a couple of questions about ethics. Later that month, President Trump fired the head of the Office of Ethics. No comment. Now, I am moving on to the ugly term: trimming the fat. Who and what will it hurt, and who and what will it help? When it is all said […]

I once heard a quote that sums up the oilfield work week: “It’s only two more workdays til Monday.” Unless the world is planning to change, work does not stop in the Oil Patch on Friday, much less on Saturday or Sunday.   For families in the Permian Basin, where both parents work, what would […]

A couple of things come to mind as topics worth discussing this month. One is hiring foreign workers, and the other is the Presidential election. Starting with hiring foreign workers, I was initially grateful that what appeared to be well-educated migrants from Venezuela and Cuba had come to the Permian Basin to find jobs. There […]

The U.S. Supreme Court and many other courts make decisions that affect businesses and their employees. Writing about Human Resource Management (HRM) is challenging, given the constant legal changes. Of course, the Supreme Court cases affect all the states, but it is essential that we pay attention to what happens beyond the State of Texas […]

I often harp about hiring the right person the first time. To start this month’s topic, here is a big surprise: there are several folks in the Permian Basin who are so skilled at using AI to write about themselves that I want to shout, Stop the BS! People looking for jobs are great at […]

And the beat goes on. When will this yo-yo of rules ever end for employers? I am blessed to be able to write this article once per month, and my occasional musings are not intended to be political; they are my observations as a lifelong student of everything history. Presidents get elected every four years, […]