Kenneth, the Page

One of the few shows that I watch on television is 30 Rock and I looked forward to a new season of clever writing and off the wall humor as I sat down to watch the season premier last month. 

Maybe it was having just come from a certification prep session, but throughout the episode, the lack of basic HR knowledge seemed to be shouting at me. 

The season began with Jack Donaghy at lunch telling the staff their new corporate mission statement was to “get in touch with the real America.”  There was no strategic planning – just the initiative to show head writer Liz Lemon to find new talent.  Liz and show producer Pete began bungling through the recruitment process to find “the right person” for TGS with Tracy Jordan.  I wondered why they didn’t have HR help them. Surely the network has an HR department.

Just a few minutes into the show, Kenneth , everyone’s favorite Page, came to see Jack with his timesheet and the new policy that “pages cannot work more than 16 hours in a day.” Budget cuts were being made and pages could no longer collect any overtime.  “But Mr. Donaghy, I always work more than 16 hours in a day – it’s not right that I not get overtime” “I can’t lie on my timesheet!”  Jack told him he could only record 16 hours a day and to lie on his timesheet. 

I found myself talking to the television. “Kenneth – go see your HR Manager! Jack can’t do that – haven’t you all heard of the Fair Labor Standards Act? Where is your HR Manager?”  

The same budget restraints resulted in the Payroll Department being downsized to one worker and an envelope stuffing machine. It was no surprise when issues with payroll resulted in checks being distributed incorrectly.  Kenneth, who was already upset that his salary was being reduced, mistakenly received Jack’s bonus check which contained “lots of zeros” and he confronted Jack again. Jack ignored his concerns and Kenneth organized a “page strike” with picket lines outside the studio. HR was no where to be found.  

In the midst of recruiting talent, payroll errors, FLSA violations and striking employees, Jenna, one of the stars of TGS with Tracy Jordan, was in desperate need of someone who knew something about Employee Development.  I was speaking out loud again “Where is your HR Manager?”

Then it occurred to me – if fictionalized NBC network on 30 Rock had an HR Manager to keep everyone out of trouble, Jack, Liz, and crew would not be nearly as funny.  So much of what an HR professional does is not noticed unless it is left undone.  Our job is to keep the Jack Donaghys and Liz Lemons of our worlds out of trouble.  As important as it is, the fact that we do it well can sometimes make us feel invisible.  Next time you are feeling like your work is unseen, watch this year’s season premier of 30 Rock and imagine it is your office without you. Laugh and realize your value! 

Honestly, I’m not sure if I remember what my life was like before my iPhone or if I even want to.  I have access to maps, internet search engines, social networks, and a variety of applications to fulfill almost every want, need, and desire.  A recent study by Ball State and the Institute for Mobile Media Research found that college students are the fastest growing smart phone market segment.  Not surprisingly students are using these powerful mini-computers for both their personal and academic needs.  While I’m far from being a college student, these smart phones like the iPhone have made connecting, managing work and family, and networking even easier.

The ability of smartphones to link users to popular social networking sites may be another major reason college students are buying the devices in large numbers.   The survey found that about 65 percent of respondents use their smartphones to access social networking sites.  Oddly enough, the fastest growing age segment on Facebook is not college students at all. InsideFaceBook.com reports that while Facebook is still the fastest growing social media platform in the United States, almost half (50%) of U.S. Facebook users are older than 35, and nearly one-fifth top 45.

So when and how are these experienced business professionals accessing these sites?  Well, it is certainly not from their work PC.  A recent survey commissioned by Robert Half found that over fifty percent of workplaces in the United States block these social networking websites while another 19% only permit their employees to visit social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, Ning sites, and Myspace but only for business purposes.  And with more than 3 out of 4 people owning cell phones, chances are these experienced professionals are surfing their favorite social network and catching up but not from their work computer.  Your star professionals are accessing blocked websites from their smartphone computer without restriction or monitoring.

Lost Productivity. Decision makers develop a social media and internet policy and disallow workers from viewing risky content and non-business related social media platforms.  Employees work hard to stay informed on the dos and don’ts around the office and use smartphones as a way to work around.  Nucleus Research reports that banning Facebook costs businesses 1.5% of lost productivity in the workplace.  Don’t even get me started on the number of hours wasted by decision makers and HR professionals who sit in committee meetings discussing what sites to include, not to include, and verbiage of their internet and social media policy.

Proxies. These are sneaky little ways to get around blocked websites.  Google boasts almost 7 million websites that list the word proxy.  For as little as $9.95 a month (and sometimes even free), job seekers can purchase proxy access to access company restricted websites through a proxy website.  Don’t believe me, look at the Google search results for yourself.  Not sure if your IT guy is up to snuff?  Ask him his opinions about proxies.

A Relevant Business Need. If more than half of the U.S. users on Facebook are of the age 35 or older, chances are these professionals are using the site for legitimate business purposes.  I often use my Facebook network as a way to give me a quick answer to a question almost like my online Phone-a-Friend option for everything from sales leads, to phone numbers, to the latest basketball scores because my morale is directly tied to my productivity in the office.

Stay Current. With market trends, business news, and just information in general.  Several years ago I learned about a large layoff that was occurring via an email before the layoff was announced to the public.  This email was sent to my personal email account which I had access to on my smart phone.  My team and I were able to react quickly and before our competition.  Situations like these have happened more than once.  Do you want your team to miss out on a once in a lifetime opportunity for your business?

I have a birthday coming up next month.  It is not a traditional milestone birthday, but as I have gotten older, I tend to look at each birthday as a milestone and they become a time of celebration and reflection.

The Beatles

I am of the generation that reveled in change.  We went from the Cuban Missile Crisis and “duck and cover” drills to the Beatles, bellbottoms, and protesting war. We were going to change the world and, in so many ways, we did. 

Last year around this time, I began a list to remind me of how much there is for me still to learn and do.  It is my “Firsts after Fifty” list and it grows monthly.  Some of the items on the list are career oriented, such as earning my SPHR certification. Others are more personal, such as beginning to study piano or meeting George McGovern. All of them represent my need for growth, development, and change. 

The generation of change is now watching the world change around us. Retirement funds have diminished with the economy and many of us will not be able to retire at the age we had hoped.  We will work more years than we planned, but we are less certain as to where we will be working and what we will be doing.  Some of us have lost our jobs due to no fault of our own. Others have seen their career growth slow down or stall.  Many of us are searching for new jobs and wondering if we are too old to find one. We have another 10+ years to contribute to the workforce, but will we be doing something we enjoy and working where our contributions will be valued?  

Growing up in change, we are resourceful and resilient and it is still our mission to change the world.  In order to do that, we “fiftysomethings” need to sharpen the image of older workers.  Let it be known that we are not resting on our laurels and counting the months and days to retirement.  We are not unwilling to learn new technology.  We are a valuable resource that is too often left untapped.  

HR professionals need to be looking at ways to engage and develop our “seasoned” employees.  There is a need to nurture and use our institutional knowledge and mentoring/coaching skills, and better train supervisors to ensure that employees of our generation continue to not only give valued service, but feel valued. 

We still have a future, but only the present is ours to change.