Water Cooler Conversations

Written by Pat Perry
President, ERC 

The comedian George Carlin is known for his extensive vocabulary and cynicism centering on how we sometimes use words to convey unique meanings.  We give new meanings to old words to re-characterize an event or action. 

George Carlin would be proud of the HR profession!  Perhaps the following sampling of workplace related buzzwords and phrases may ring a bell:

Downsize
Rightsize
Change Management
Climbing the Ladder
Lateral Move
Career Transition
Job Rotation
Re-organization
Horizontal Organization
Flat Organization
Deadwood
Strategic Partner
Networking
Outplacement
A seat at the table
Spouse Relocation
Career Relocation
Pre-placement Exam
Lonely at the Top
Succession Planning

And the list goes on…and on…

I am as guilty as anyone as I find myself occasionally peppering my conversations with a few of these choice words or phrases. Perhaps well-intentioned, these “sayings” may not always hit the mark. 

Just ask someone who has been let go from their job.  Tell them they have been “rightsized” or “downsized”.  And don’t forget to wish them luck with their “career transition” and possible career and spousal relocation.  Perhaps they will find a “flat” organization where opportunities abound for upward or lateral movements.  Add that, in the future, they might have fewer direct reports and be able to be more of a strategic partner with the organization’s leadership.  And, fortunately for them, they will receive outplacement and a separation package with the prospects of neutral employment references.  Put yourself in the place of the person receiving this message - what’s your reaction?

I know a number of HR professionals who are fed up with the rhetoric.  They are recognizing that all the nice sounding words and phrases sometimes land on deaf ears - trying to soften the blow doesn’t change reality.  Maybe direct, honest conversation may come back in vogue.  Nice sounding words might be useful for marketing and packaging ideas, but I think we tend to forget the intelligence of the intended audience.   

Given the challenges that we all face finding and keeping top performers, perhaps direct dialogue with employees without the fluff might be more effective in support of achieving organizational objectives and goals. What do you think?

Written by Pat Perry
President, ERC      

Over the past 28 years of working in HR related positions, I formulated a few ideas about the workplace.  Some of these I offer up in my “Top 10″…these my not make it into Letterman’s Top 10, but perhaps they are somewhat thought provoking.

1. People want to get paid for performance until they start getting paid for performance,
2. Don’t have anyone on your team you wouldn’t trust with your kids,
3. If you want to know about a product ask the service person - not the salesperson,
4. Read the same books as your boss,
5. The job market is always great if you know what you want and conduct a focused job search,
6. If you want to learn about an organization, spend an hour in their lobby,
7. The closest to perfection a person ever comes is when he/she fills out a job application,
8. Make friends with the housekeeping staff,
9. A shortage of skilled labor is good for business - it builds organizational character and stimulates creativity,
10. It is much better to have people quit and leave than quit and stay.