The number one problem in the Permian Basin is recruiting and retaining quality employees. Benefits, including health and supplemental insurance and retirement offerings, are vital to solving the problem. By this time, I hope most of my readers have selected an online, full-service human resource management system (HRIS) to service the organization from job inception […]

Hire right because the penalties of hiring wrong are huge. —Ray Dalio   In September of 2021, I cautioned readers to take care in hiring executives. The article was titled Buyer Beware. In that article I pointed out tips for reviewing resumes. I wrote about a specific situation, and it is worth discussing again. I […]

As promised, I want to talk about the Brutal Facts of Leadership. Often, your HR lady is the one that brings you those brutal facts regarding employees’ desires, and more often, than your managers bring you hard-to-hear information. In Chapter 5 of Good to Great, author Jim Collins addresses the need for leaders to be […]

This month I want to address the idea of getting the Right People in the Right Seat on the Bus. However, before I get started, and my reader may drift off, I will begin by highlighting a new resource to assist your organization with Human Resources (HR). I want to tell you about a fantastic […]

Loose lips sink ships. Less is more in professional communication. Being clear and concise is the key. There is no need to fill the air with words that might get you in trouble. What is said cannot be taken back once it is out, either in conversation or in writing, including on social media. I […]

Deep Dive: People are your most expensive line item. How do you save money? Pay attention to turnover rates. This month we address critical issues to keep in mind when hiring and firing staff. Is anyone an At-Will employee? Can you fire an employee just because? Is it the right thing to do to provide […]

Remember, Common Sense by Thomas Paine, 1776: “Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one.” March 2022: The past is the past. Let it go, for now. Be prepared for the rest of the year and what […]

How do employers find employees during an extreme labor shortage? This month we examine quality hiring and best practices as the Great Resignation continues. Workers in the shortest supply are service workers, educators, and healthcare workers. A recent visit to the emergency room at a hospital near you was beyond shocking. There were four times […]

Remember the term, Paradigm Shift? It is defined as a fundamental change in approach or underlying assumption. Remember Jack Nicholson’s famous quote from A Few Good Men? “You Can’t Handle the Truth!” Well, as employers, we need to be able to handle the truth. It is time to figure out the barriers to retaining and […]

Where will employees want to live and work? Time to drop a pin: Work-life balance has changed, and workers are in the driver’s seat. High wages in the Permian are commonplace, but the work-life saga is coming to a town near you, even in Timbuktu.  Those companies and locations that are forward-thinking may be the […]